Summer Blooms!

This is the best "Mr Tree" I've seen. The garden looks very trim, tailored and rich in colors and textures.
Do post more picture of it. But how do you get up there to water the planter?

I use a watering wand that is about 36" long with a gentle shower head and it has a hand squeeze lever to turn the water on. I wore out the first one in 6 months. I water the bed by the house with a soaker hose that zig zags through it and around the side of the house. Everything else I water by hand usually every day or at least every other day. Almost everything in my yard is new since last fall when I also installed the new PVC porch railing, new sidewalk and stone steps, round landscape block bed and more. I do everything by myself. No one touches my garden. Last summer it was all grass except for the bed that goes across the house. I also cut out two sections of the concrete driveway last fall for two additional beds. Something is always torn up or in progress. I haven't even mulched much yet because the bed borders keep moving and getting added onto. By the end of the year there should be just a concrete cobblestone path through the yard. Very few things in the yard are actually mature.

Right side of yard.

Left side.

Looking up the sidewalk.

The new fountain I am currently setting up with large and small bell heads and a spitter. I started working on it yesterday. I will sink it in the ground and line with flagstone.

This shows most of the bed in front of the house. The big hosta is over 7' wide and over 3' tall not counting the flower scapes.

Some of my propagating on the drive along with a few new things yet to be planted.

More of the propagating.

Water plants in the stock tank sitting on the driveway.

More propagating.

More propagating and the start of a new bed were I cut out part of the driveway.

Wow I thought I did a lot. I just got something in pots that have been sitting around here for a week......

I am impressed to say the least.


Individual plants outside by my front porch......... No wrong picture. I planted these this morning.............

This is by my front porch..............

I have a full sun propagating section as well near the water plants and the other spot I cut out a part of the driveway. I try to avoid having full sun perennials as I do not like working in the sun. I work too fast and it causes my body to overheat very quickly. As you can see, I love to grow and propagate.

These are my elephant ear varieties. I also have Odora which I forgot to add to the pic. I have some in pots while others are planted all over in the yard. 14 varieties. I have 6 varieties of ferns. 100 varieties of hosta. I know the names of all of them.

Oh Oh I have the Mojito one by the pool, My Illustris didn't do well at all this spring and the bulb shriveled. Oh well.

I have all my elephant ears near the pond. I'll go see if I have a pic of them at all...........

Here's one. I don't know the name. Another DG'er gave it to me so all I know is it is an Alocasia

a different one again.

Oh and my new gardening buddy............

Ordered him from Gardeners Supply Catalog. It think hs was 24 something. I had ordered him beginning of last month but they had to wait to get more in.

He's adorable hey

I found it. Thank you!

franknjim, your gardens are very impressive. I really like the wide angle photographs of them.
It gives the idea of planning that went into each bed. Tremendous hardscape work and bed planning!
Judging by the amount of propagation work, more planting coming pretty soon :)

I am inspired every time I see a transformation like that. Makes me feel capable to pick up a
shovel and add another foot to the perennial beds. Thank you for sharing your garden.

cece,
I did not realise you had so many annuals. I can't overwinter anything - no garage and the house
if 78F all year round basement to main floor :( But I enjoy everybody's pictures of those beauties :)

This message was edited Jul 14, 2010 1:10 PM

I have in the past been the Queen of over-wintering fools, Not doing so much this year. Only the Brugs, Alo's and Cannas will be brought in. I'm going to save seeds from the Cleome and sow those next year and try for the nicotiana and the cosmos.......Maybe taking a few cuttings from the Alstromerias and the scented geraniums, persian shield,........If the cuttings make it they make it, if they don't they don't. I'll just buy more anyway, so what would be the point of driving myslf goofy trying to find space and time for all of them.

I must be getting old.,,,,,,,

Frank, cece...you guys have WAY too much ambition. I won't go outside these days for fear of being a) melted by the hot temperatures and humidity, or b) carried away by mosquitoes. lol

I do it so I can eliminate all traces of grass so I won't have to mow or weed whack ever again. I actually don't plan my beds. I build up a surplus of new and old plants then I just start placing pots according to mature size. I slice off the grass with a hand trowel and plant as I go. I can't have a permanent border yet because they keep getting moved as I expand the beds. I am getting a big dump truck full of hardwood mulch and one of flagstone by the end of this month along with probably about 20-30 new hostas and probably a few other things if I can control myself. I usually can't so I don't try all that hard. All of this new stuff will keep me busy for a few weeks and will make a huge difference in the way the yard looks. Eventually my yard will be full and I will have to start doing the neighbors yard across the street. They would love it since their yard is the worst on the block.

We must be kindred spirits. In fact, I know that one behind me and the ones on each side of me are hoping I run out of room very SOON and will start on their yards.......

