Great stuff everyone.. FLStu,love the new raised bed.
These shots were from a little earlier
Yellow Iris
Columbine
Tulip ...that had a double bloom
Creeping phlox and peonies,I have a photo of the peonies blooming ...but it wont load into my library ?? Argg
Wow...this thread looks so gorgeously colorful this morning!!
FLStu ~ Welcome & Congrats on your new house! Very pretty bulbs. You have quite a variety of perennials and shrubs...very attractive! Your new Columbine appears to be doing well and your "inherited" Poppy is stunning. I really like the brick planters attached to your house and you did a nice job on your raised rock garden.
Cindy ~ There are no "lazy" gardeners! You just have your priorities in order! I woke up this morning to a bunch more blooms on my 'Snow Queen'. Delphinium is about to bloom and I have buds on one of my Echinaceas. The other type blooms a little later.
huggergirl ~ Welcome back! Lovely blooms. That water pump by your Creeping Phlox is really cute! Sorry about the Peony pics. I think the sole purpose of computers is to is make us think we're in control, then do things like that to prove we're really not.
The other purple without peonies ...Is Aubrieta (Rock cress) that was a bad photo ... I love it,I started it from seed several years ago now...Tolerates Shade somewhat dry,but well drained...Great ground cover
Getting my photos to , is it up or down load ... ? anyway I think I have it figured out..LOL
Got bucket loads of rain last night as did a lot of people...Moved all my pots inside...Glad I took photos of my Foxglove as they are laying on the ground this AM... : (
Foxglove...I planted lots of winter sowed ones this spring...fingers crossed they take hold
Looking at the West side of our house...the flat area up to the screened porch is still under construction...a deck will be built this year....
Some Rescued Dianthus..before the rains. Delphinium gearing up to bloom
Things starting to get some color back ..I have such a Lull between spring and summer . I m working on that,Early summer bloomers...
So glad I took the time to shoot a few photos before the rain
1Spiderwort...Latin Name ?
2 Strawberry Parfait dianthus...I have no Id on them...I just love them..they seem to do well on the west side
3 working on the lower area in front of the rr ties...that's where I dug all the Iris out...YES under all that creeping phlox there are 4-5 RR ties building the wall
Huggergirl......My slopes aren't as steep as yours. Really like what you've done using the rocks. I decided to use the red and black paver blocks to tie in with the brick on the house.ut love the rock look as it brings a more natural feel to the landscaping. I'm going to try incorporating both to give me some of each texture type. But I like how you worked the perennials into rock nooks.
FLStu,I have used 32 Ton of field stone 3 truck loads...You cant even see my rocks anymore plants have naturalized over the years. I have a Cottage Rock Garden...LOL
Penstamon...?
just random shots things taking off
Lime and coral wave petunias I started from seed this year
Hugger - spiderwort = Tradescantia. That double tulip is cool. Whoa - that rock garden really filled in!
nuts - I think the only Echinacea I have in the upper garden is 'Summer Sky'. It gets bigger every year but I haven't been able to get any seeds from it to germinate. Maybe sterile? I do have some 'White Swan' as well but I think it's in too much shade to do well. I'll have to rescue that one some day.
Stu - love that new bed. What are you going to grow in there?
Even though I don't contribute any pics, I sure do enjoy looking at all of the ones posted.
Cindy ...you don't post photos do you....you need too...LOL...sometimes I wish I didn't post photos ...I have 1000s of them....LOL...
hugger - I did try posting pics a year or two ago but, being the impatient person that I am, I always had other gardening chores to do. Most of our pie-shaped lot is comprised of gardens. I was over-zealous 20 years ago buying and planting and now I spend a lot of time, at least in spring when everything here is blooming, doing weeding and cleanup chores. My wilder area gets easily overrun with undesirables and gets heavily matted with fall leaves that have to be removed. I have one area in the yard left to clean up and then back down to my "lower" garden to finish cleaning up there. At least my annuals and few veggies are all planted.
