Crunch, I still haven't made it to the Buffalo garden walk! Every time I plan for it, something gets in the way. I love the gardens there, there are so many streets with such charming displays especially the road strips. I forget what they're called. That patch of land between the road and the sidewalk..? lol

great pics guys. Love the bee balm border. Got rid of mine, tired of the mildew

Lobelia fan scarlet and white swan
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Hydrangea bloom and sedum cherry tart
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Love this post! Here are a few of mine.

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Bondie, cool pics! They are like glamor shots of the plants.

Miclino, that sedum is fantastic! Such a rich color that plays really well with your hydrangea and the brick walkway.

CrunchPA, that veronica is a vibrant color, love it! I think that is my favorite garden color these days - it goes with purple and it goes with pink and it's just SO cheerful!

This thread is great. An endless flow of ideas. I'll have to get back out there with my camera to see if I can capture anything worthy of posting.

Thank you, karin_mt, I love that!

I can only take photos with my phone right now, so please forgive if they are overexposed and/or or out of focus.

Here is a snapshot from last week showing Echinacea 'Milkshake', Geranium 'Rozanne', Eryngium grandiflorum, Agastache 'Blue Blazes' and a sprig of Geum 'Totally Tangerine' in the background.

Violas,feverfew,and lamb's ears

Franeli - Your violas combo is stunning!

Franeli, are those violas growing now? Very pretty!

Blondie, I love your lilies and the vivid pink Hibiscus is lucious! I love the pleats in the petals.

prairiemoon2,
Yes,violas in all shades of purple are still blooming in my north facing garden. They'll be pulled in Aug. and replaced with mums for September.
I also keep a feverfew 'nursery' and replace aging feverfew plants as needed. Retirement is a full time job when you're a gardener :)

A surprising pleasing outcome to a combo that was a little startling in early May. Heuchera Peach Melba abd Euphorbia Bonfire

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Here it is today, rather pleasing
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Franelli that's a great pic. What sedum is that?

Franelli, that is a great bed. I love it. Violas are one of my favorites and I just don't know why they don't usually work out for me beyond the very first 4-6weeks of spring. I've always thought it was heat and age of the plant. And I'm thinking of my North facing areas and I doubt I could grow those there. Even my ferns are not exactly exuberant there. Maybe because there is a building behind the bed, evergreen trees 25 feet away to it's north, and a mature Maple to the bed's East. (g)

Isn't it as hot there this summer as it's been in Massachusetts? Your whole bed looks very fresh and beautiful considering the weather. You must have some tricks up your sleeve? :-) Those violas look like they were just planted fresh about 2 weeks ago.

Also love the edge of that walkway or patio that is showing on the right side. It looks textured, like pebbles were pushed into concrete. I like it. And I would also like to know what that sedum is. Looks like you get a lot of light there, no?

I'm definitely impressed. :-)

'Fran', that is a breathtaking swathe of blue and silver. When did you take those 2 pictures? Do you hand water or do you have a in ground system? Absolutely gorgeous.

I will make a note of using violas next season.

A ground cover that has worked well was an unexpected result of planting Dicentra Formosa in a shady corner, then a couple years later several feet in front of it I planted Hypericum calycinum to fill in the foreground . The two have blended beautifully spreading into each other.

gazania, that is a pretty effect. I would not have guessed those were two different plants in there. Do they ever bloom at the same time? How does it look the rest of the year when it is out of bloom?

The pic was taken on June 5th. The Dicentra had been in bloom for 6 weeks or more and lasted another 2 weeks or so with slowly diminishing flowers. Looking at it today I saw just two flower sprigs from it, and a dozen or so of the Hypericum yellow flowers showing. Blooming will be sporadic from each of them from now on I suspect. Especially so since it has been so hot here. But the combining leaf forms are attractive

Prairiemoon, I should have added that the planting looks good till freezing temps kill back the hypericum in mid winter. The Dicentra foliage also dies back eventually, but comes back in very early spring. The dead leaves of the Hypericum should be cleaned out early so as not to disturb it. This year I didn't get to it till the new growth of both was well along and It actually had cleaned itself up on it's own by covering up all the unsightly brown with fresh green.