I have plans for two new beds so far. The one I was planning for the back can wait another couple months for I won't really be planting it right away, but the iris bed has got to get dug up and amended because my iris all NEED to be divided this year. That will be my next project.

Ed can put his tent back now if he wants. He can at least kill the grass for me...... Such a small thing to ask.

I think you are kindred spirits, indeed! Everything is gorgeous. Franknjim, the African Mask elephant ear is INCREDIBLE!! How do you overwinter? Just cut back and put in low light and water occasionally?

Last year I kept all of the ears growing in pots in the house. This year will be different. The ones that are single plants in pots I will keep growing in the house, for the rest I will wash off all soil, cut off all leaves, let bulbs dry completely and then hang them in mesh bags in the basement. Some people store them in dry peat moss but many times they have problems with mold. Panty hose, onion bags and things like that would work to hang them up but I have too many so I will probably buy some tulle, cut large squares out of it, put the bulbs in it and tie a knot with the four corners to hang it. This way they will have air circulating around them and through the tulle to help prevent mold.

If they are kept in pots, not watered and let go dormant the chance of mold increases. Watering would cause them to grow. I try to avoid having houseplants. I went through that phase 20 years ago having 100 huge houseplants and 100 succulents/cactus. I built my own greenhouse back then for my first huge garden. The garden I have now is the 3rd big one.

Great, thanks, Frankjim - good info! Yes, I'm really careful with what I bring in the house plantwise, as I have a cat and dog and many houseplants are poisonous. (I know outdoor ones are too, but I don't worry about my dog - she ignores plants . . . except cherry tomatoes which she loves to catch when thrown in the air!) I just have a few plain ol' pothos, which I love because they're traily like philodendron, but not toxic.

I have 2 large and 3 giant breed dogs, 2 cats, 2 medium and 2 large parrots, 4 rats & a snake. Elephant Ears have a sap that can paralyze a throat like diffenbachia. I am overly protective of my pets so I don't let any of them near any of my plants.

Simple things like apple seeds can kill a parrot. The saying "Canary in a coal mine" is because they are hyper sensitive to gases, burning teflon pans, household cleaners, air fresheners and scented candles to name a few.

You do have a full house :) I did not know that Elephant Ears were so dangerous. Mental note: read about all of my garden plants.

I have finally my oriental lilies open!

This is Rudbeckia Sonoma that came with the groceries. I shop at Woodman's and sometimes they have perennials in the veggies department. Go figure :)

Here's a mum that escaped my trimming to delay the blooms :(

Beautiful photos enya

Toxic plants:
Amaryllis
Crown of thorns
Mistletoe
Arrowhead vine
Daffodil
Asparagus fern
Pothos
Dieffenbachia
Philodendrons
Azalea
Elephant Ear
Pot mum
Bird of paradise
Emerald duke
Red princess
Boston ivy
English holly
Schefflera
Marble queen
Caladium
Iris
Christmas rose
Ivy
Spider plants
Sprengeri fern
Chrysanthemum
Lily of the valley
Jerusalem cherry
Creeping Charlie
Tulip
Creeping fig

More info on these and more plants that are toxic from the US Army:
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/PLANT.HTM

Franknjim, your list is accurate, except that it doesn't differentiate between mildly and severely toxic. Pothos has oxalates which can cause irritation in mouth and throat. It can cause difficulty breathing and can even be fatal, but one would have to chew up the whole plant, I think. I may be wrong, so correct me if I am! This subject can get pretty deep. There are so many kinds of toxic, naturally occurring substances and the level and type of toxicity is overwhelming. Enya, don't be scared by this as I was when I first started looking into it. Really, the only thing I would NOT plant in my garden is datura - EXTREMELY toxic.

Our two Neapolitan Mastiffs cost us $5,700.00 and the 2 macaws cost $2,800.00 so I just avoid having any plants in the house that any animal can get to. When I do keep plants in the house they are kept in a closed bedroom that the animals are not allowed into. It doesn't matter if a plant is toxic or not, I won't take any chances with my pets. I haven't let any of the dogs out in the front yard in almost a year now since I jumped back into gardening big time again.

Wow a small fortune just in pets!!!! I'd be careful what plants I got myself.............. Better you than me............
ed would divorce me I started buying pets at those amounts............

I love my garden and love my pets. The thousands I spend in the yard is minimal compared to food and vet bills for the critters. I have a collage of them here: http://www.illinimastini.com/dogs/pets.jpg and I might have a new Neo puppy coming from Italy in a month or two!

Interesting collection of animals. but rats and snakes? oh my! You and my husband would might get along with the snake but the rats????? Sorry, even mice and voles freak me out.

They're beautiful, Franknjim! (well, I don't know about the snakes and rats!) I love animals, too!