Just came by to say hi all . a few from around the garden.
first is a better pic of the Larkspur . #4 is some 7&1/2 ft tall Hollyhocks
Really nice gardens folks , maybe someday I will get there ..
This message was edited Jun 15, 2013 10:23 PM
Cindy ,I actually dropped DG for while ...busy,I love taking photos but I find I never have the time to sit here at the computer everyday to organize and Id love to post more on different threads..I still work and my Gardens come 1st well after the Humane Society`s Perennial Plant sale we hold every Early may...I make potting chairs and Planters and Garden art things...and dig plants from my gardens for the sales ..and we gather donations to Pot Up..I decided I missed to much here at Daves...I`ll try not to bore the Heck outta everyone...LOL
This is part of what I painted and planted and donated
I made 2 suit case Doggie beds also,we made a bunch of the Garden Flower stakes
juhru7, Your gardens will fill in before you know it....I need to do some Thinning this year...was soo cold this spring before our sale I didn't dig as much up as I would have liked to...Boy next year...I will have tons ...that is if we have a decent spring...
Cindy ,Im being overrun with Lamium this year..Its soo pretty I cant let myself cut or dig at it....LOL...and Candy Tuft,and other self seeders...Luckily I don't have much of a weed problem with all the field stone..I have a grass problem in a few areas where the hubby blows grass into my beds...Grrrrr ...LOL
huggergirl ~ Your gardens are beautiful! I remember you talking about the staggering amount of rocks you had trucked in, in another thread...I think it was probably a couple of years ago. I love all the varieties you have and all the colors!
I'm running into the same problem you are with my Lamium 'Purple Dragon'. Also my Salvia 'Eveline'. I'm reluctant to remove any of them out because I love how they look. The Bees and Hummers also love the Salvia, but they're both spreading so much they're starting to crowd other plants. I'm going to have to resort to removing some.
I had some other big spreaders that suffered when our heavy early Spring rains flooded some of my beds. Funny, but now they've gotten a little smaller, so Mother Nature helped me out...although she also drowned some of my plants.
I love what you're doing with the Humane Society, too!! A big 2-Thumbs-Up...that's wonderful!
I think we probably all fade away from DG on occasion. I know I got so bogged down with other things that I stayed away for most of the Winter and early Spring.
juhur ~ your flowers are lovely and you have sooo many different kinds!
Well, I have blooms waiting to bloom, but not a whole lot that's new.
1) More of my SI 'Snow Queen' blooms have opened since this pic, but they aren't lasting very long this year.
2) 'Snow Queen' closer shot
3 & 4) More blooms on my Dianthus 'Indian Carpet'. Just this morning some White blooms opened as well. (All these different colors bloom on one plant).
5) Lamium 'Purple Dragon'
And just a couple more:
1) Delphinium is about to bloom. I lost one stalk to critters when I didn't stay on top of my "Liquid Fence" spraying after the new buds started growing.
2) Geranium Biokovo after filling out (with a stem of Heuchera blooms peeking out on the left). I'll have to sheer them back in about a week or so to help them rebloom. I love the wonderful Apple Blossom scent of the leaves!
We got more rain last night...wow...Ive noticed that My Huge Delphinium and a few Larspurs have damaged buds,they look like they did last spring after a hard frost...we had an uber start to spring then whammy last year .... well the buds this year look awfull...Im thinking too much water this year...OY VAY
My Astilbes are growing hog wild just started blooming
OH OH OH...I have a Red-hot poker blooming. I started them from seed 3 years ago...Im so excited....Are those moved easy ??? Not so sure they are in a good spot...full sun ?
Gone two days (social obligations) and you all have posted such wonderful pics!
juhur - I thought you said you don't have much luck with larkspur. That's a beautiful specimen!
nuts - how did you get all of those blooms on 'Biokovo'? Do you ever cover up all of those rhizomes that crawl along on the top of the soil with mulch or anything? I'm thinking both my 'Biokovo' and 'Karmina' need some TLC to improve the blooms. I also have some sweet William blooming, going on a month, from a free packet of seeds that I sowed last year. They survived the winter and now have these big clusters of little blooms on stems 12 to 16" tall. I'm amazed as I've never grown this before. To think I've been missing out on the floral display all these years... You definitely have more blooms on your 'Snow Queen' than I. Mine are done for the season - seems like they just fade so fast.
hugger - love all of the colorful garden accents! They must all be a hit with the Humane Society!
