Garden Shots 2- Summer's here, keep those pics coming!

We came from here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1004266/

I'm so inspired by everyone's garden pictures, gathering so many great ideas! Seeing the plant combinations and ways folks have used plantings to cover or adorn functional parts of outdoor living space is so valuable, I think to most of us. Works in progress, before and after shots, or beds you're looking for suggestions about, show us those pics!

I'll start us out with what I call my pink bed, and this one is before I weeded (Gasp! LOL). I worked real hard on it today (and mowed), so I'll get a good comparison shot. Those Lilies were just too pretty not to get out there and sweat like a pig weeding them, LOL.

i just hate weeding....

After years of sharing your hatred of weeding, I've kinda started enjoying it the last few years. That's when I find so many things that nearly got consumed, new sprouts, and find pest issues before they get out of hand. What I do still hate is weeding in hot weather- the garden wilts, I wilt, and the crabgrass is growing as happily as a pig in poo.

I used to put down pinestraws or groundcover in my bed, but since I've been growing from seeds, I haven't done that. I think next year I will start most in containers and transplant. Then I can put down ground cover.

OK... no pictures today but I did want to pop in to say I'm taking pictures
of the cottage gardens of England this week. :-) We will be in the Cotswolds
for a week after several days in London. Made it to Hampton Court Palace
Flower Show yesterday. The weather is amazing ... so cool and yet they
have zone 8 plants here. drool.

Tam

wow. you are so lucky. can not wait to see them. I have an English friend and she has a beautiful garden.

This is a group of DL's I shot today. The obedient plants is starting to bloom and the shasta daisies
are in the background. A bright shot for s cloudy & rainy day.

two purple glads were starting to bloom today. #1

# 2..this one is pretty.

What is a cottage garden without Queen Annes Lace?. Most consider it a weed, but i just love it.

My garden is behaving very oddly this year. My 'cottage garden' is almost non existent this year, everything else is limping along. I had some good lessons this year regarding soil prep and mulching. I prepared less aggressively and later this year, then I used oat straw for mulch which still had seeds, much to my dismay! Our rains are late and scarce this year, true gardening in the desert experience.
I have my glads blooming, and sunflowers. Here are a few individual pics, I'll do the big picture next.

Bea, I'd love to see some summer wide shots of your garden- I so enjoyed your spring pics, with the white fence in the background. I've allowed a few Queen Anne's lace to remain in my garden as well, they're a lovely filler!

Sonoita, your Sunflowers are beautiful, especially against that azure blue sky! What are the lavender color blooms in the distance behind them?

The purple in the background is "Bubblegum Grape" Texas Ranger, very aromatic when it blooms! Here is a picture by it's self.

My neighbors call my garden Lou's Chaos. I like to think of it as my own unique style "Country Chaos". I grow it only for my DH and my enjoyment, and we do enjoy it! So, neighborhhood 's opinion has little to do with it. It was unplanned and just sorta grew into what it is today over the years. I will post a few wide shots and some individual shots I took over the weekend.

Here is one of the sunflowers. Lou.

here is wide view. Lou

another view....just this and that

This is a "Vining Gloxenia" I picked up for a buck because it wasn't in bloom yet. I love it.

My cone flowers....

a shot looking up toward the patio

along our small stream...it brings all the birds in to bathe.

Yellow finch enjoying the water...

Have many more, but will stop boring you now. The last one is of the pond...

I LOVE your garden Lou!!! It's absolutely wonderful, thanks so much for sharing! I'd love to see more, especially of your water feature and the way you've laid out your paths.

Nice garden Lou
Here is a shot of my fountain along the SE patio looking NE. To the right of the fountain is where I am attempting the 'cottage garden' look.

Edited to try to get the picture to upload.

This message was edited Jul 14, 2009 9:22 AM

For some reason I can't get any pics to upload?!?

Hi everyone! dispatcher1 - I love the natural setting of your garden, love the birds too! Here is part of my front bed - the clematis in the back is in almost full shade but it's doing pretty good. There are roses with hardy geraniums in the front with some russian sage and coneflowers just opening (seems so late!) behind them and then hostas and a rodo behind that.

While this garden may be too formal in design to be considered a cottage garden, it has a very English feel to it, and is most masterfully executed. A joy to look at, hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did. Just scroll down the thread, and be ready to drool, LOL.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/991754/

WOW! I just looked at that garden and it's just beautiful. I would love to sit in it and read a book.

WOW!!! That's really beautiful. Boy just when I think I might be starting to get somewhere with mine after 2 1/2 years - I see those pics and I realize - not even close lol!!! I guess a real cottage look takes a long time to evolve and grow like that. I've never even seen a couple of those plants! Thanks for sharing, I'm inspired!

dispatcher,nice gardens !!We drive through seymour every time we go south,and I had a cat named seymour :)

Oh how I love peonies, and wish I could grow them. All that ever comes up from my fernleaf peonies is foliage, and one of my 3 didn't make it this year :(

huggergirl, d-mail me the next time you go south. I'd love to meet you. We are usually around the house and if you have time to stop by our house, I can give you easy directions. Lou

dispatcher1,Thank you for the invite,we will be heading to Destin Fl. in sept.if time permits ,we may have to buzz by you,we pull a small pop-up camper or as we call it the camperette.

Sounds good!!! Lou

Before

After


Still a work in progress but coming along.

This message was edited Jul 17, 2009 8:00 PM

oh, how pretty. A few weeks ago we went to see 4th of July fireworks in this park and I saw a house using clay flowerpots for border. It was really pretty. I am going to go back and take a picture of it.

Lilli..you just gave me a wonderful idea for some small ceramic pots I did not know what to do with now that the violets I had in them are no longer! Looking forward to the picture when you get it!

Dispatcher, I can't believe you got that yellow finch photo, I've been trying to capture one in my backyard for several summers. He just won't hold still! My whole family knows about my quest to get that elusive yellow finch on my cosmos. Here's my garden on June 27

OK. Here is the picture of the clay flower pots for border. I tried to crop out the house - so not to "invade" the homeowner's privacy.