The first year... (part 1)

I knew the perennials and grasses would take some time to fill, so the plan for the first year was to fill all the open spaces with annuals. 

Annuals grow and cover spaces quickly. It makes them perfect as filler plants for newly planted bed. I was aiming for dense plant coverage which I find helpful in many ways. It means that there are few weeds. It means that you do not have to mulch as the plants shade the ground and create living mulch. It also means that the landscaping becomes resilient. If something dies or does not do well, you hardly notice as other plants fill in the space. Yes, as with any space, you need to edit it periodically to be what you intended to be - but that's the case with any kind of landscaping.  

When spring arrived, things grew quickly and furiously. In mid March (photo below) the ground was mostly covered already.

And growth continued rapidly. The two photos below were taken less than a month apart (first one on April 9th, the second one on May 1st, 2024).