How I Started From Scratch

Three years ago when I first got back into gardening after a stint of several years traveling with Hubby on-the-road with his job, I had no seeds, much less plants. Thanks to my only local gardening friend, and so many friends here on DG who shared seeds and plants in trades and swaps, and still continue to, my gardens are thriving and would like to show pics on a regular basis to chronicle what's blooming. My planting style is willy-nilly and don't plan what to plant where except the Canna garden on the side of our garage where the new rhizomes are based on height and are just starting to shoot up leaves

You're welcome to share your blooms here too and tell us about your gardening adventures and experiences.

I need to back up a bit and first show a handful of Irises in my Full Sun garden.

Columbines bloomed the same time in my small part-shade garden, along with a Lady Banks Rose that was a birthday present last year.

The Daylilies are just starting to strut their stuff.

Pic 1 -- Atlanta Moonwalk
Pic 2 -- Coming Up Roses
Pic 3 -- Cranberry Ruffles
Pic 4 -- Long Stocking
Pic 5 -- Siloam Double Classic

Daylily "Wild Horses" started blooming today too.

One of my favorites things to play with are hanging baskets filled with annuals.

Pic 1 Missouri Primrose
Pic 2 Nepeta 'Walker's Low'
Pic 3 Phlox paniculata 'Minnie Pearl'
Pic 4 Centaurea 'Amethyst In Snow -- last month
Pic 5 Centaurea 'Montana' -- still blooming

These are a few Cosmos volunteers and a surprise dwarf Dahlia.

Many Daylilies are blooming two weeks well ahead of schedule.

Pic 1 Cabbage Flower
Pic 2 Enchanted Elf
Pic 3 Attribution
Pic 4 Cool Jazz
Pic 5 Raspberry Pixie

Daylilies

Pic 1 Peacock Maiden (not looking up to par yet)
Pic 2 a double red
Pic 3 Sabie
Pic 4 Two-Part Harmony
Pic 5 Catherine Irene

Wonderful pics and beautifully grown plants!

Wow! Can't wait to see you Cannas! I think I need to run out w/my camera! Very pretty garden.

Fruity, I am right there with you. When we moved out to the abandoned farm, my first projects involved getting things liveable, then getting fences. Then surviving the drought. Now I am starting my dream yard, a full cottage garden. You and I are so alike, I have no plan, I am sticking things where ever it suits and I know that in the end it will work.

I love your daylilies and irises. I finally got my irises planted in an area by some side stairs where water tends to linger a bit. I have a couple from you that I got on that trip I made out your way. They have been languishing in pots and I hope that they will now thrive and maybe even flower.

I have many starts from my DG friends, they are always my favorites.

Just transplanted this heirloom, Chrysler Imperial, and it is very happy.
My little Broom survived the drought in a pot and is now ready for summer.
Maggie is always exploding with blooms.
This little copper rain lily came up after our last rain a week ago.
One corner near my gate has six or seven types of blanket flowers, horsemint, rudbeckias and others that come back year after year.

Thanks for the compliments, y'all, but have to confess my beds are on their own and don't do anything special, just try to keep the weeds at bay and depend on rain water and mulch to hold the moisture. I'm so far behind picking up a couple of loads of mulch this year. May has brought an abundance of rain and am grateful for the showers when March and April were unusually hot and dry. Late April Showers?

The past two years I've been adding Lilies, but Daylilies are still the backbone of my gardens and hope you won't get bored seeing many more when they bloom.

Joy, Maggie is an eye-popper and especially enjoyed seeing a peek of your wildflowers. Is the second photo a Scotch Broom? I've never seen one in person. It'll be a while yet before our wild Black-Eyed Susan's, Daisies, and Queen Anne's Lace bloom in our field. But who knows with this crazy year? Same timeframe for Chicory but have already seen them blooming out here in the Country.

I'm either going to give the Irises away (one row of possibly 8-10 clumps that are a mess growing together) or move them around telephone poles, but I'd rather reserve those areas for Ornamental Grasses.