Thanks gazania, sounds like you have a winning combination there. I like it.

Once more with feeling. Carpet Rose with Baby's Breath.

Once more with feeling. Carpet Rose with Baby's Breath.

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The bb and the rose is a very unique shot boday...beautiful.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Wed, Jul 24, 13 at 13:38

Thank you.

As you can tell, I had my nose in the grass. On my belly like a reptile.

The BB is going into the flowerbed next year. Won't get a chance to flop.

Great effort.........thanks to all for a nice thread

Stargazer lilies and Caryopteris Snow fairy

The same pic as above
vanilla strawberry hydrangea in background, helenium mardi gras and nora leigh phlox in background
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2 of my 6 garden areas

Very nice wagonwheel! Love the contrast in forms and textures!

"Little Goldstar" with Knautia "Thunder and Lightning" in the foreground.

"Tuscan Sun" Heliopsis with "Havana Blues" geranium

Really nice photos Rouge! They both have that classic late-summer look with the golden-yellow but still look fresh and crisp. All 4 of those plants look terrific!

A favorite combo of mine is Galahad delphiniums and Jackmanii clematis. Pic was from mid June.

Wonderful picture 'gardener'. Bright white with dark blue/purple is a striking contrast.

"Lucy" Hibiscus (tree standard) with "Splendide" Thalictrum.

(what you see is 8 feet off the ground)

(My partner keeps bugging me to cut back the "Splendide" as it is covering too much of the flowering "Lucy"!)

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Corydalis Lutea with "Endless Summer" Hydrangea and Persicaria "Golden Arrows"

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Mercury Rising Coreopsis, Pow Wow Ech and 'Appleblossom' Flower Carpet Rose.

Sedum purple emperor and autumn charm

same plants as above with coreopsis showstopper and ivory halo dogwood in background.

Some great combinations in this thread! The Hydrangea and Persicaria 'Golden Arrows' is an unusual combination; I don't grow those plants, but want to remember the shape combination. Interesting.

miclino wrote: I'm definitely going to have to try Kalimeris.

UPDATE:

We have had no rain but rather picture perfect sunny weather for now 3 weeks and so it is noticeable as to those plants that are able to hold their own in late August. And this same Kalimeris is one such perennial. Here it is 6 weeks after the first picture I posted above..no supplemental water.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Thu, Aug 22, 13 at 20:43

Coreopsis Star cluster and Helenium fuego. The helenium foliage was ratty, mildewed and had to be staked. I could not stand the bright orange hypnotic wheel like flowers and had to cut it after I took the picture!

I especially love that Helenium miclino...gorgeous.

I know these two really don't go together but it is as it is.

An unnamed aster (nepalenis?) and Oenothera "Lemon Drop".

My combo is Salvia guaranitica âÂÂVan Remsenâ and Tradescantia pallida âÂÂPurple Heart,â the purple foliage planted along the wall in the picture that has a pinkish purple flower.

The salvia is blue in the shade but turns violet blue or purple in the sun, grows to 7 ft tall and has been blooming for 4 months. Hummingbirds love it. Picture taken 9/21/13.

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Nice thread - bumping for your reading pleasure!

Bella Rosa, those are amazing! Maybe we should start a new thread for 2018?

I agree. My pics are from 2017.

That's a gorgeous sight! :-). What roses are those and how long did it take to grow and train them that way?

Thanks! On the left, there's William Baffin (fuschia) and Jeanne Lajoie (pink) along with a yellow honeysuckle and catmint (as an edger). On the right, the climbing pink rose is John Davis with clematis Huldine (white) and Madame Julia Correvon (red) growing through it. William Baffin was planted probably around 20 years ago. John Davis is probably around 10 years old. So, yes, it's an old planting, but they bloom reliable every year. Can't go wrong with Canadian Explorer roses in cold regions. That's the first thing I look for in a rose - hardiness. Then disease resistance.