Pictures of your past gardens to get us through the winter

[Dor]

I don't have the garden design down either Snelly Melly. I have lots of ideas but haven't quite figured out how to get in down in my yard. My back yard has buried underground phone, catv and electrical service. I have to be careful digging because if I cut the phone line I will be charged. I have to call for the lines to be marked before I do any digging so raised beds work well for me.

 

[Melissa]

Here is one of my gardens in the back. It is russian sage, knockout roses, floristan white liatris, double decker echinacea, oregano, and a little anemone out front.
I really want to expand this garden. What colors do you think I should add. Should I stick with the white, pink, and purple or add in some different colors? Right now the tallest plant is in the middle, then it gradually decreases in height. Should I put start on the outside with taller plants again of just keep to the height of the outer most plant? I really like the way this garden looks but want to make it bigger but am scared to mess it up since its one of the gardens that I actually like the overall look.

Here is a picture of it a little earlier before it grew so big. The rose and liatris weren't quite hiding the vent pipe from the leach field yet. I am thinking I would really like some heather in this garden....what do you think?

 

[Melissa]

Here is a garden on the east side of the house. It gets morning and early afternoon sun. In it I have a few azaleas and a rhodie. They are just babies, and I am afraid that they will outgrow this space. It would be nice if they grow and hide the electric meter on the side of the house. I also have jacob's ladder, lupine, and foxglove in this garden. It is a raised bed due to the phone and electric underground. On further down I have a couple roses and some delphinium. I also have a little sedum. For some reason they never got their picture taken

 

[swindy]

Smelly Melly the color of the Russian sage is beautiful and so big. here are a couple of my suggestions, I would add some yellow in there maybe Black eyed Susan's, and some white daisy. If you use white Daisy's get both the Shasta and the Montalk Daisy's, the Shasta bloom in the early sumer and really only do 1 good strong bloom and the Montalk bloom later in the season and keep blooming til fall. I would also move the cone flowers and Roses out a bit to give all the plants more room. You can plant some shorter plants in the front of the larger plants. Every thing I have read about garden design suggests you use plants in odd numbers, like 3 of this 5 of that 7 of those. Heather would be be great and you can also try Witch's broom.
My first garden was a bit jumbled because I did it one plant at a time with out a real plan and I was always moving things around, and was never satisfied with the look. When I did my sisters place it was with a plan and looks so much better. I also had a lot of area to work with so it didn't look so jammed together, and by that time I learned to trust the spacing suggestion that come on the plants or seed packs lol. There is nothing harder to comprehend as when you are holding a little 2 inch plant in your hand looking at a 40 ft space and trying to see it filled in and the tag is telling you to space it 3 ft apart. Good luck with your plan and don't be afraid of messing it up.

 

[Melissa]

This next garden is in front of the house facing north. It gets very little sun. It has astilbe, campanula, a rose, an azalea, a rhodie, some columbine, and some lilies. One of the lilies is doing great, it is on the end and gets a bit more sun than the rest of the garden. The other lilies are spindly and have to stretch to get any sun, I am going to have to dig them out and transplant some place getting more sun. I am hoping to fill this garden up with more columbine and astilbe.

It use to have peonies and a couple yellow roses in it also but once again, not enough sun, so they got transplanted last year.
Here is happy lily beside sad peony before it got moved...I think you can just barely see unhappy yellow rose also

 

[Melissa]

Thanks for the suggestions Swindy. I have all of those daisies growing in different gardens. I also have the crazy daisies and some painted...you think those would do well out there as well? The reason the stuff is smooshed in there is because I was trying to hide some very unattractive pcp pipe that comes out of the ground. I painted them brown to try to hide them. I think that the rose is now big enough to hide it by itself along with the liatris that has kind of grown into the bush. I can move the sage and coneflower out now. I thing they have completely squeezed out the oregano so you can't even see it. It is quite lovely and I don't want it hidden.

 

[Mainegal]

Nice pics everyone. Will have to see what I have for pics. Can't wait for my daffs to start coming up and blooming. Going to buy some at the store tomorrow after work for my mom. They have them 3 bunches of 10 for $10.

 

[Melissa]

Swindy, I bought a ton of joe pye weed, hyssop, and salvia the end of last year at Lowe's on clearance for $.32 a plant. Anyway I just threw it in an empty raised bed I had just to get it in the ground before it froze. Do you think that will go well in the russian sage garden or do you think too much purple?

 

[Maggie]

Here are a few of mine from the past.
Coneflowers
Daylilies
Gladious
Mums
Sweet Autumn Clematis

 

[Maggie]

More pictures from the past.
Guara
Not sure of name of #2
Vitex bush
Liatris
Pond

 

[GardenBear1]

Smelly Melly, what kind of joe pye weed did you get ? I have 2 kinds the reg,green type and a chocolate one. I found they do well in the shade too here is a pic of the two from last spring the chocolate is in the center, the more sun it gets the darker it gets, this year I plan on saving seeds from the chocolate one.

 

[Melissa]

Bear, I got the chocolate. It had white flowers on it. Its going to be in full sun so will that make it special dark chocolate? yummo!

 

[Melissa]

Gorgeous pics, Maggie. I want that vitex bush....gorgeous!!!

 

[Wombat]

Beautiful photos, Maggie and Melly, wonderful colours too! I found up some pics from last year and also a few from this year Flannel flowers, Grevillea and Hibiscus

 

[Wombat]

A few more.... Gladioli, pelargonium and flowering ginger

 

[Melissa]

Wow...you got some really cool stuff there, Wombat. I am going to have to do some research on that Grevillea.

 

[Wombat]

Hi Melly that one's called Red Delight, they come in a multitude of colours are a are very easy to grow, this is a pink one

 

[Wombat]

A couple more pics from this year and last Queens Annes Lace ''Black'' Gladdy 3 Acacia blooms

 

[Wombat]

last ones Ranunculas, Stocks with poppies dianthus etc. Twighlight ranunculas

 

[Maggie]

Swindy, wonderful idea to post last years (and previous years) gardens. I love looking at all the beautiful gardens. I know your sister is really proud of the garden areas you put in for her. Your a great sister. Lovely pictures.

Randy you have a nice garden area. Are you going to plant it this year?

GardenBear, I really like your shade garden with the trellis.

Treva, you have the most beautiful azelias. The colors are so pretty.

Kyle, very pretty butterfly garden. Do you have lots of butterflies hovering around. I think all butterflies are wonderful little creatures.

Smelly, Love you russian sage. I have one but your is a lot fuller than mine. Do you prune yours? Adorable white astible you have and so ere the columbine and yellow lilies.

Wombat, what a wonderful collection of plants you have. I really like the flannel flower and pelargonium. I wonder if I can find the red delight around here. Well it's another one to put on my list along with a few more I've seen on here.

Everyones flowers are really pretty, so keep on posting them please and thanks to you all for making my day with your pictures.