The Astilbe here have started blooming and I can actually smell them this year. I have mainly two varieties of white ones, one blooming two weeks before the other, up here in the yard and 'Peach Blossom' down in my lower garden, which blooms a weeks or so later due to more shade but it has the absolute best fragrance. I also have a patch of red Astilbe by the patio which are sending up lots of flower stems. The red ones got divided last fall when I replanted them after tree removal so the plants aren't as big yet.
Does anyone have a good method for keeping Tradescantia looking good after it blooms? In my gardens, I have a few different ones and the foliage just fades away after blooming.
Cindy, they are hard to see in the picture, but I've planted Lavander, a couple of rock garden dianthus, a fair # of hens and chicks (smaller varieties), various sedum, three varieities if Ice plant and some other rock garden blooming perennials in the bed. They whould fill in with time.
Last Wed. we had killer storms with golf-ball sized hail and high winds. We had set the dogs in kennels in the basement bathroom just in case and lost power for 12 hrs. Didn't have structural damage, thank goodness, but the garden, especially the newly planted perennials, tood a beating. The dwarf spirea I planted the Saturday before had most of it's leaves burned. The only green ones were on the back side of the plant opposite the direction the wind was blowing. It was something I hadn't experienced, even in FL with the storms. think it must have been the ice from the hail. Trimmed all the tips of the spirea hoping that it wound stimulate re-growth of the leaves.
huggergirl ~ Strange, strange weather. I figure at this point I'll be happy if anything survives.
You really do have lots of Lamium. I'm going to have to move some of mine. Looks like you have some Dianthus just starting to bloom. What kind of Sedum is that in #3? Congrats on the Red-hot Poker!
Cindy ~ I have 3 Biokovo and the two doing the best are in my "Magical" raised bed where everything does well. I have one in heavy, amended clay that doesn't get as many blooms. This is their 3rd or 4th Spring and they have lots more blooms this year (plus they've gotten huge). As far as rhizomes, my garden is so overly crowded, I really don't see them. I have a tendency to want to put way too much in that raised bed. I wish it was much larger.
Congrats on your FREE Sweet William! There's nothing better than "free". My 'Snow Queen' had about two dozen blooms (also in that raised bed), but I'm disappointed that they are already fading. Not sure it's worth the space if that occurs every year. I'll have to wait and see what next year brings.
I don't think I've ever noticed a scent from my Astilbes. Mine got smaller this year and a couple disappeared after the flooding. I'd like to try some new ones in the future.
FLStu ~ Sorry about your hail storm. At least plants generally come back just fine. I had most of a bed destroyed when one of our neighbor's trees split in half and landed partially in our yard. Even tender plants like Hostas came back with no problems.
Enjoying along ..
huggergirl . these are blooming now I have had them a long time now .
I saw a neighbor around the block has some also , I see more gardens have them all the time .
This one bloomed white and giant last year , This year smaller and clumped . who knows?
So sorry, Stu. I knew you guys in the south county area got hit harder than we did. I think your spirea will continue to put out new leaves.
nuts - I also have overcrowded my 'Biokovo' but I don't have raised beds. And I think 'Snow Queen' is worth the space. For me, the foliage stays pretty upright so it doesn't take up a lot of room. Hmmm, maybe consider the leaves as vertical accents??? Usually I don't get much scent from the white Astilbes but always from 'PB'. This year, I can smell the white ones 20 feet away and I have a lousy sense of smell.
juhur - I've been tempted by red hot poker but it likes full sun, right? No space left in that bed.
FLStu Last time we had one of those , lost every other plant and two windshields .
All we had here night before last was the power outage , Not that bad if have a thought towards those things . Makes one grouchy minded though , losing plants and walking in the dark.
Cindy those will take half day of shade , I realize they grow in deserts .. only here they will grow in good soil amended ,so as the roots of the plant can run deep . When you first plant them mulching them for first two seasons is major important
(I am not going to tell you how many I lost learning that). Once they establish though , good plant , sturdy . Mine are in the shade by afternoon , east side of the building ..
Cindy you're right, of course, about the 'Snow Queen' and they most likely are worth it. After the blooms drop the leaves do somewhat resemble Ornamental Grass and don't turn yellow like bulb foliage. Last year I had about 4 blooms. This year it jumped to about 2 dozen, but I think they lasted longer last year.
This bed now gets a little more sun. My neighbor removed a big tree last Autumn that was starting to break apart (it's the one that dropped a huge branch on our shed and my flower bed!). It's still a partly shady bed, though, because of all the other huge trees around the area. But the extra sun may be a reason some of my plants have more blooms this year.
It's supposed to be cooler today...thank goodness. The last two days were miserably hot & humid.
New pics.
First 3 are one of our high tunnels.
4 is radish patch.
5 is beets.
6 is Muskmelon under tunnels.
7 is Flax blooming in the erosion rows.
8 is cabbage & cole crops.
9 is Late cabbage, most is pre sold for sauerkraut.
10 is Summer squash & Zucchini.
11 is Peppers, Late watermelons, Muskmelons.
12 is Early watermelons. Tunnels will come off Wed.
13 is One of our erosion rows.
14 is Aspargus.
15 is One of two onion patches.
16 is this years strawberry beds.
17 is a closeup of the strawberries.
18 is Carrots.
19 is Herb garden.
20 is Cherry tomatoes.
We even have flowers.
I don't know about one word responses either only ; WOW !!! ^_^
WOW is right...Only in my dreams to have a Vegetable Garden 1 tenth that size...WONDERFUL Country
So sorry about the hail Stu...we prepared for that with the last storms...we didn't get it...I was relieved
Nuts..I have No ID on that sedum..Just bought it from a country greenhouse ...didn't even ask...LOL
Years ago I had a redhot poker...Had no Idea it was a perennial back then...I probly dug it up cleaning gardens in the spring...Live an Learn
We have this huge Wild Cherry Tree stump that Ive been training Clematis to grow up and over I finally have success
1 Jackmani and Helianthus Lemon Queen Not blooming yet...
2 Henry Eiler Rudbeckia not blooming yet
5 Lupine....I have a few started fingers crossed
you can see that there is another huge Clematis on the right of the tree stump its huge this year and I don't remember what Color it is..or its name...LOL
This message was edited Jun 19, 2013 8:02 AM
My Astilbe`s blooming and some Yarrow No ID
I need to Id all...Except Amethyst....
1 Helleborus Orientalis Double Queen mix...This one is a white-lime bloom..not real showy but it is one healthy plant
I spotted my Jack Frost in there too
This message was edited Jun 19, 2013 8:23 AM
This message was edited Jun 19, 2013 8:27 AM
hugger - I like the combo of your pink Astilbes with the blue garden art. And a double Hellebore... nice. The tree stump covered in Clematis is pretty cool.
nuts - I have to agree with you about the life span of 'Snow Queen' blossoms - not very long but I don't have a lot of white in that bed and it does make a nice contrast against the other colors. And you're right about the foliage remaining pretty healthy.
Roses are all going crazy here. As they finish blooming, I'm cutting them back a bit so that more sun can get to my interplanted tomatoes. Have flowers on all of them.
Ugh - spotted first Japanese beetle of the season this morning. Last year I went OCD with hand-collecting but am going to try Neem this year. At least they're coming a little later this year. Hoping my 4 o'clocks will get some alluring flowers on them real soon to try to lure the JBs away from desirable plants.
The dwarf spirea has new leaves sprouting on the branches (really 3/4 of the bush) where the leaves were burned by the hale storm. Not sure if cutting the branch tips helped stimulate this or it would have happened anyway, but glad it's bouncing back. The fairy roses haven't been as compliant yet, but I know that they will bounce back fine. Most of the newly planted seem to have stablized the affects of the storm as well. Knew they would, but most excited about the spirea.
CountryGardens ~ All I can say is Amaaaazing!!! Very impressive and beautiful!
hugger ~ As usual, very attractive pics of your garden!! Really love the Clematis on the Wild Cherry Tree stump. Looks like it's doing well.
I'd love to get some of the new large Double Helleborus varieties. They're so pretty, but expensive. I think I'll have to start with only one or two. It's so hard to choose, though.
My normally large and healthy 'Jack Frost' came back very late and much smaller this year. It was in a bed that was under water for a couple of weeks.
I just planted my very first Sedum late last Autumn. I hadn't even planned to buy it, but I decided to stop by Lowes (I tend to forget they have plants). Anyway their plants looked beautiful and were "end-of-season" cheap. They had a ton of 'Autumn Fire' in bloom and I couldn't resist so I bought 2 plants. They seem to be thriving in two separate beds.
Cindy, your roses sound lovely. Wish I had enough sun to grow some.
I haven't seen any Japanese Beetles so far this year.
Stu, a guy at a nursery once told me that Spirea are very resilient. He even showed me that you can just shear them back over-and-over and it makes them rebloom all season.
Nutsaboutnature... I love sedum of any type and planted about a dozen or so different ones here at our new place.
I planted Sedum sieboldii, relatives of your Autumn Fire, in two 5 gallon pickle tubs for the deck for my Dad on Long Island when I was 18. They were moved, but never off the deck unless briefly for painting and stay there year round. They have come back and bloomed each year. At that time, I used unammended ground soil. Just this past summer, I visited back with the folks and repotted the plants, still going strong, into new pots from the pickle drums that were held together by good luck... the drums fell apart as I worked with them. I am now 53.
I planted some over the past 30yrs in various containers and the ground in Florida, zone 9a, and they had always done well. Now that we moved to Zone 5B, I inherited one and got two more at the end of last season. One I plated in a tall concrete planter (about 4 ft tall) and it came back beautifully.
So, moral of the story, I don't do anything to them and they do fine. They are EXTREMELY hardy. Just don't over water or they can rot.
nuts - At the time I chose my roses, I was looking at varieties on their own root stock (didn't have a lot of luck with begginers ineptitude with hybrid teas) and that could take a little shade. My "sunny" bed only gets sun from about 1pm until 7 or 8pm. And it's only about 10 ft wide (average due to irregular shape). They get more sun now due to taking down 2 oak trees a couple years back. And as much as I would prefer other colors, most of them are pink. 'Lavender Lassie', 'Louise Odier', 'Konigin Von Danemark', 'Gruss an Aachen', Floral Carpet coral and apothecary rose (which was supposed to have a lovely scent but doesn't).
Started some gold moss sedum , stonecrop, and the hen&chicks are about to bloom for the first time years .. There a couple of plants of ice plant ,Table mountain also . Dragons blood sedum almost died out after 15 years or so is coming back nicely also ,,
Last few seasons have been ,,, well ,,,,will say different? if not maybe odd ?
Plants are looking pretty good this year though ..I now have wild Lupine's everywhere , two of the old plants returned and have near plate size leaves , much improved as to the last couple of seasons .
Good old fashioned Hollyhock , need to take another pic of this .
Juhur,I love good old fashioned HollyHock..I have some in my Gardens at an office we clean. I have the responsibility of planting Flowers in old oak Barrels...But we replaced those this year with Huge Plastic Pots..
As Stu said ...they fell apart as we emptied them...This was the 2nd time we replaced them...Hopefully they last longer.
Nuts ,I paid $17 bucks for that Hellebore....But its growing crazy..
No Id Sedum ...anyone ..its really pretty...Autum Joy is in the background