The first shot shows Mickey, my Yorkie peeking through a clump of Irises last month. My gardening space is limited, and am quickly running out of room for plants that don't like to be mulched.

Second pic is Asiatic Lily 'Monte Negro' that opened Sunday.

Third pic are NOIDS last month, a Hosta and an Ajuga both gifted by my local gardening friend three years ago and were the first plants I started with. I'd love to have an ID of either or both.

Keep the pics coming! It's always great to see everyone's gardens and blooms and give me inspiration.

Me, me, (frantically waving her hand). Send some irises to me please!!!! I wouldn't turn down some day lilies either if you separate them. I lost all of mine from DG'ers in last years drought.
Your flowers are always so beautiful!!!!!

So very nice, Sooze.

Oh thank you, Carolyn. What's blooming for you? Any of your pretty Clematis vines?

Sure, Joy, I'll get a selection together for you.

Look at the two of you, how much you have going in such a short time. What a great accomplishment! Congratulations!

Pam

Susan

The clematis are starting as well as the alliums. I noticed the foxglove will be flowering soon as well. It is all earlier than in previous years.

This is Clematis Crimson Star with a white columbine.

Thank you, Pam. My gardens are a work in progress. But then again, aren't they all?

My only Clematis, Elsa Spaeth, that usually blooms around Mother's Day, was really early, Carolyn.

There were only a few new blooms today.

Pic 1 A Daylily rec'd in a trade two years ago tagged as Spacecoast Extreme Fashion but doesn't match Tinker's Database. Such a beautiful bloom and was glad I ventured out to capture a shot this morning after our T-storms last night.
Pic 2 Daylily " Little Fruit Cup"
Pic 3 Asiatic Lily "Lollypop"

Carolyn, that Crimson Star is a beauty. I love the deep burgundy color... How is the growth rate? My wish list is growing like mad! Lol...

Pam

Initially Crimson Star was slow to start and it was a clematis that I bought in a liner pot, but once it took off, it has grown like crazy!

Thanks for directing me here, Fruit. The photos are wonderful! I can't wait to see more.
Alana

Pic 1 Daylily 'Apricot Sparkles'
Pic 2 Daylily 'Radiant Ruffles'
Pic 3 Daylily 'Two-Part Harmony' posted above, but one of the blooms today is a double -- Thank you, Alana!

I love TPH when it doubles!
Here are some of the best from my garden today.
1. Hydrangea Annabelle will soon be fully in bloom.
2. One of my crosses-darker than the photo in person. I am working on black and this one is showing some black lines.
3. Bronze Cockerel's huge bloom.
4. Papaver laciniatum, Black Swan.

Oops.

It is so neat to watch your garden unfurl Fruit, we are so many weeks ahead of you in our climate. Right now we are enjoying my sunflowers, all kinds, my rudbeckias, coneflowers, pokeweed, firecracker plants, and of course my antique roses. Soon it will be too hot for them.

1. Belinda
2. Sunflowers
3. Coreopsis
4. Westerland
5. Dame de Cour

FOTV,

Your lilies look great! Thanks for sharing. Everyone's blooms are looking great as well.

Mike

Alana, I love the Black Swan. Purple and ruffles, my kind of combo!

Joy

Hey susan...wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, all are sooo beautiful. I wanted to ask if you might save some seed from that red aquilegia post #2, 4rth pix. Haven't seen that one before, just love it....And if you do decide to get rid of those iris, would you like to trade for them? I know a million $, lol.

pix: first bloom on my new,(last summer bought, this sping a bloom,yeahhh), tree peony.

This message was edited May 25, 2012 4:37 PM

Hi Mike, You'll have blooms soon too. Seeing Joy's Sunflowers reminded me I forgot to give you seeds. D-mail your address if you're not in the exchange and I'll pop them in the mail.

There will be enough Irises to divide and share several times, Kathy, just not a lot of different cultivars and a couple were gifted by my gardening friend here who rarely, if ever, keeps up with names. Will add you to list of folks wanting Columbine seeds. How close are you to the snow that just fell? Unreal.

A few volunteer sunflowers are just starting to open, Joy. You can't tell from the pic, but they're already taller than I am. I like that short bi-colored one.

Alana, if a couple of fans of D/L Black Plush would help with your hybridizing efforts and / or Brown Witch, say the word.

Pic 1 Sunflowers
Pic 2 Daylily 'Street Urchin'
Pic 3 Dayily 'Smoky Mountain Autumn'
Pic 4 Daylily NOID #2 from Faye / dahtzu, a very beautiful double

That is very kind of you to offer! I have those two. I really enjoy Brown Witch and another one called Brown Recluse.
I am starting to make a list now of Daylilies I want to trade this fall. Maybe we can arrange a trade on Susie's thread if you are so inclined and I have any of interest.
Jerry Pate Williams and 42nd Street (can you tell I love the doubles and spiders?)

Oh my, both those doubles are outstanding, especially 42nd Street. Well, I don't know what else would help unless you don't have Chocolate Splash. If today's heat and humidity is any indication of the Summer to come, I probably won't trade plants again until September and would welcome a trade on Susie's thread with you then, Alana.

Today's blooms.....

Pic 1 Daylily 'My Belle'
Pic 2 Daylily 'Curly Pink Ribbons'
Pic 3 Two years ago, I ordered a box of Westbourne Daylily seedlings and received 14. This one is simply labeled #5.
Pic 4 Daylily 'Sherry Lane Carr'

A few more Lilies have started to open. Their hot colors matched the day!

Pic 1 Tango Lily 'Olina' -- blooms are much larger than my outstretched hand
Pic 2 Asiatic Lily 'Starlette'
Pic 3 Asiatic Lily 'Orange Art' with 'Monte Negro' in the background

O Froot they are beautiful. :)

Those deep oranges are wonderful!

Beautiful job ladies !! I'm so impressed by what you women
have been able to do in such a short amount of time !

Cris, It's great to see you, girlfriend.

It was another hot day and went out early this morning to snap these photos.

Pic 1 Daylily 'Wind Frills'
Pic 2 Daylily 'Peacock Maiden'
Pic 3 Dayily 'Bayou Bride' -- not a good clumper for me and after growing it for two years, it still only has two fans
Pic 4 Daylily 'Hunter's Torch' -- It looks like a bird was up earlier than I was...lol
Pic 5 Daylily 'Chicago Picotee'

Pic 1 Daylily 'Seductress'
Pic 2 Daylily 'Jedi Dot Pierce'
Pic 3 LA Lily 'Royal Sunset'
Pic 4 Clump of lost tag (Asiatic?) Orange Lilies -- Do any of you recognize them?
Pic 5 White Butterfly Bush

Last for today are two NOID Daylilies. One is an orange bi-color. That clump literally exploded with blooms overnight, then a delicate peachy-pink one with recurved petals, and another Lily.

Susan

So very gorgeous. You have done such a wonderful job with your garden beds. I find it theraputic to work in my garden beds - the problem is I have difficulty stopping once I get started.

How's that beautiful water garden of yours, Carolyn? There are many days it's difficult for me to stop and come in just to throw a load of laundry in the washer or drier or fix a bite of lunch.

My local gardening friend and I are visiting my mail lady's farm Wednesday and am taking a stack of empty egg cartons for her to fill up with fresh eggs and sell them, and am sure she'll send each of us home with a dozen or two. Last time she slipped in a Turkey egg and was the largest, richest egg I've ever eaten. Also planted two pots of Caladium bulbs for her. That's about all I did outside with this miserable humidity hanging on except give the potted plants and hanging baskets a drink early this morning. Our A/C is on for the first time this year and fells so refreshing!

Today's blooms.....

Pic 1 Daylily 'Border Music'
Pic 2 Daylily 'Collier'
Pic 3 Daylily 'Spacecoast Sonata'
Pic 4 Daylily 'Chocolate Splash' -- If it's like last year, it'll look better as more blooms open. Does yours start the same way, Alana?
Pic 5 Daylily -- unnamed Pink and Cream with toothy edges that also gets better as more blooms unfurl