Garden Growth

Recently I was going back through the blog archives to find the size of our pergola (answer: 12ft x 10.5 ft) and found this post about how the garden had grown from 2010 to 2013. It made me realize how much the garden has grown since then. So many plants have reached maturity since then and I now spend more time keeping plant and shrub growth in check. And the trees are now so big and established. I thought it would be fun to compare the old photos to now.

The rose bush part of the garden -
September 2010 when we first planted it:

September 2013 when the garden was finally taking real shape:

Now the rosebush is a giant monster, the peonies are full grown.
Summer 2017:

The crepe myrtle and quince next to the deck -
Summer 2010 when the tree was first planted and the quince was a twig:

September 2013 when the quince was finally looking like a bush and the crepe myrtle like a tree:

The crepe myrtle needs some reshaping after it finishes blooming, but it's so tall now! The quince is as tall as the fence, though it's completely blocked by the asparagus (which I never should have planted there - it was a mistake!).
Summer 2017:

The thujas along the fence were slow to start -
Spring 2011:

In three years they reached the height of the fence and were finally filling in -
September 2013:

The thujas are 6-8 feet tall now and a beautiful wall of green -
Summer 2017:

The redbud tree was so small when we planted it - it's now so wide and full!
Summer 2010:
 

September 2013:

I never thought a redbud could spread this wide. It provides some lovely deep shade.
Summer 2017: