Background shows the problems of living in town.
Starting Fresh...Share Your Thoughts Please
maoz,
I wish I had your "problems" :)
Those gardens are lovely!
I found a good picture showing a bleeding heart from a distance.
The heuchera is a volunteer, because the sidewalk is six feet wide I am able to keep it.
Been gone for a few days and look at all the lovely blooms that popped up while I was away!!! :D
I want them ALL, I just don't have room for them at my place...and what was that I need to keep telling myself?? Oh, yeah, start small, start small, start small. *Sigh*
I love the close up of the bleeding heart. I have a white one I want to transplant from my old garden...but the pink is thing dreams are made of! And if my problem area was a greenhouse, HA!, I'd have the world by the tail!!!
Somewhere, someone said the word..."romantic". I'm too lazy to go back and look at who it was, sorry. I think that is a good word to sum up a CG. The colors and plants don't really matter, it's the feeling it invokes, isn't it? Romantic, comfy, cozy, dreamy, airy, un-stuffy, approachable, RELAXED...just someplace you want to sit all day long, even in the rain and let your cares just drift away...even if the plants need pruning or deadheading, it's ok because that's part of the look too.
...and I'm really not a movie buff at all, but I want to see this movie now...even if I watch it on mute, rotfl, just to see the gardens!! Gotta look it up and check it out. DBF is gonna love this! Watching a movie for the gardens in it!
Great photos!
pgt, does your 'Kent Beauty' survive the winter? In my head there's a thought that they're too tender to be perennial for me, but I'd love to be wrong!
I'll find out this spring. I'll let you know.
*crossing fingers*
I haven't had a lot of luck overwintering tender herbs inside... and there are some beauties that we can almost grow here. Need to work on creating more pocket-bed microclimates (with big rocks around for heat sinks).
:-)
Heather, I think your space limitations and Victorian era home lend themselves beautifully to the cottage style of gardening. Cottage gardens emerged as a way to utilize a small space to maximum potential, with ornamentals, herbs, and culinary plants casually interspersed. Sounds like that's what you're aiming to do.
For me, Roses, Peonies, and Bearded Iris are Cottage Classics for late spring. Lilies and reseeding, old fashioned annuals are my summer favorites.
Neal -- now that you mention Roses.... what do you use for 'companion' plants in your rose bed??
I mostly have herbs .... Parsley for the caterpillars and bunnies, and Bronze Fennel also for the cats.
4-O'clocks have some how invaded that bed, and i'm trying to eradicate them.
but with all the Salvias i have ... i need a place to put them all.
I spread my Roses throughout the garden, so they end up being paired with practically any other sun lover. Lavender is one of my favorites, but I've read Chives and other Allium/Onions are also good companions, so I'll be spreading some Chives around some of the roses soon. I like various hardy Geraniums, Lambs Ear, and various Dianthus around my Roses too.
By the way, I don't grow Roses that need babying, I stick to the tough performers and old garden roses. It takes some research, but there are reliable ones out there for most climates, that don't require any more attention than other blooming shrubs.
thanks... I do need to move my chives, as my neighbors dog loves to pee on them. -- needless to say, i did not use any chives last year.
I do have a bit of dwarf Lavender in there too.
now that the snow is melting... i can see the huge amount of damage the voles have made this winter. **shakes fist** I just hope they didnt kill any of my Roses.
I dont baby my roses either. When i was looking for some, i chose hardy one and fragrant. those are my 2 criteria for Teas. though i think i did buy one Floribunda. Mine dont even get covered for the winter... and so far so good.
Lovely gardens and photos.
Oh, I forgot one of my favorite companions for Roses, Catmint. Those blue misty looking blooms are wonderful with Roses.
I can't believe you guys didn't bring up larkspur! They are just wonderful
for cottage gardens. I love love love all your gardens.
Here's a bed I am constantly fiddling with...
beautiful Tammy!!
I dont think i've ever had Larkspur seeds...
Oh Terese, you must try Larkspur! I think they're my very favorite annual.
they are wonderfully easy. Just toss out the seed in the bed and they'll come
back every year (as long as you don't weed 'em out in the spring). I love them
for bouquets too.
I remembered this attached thread from a few years ago and thought you all might find it inspiring, too. Note, at the end of this thread/link a new thread on cottage concepts is included.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/667391/
I remember that thread! Its so nice to see all the bright colors on this
dreary winter day.
ladies do horses eat morning glory vines? i would like to know. would love to plant some on the fence, but don,t wonto make molly sick. asksked around can,t find anything about horses and morning glory vines. thank you much
Did a google....
Quoting:
The plants that will kill a horse out-right and can not be eaten in any amount include: Japanese Yew, water hemlock, ground hemlock, foxglove, oleander, and lily of the valley. Less than 1 once can kill an 1100# horse.
here is the web site... http://www.blueskyanimal.com/horse_toxic_weeds.htm
Quoting:
Hounds tongue, groundsel, rattle box, heliotropun, and fiddle neck contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These plants cause chronic progressive damage to the liver. Symptoms include depression, anorexia, jaundice, diarrhea, and photosensitivity. These horses look like they have sunburn. Buckwheat and St. John’s wort also can cause primary photosensitizations. Horse tail, Lupines, mountain laurel, Azaleas, Jimsonweed, morning glory, pigweed, blue green algae, yellow star thistle, Russian knapweed, white snake root, and rayless goldenrod are all toxic and must be avoided.
This message was edited Jan 29, 2010 5:46 PM
thanks a bunch sure would feel bad if i made her sick , she is 30+ years old gets special old horse food . i don,t need morning glory on the fence. she keeps the seven sisters rose bush pruned back real good.we love her .she takes care of this 10 acers and has for a long time. thanks for your help have a nice evening
Maozamom
You have my house. I want your house. It is the house of my dreams. Instead I'm stuck in an '80's tract home with a homeowners association. My husband grew up in one of the "Painted Ladies" in San Francisco and refuses to move into an old house. Can't stop me from collecting antiques and having my cottage garden though.
You did a lovely job. Keep it up!
Yehudith
Maozamom..I love those dark purple Iris, heuchera and bleeding heart. Now what is the other flower next to the bleeding heart? Lady's mantle? Are those what you call dwarf Iris? I love them..remember the name of them and where you bought them? How do you manage to keep deer and rabbitts from eating those beautiful Hostas?
I love Lady's Mantle and have a lot of it but it blooms to late for this combination. That's Donkey Spurge http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/781/
and it has great texture even after it blooms to make up for it not looking as great with water drops like LM
I live in town and have never had deer in my yard. This is dairy country, so there's plenty to eat outside of town. You know, even when I lived in the country I had no problem because I was surrounded by fields. Last summer I had deer at the Historic Society garden which is just around the corner, a new experience for me. They loved the Mexican Sunflowers and that's one of the plants that's suppose to be safe from them.
Right, dwarf bearded iris. They're fast growers and I have many small patched of them so everyone is sick of me trying to palm them off on them. Sort of like zucchini later in the season.
mao.