OMG I love it. I'm a few zones behind, so this is what I needed to see. Rabbits? Meow! Works here.

Carrie, I love your gardens! I wish mine would look like that!!

Karen

Wow! You have a beautiful garden! It does look so peaceful! I would love to have a holding bed like yours.

bakemom - We have three cats - but now they are inside (mostly on the screened in porch - where they love to sleep and eat). They used to be outside but there are too many wild animals and we got afraid something would happen to them.

Too bad we still don't have our dog... they love to chase rabbits...

Anyway - thanks everyone - I work everyday in these gardens - it would never look like this if I couldn't grow from seed and I have you all to thank... (Can't wait for Sea Holly and Amsonia to bloom next year)

Carrie

Must be wonderful to stroll thru those gardens every day. Great Job!! everything looks wonderful!!

Annette

WOW! That's not a garden! THAT is a horticultural masterpiece!

Carrie your gardens are so lovely, all I can do is sigh and wish. (I'm looking forward to Amsonia too, courtesy of Bakemom of course. My sprouts are growing nicely.)

Mary

I'm with Mary - all I can do is sigh and wish. Gorgeous! That rose campion is sooo pretty!

PV

Glad to see there's a lot of green in yours too. I've got things just bursting at the blossoms. Another 2 weeks and NC will be in full bloom.

Love the secret garden. I need a holding bed like that.

Yes, token - the "greens" are daylilies, Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susans, Unique Hydrangeas, Shasta Daisies (lots of buds, though), Phlox and so many more to look forward to.

What I have found in my gardens is that Gaillardia blooms so early and if you keep them deadheaded, they can bloom all summer. I should have taken pictures of the gaillardias, they are gorgeous now. Not shown but blooming are cosmos, pincushion scabs, lots of Salvia Blues - Also, the yarrows are showing buds. My favorite this year: Penstemon Mystica

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Absolutely wonderful!

Carrie,
Beautiful! What is the yellow blooming plant in the lower left side of the photo just above the photo of the "secret garden" (just loved the secret garden)

Carrie,

I'm so jealous about your garden. My more than 45 days transplanted wsown seedlings are still very small. Not sure if I am doing something wrong. I have already applied 2 applications of all purpose miracle gro soluble fert but looks like it's not doing anything to them.

Any tips you can share to me please?

Thanks!

Gorgeous plants!!! :D

stillwelljill:

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Those are Oenothera Tetragona - About four years ago, I bought a plant that had a rosette type of foliage but was told it would grow to about 12 to 15 inches tall - I didn't
believe it - but the rosette was sort of maroonish and pretty, so I bought it.

Well, now I have about two hundred of them and have them along paths, in front of some borders (because when they are done, you cut them back and the rosette foliage returns and stays green all summer, then maroon all winter). They spread by runners. I am using them next spring to line another path I am working on - I am not sure if they can grow from seed, but I did grow another type of Oenothera a couple of years ago - Oenothera Missouriensis - and it is smaller in height but just as pretty.

v1rtu - My newly transplanted seedlings are also very small. Keep in mind, though, that mine most likely will be a bit bigger because of my Zone, but I can assure you that most of the plants you have seen in the pictures are reseeds - not planted this year e.g. the larkspurs were reseeds, as well as most of the Bachelor buttons. Mostly ALL of my plants (except for shrubs) were wintersown, but some of them are two and three years old - that's why they are so big.

The Penstemon is a second year wintersown plant - first year, small foliage - but look what happened the second year! it will happen to you. I do NOT fertilize - although many do and are successful. I have too many borders and gardens and could never afford to buy all of that fertilizer.

I do compost and make sure most of my clay drains as well as it can - but believe me, I don't photograph the problems...

You are doing fine and will be VERY happy in a few weeks when you see all of your plants get so big - It's only May and you are in Illinois -

Good luck

Carrie

Carrie, are the cages for critter protection?

I get grief for putting them up to protect certain plants I can't fit on the deck in containers but some things just don't like containers.

I've got daylilies in container on deck...hope they like it enough for at least one year of bloom.

Never had to cage Iris before but something sliced off a few flower stems before they had a chance to bloom.

Your gardens are lush and beautiful! Lotsa work in there.

Ditto others comments on the holding bed...a dream.

I've got 4 Pentstemon Mystica babies...can't wait for them to grow up and bloom.

newbie_in_nj: daylilies do just fine in pots! I had some in a pot since 2003 and they bloomed well. Finally gave them away this year, because I decided I don't like daylilies.

Carrie - your chicken wire cages are giving me ideas. I'm having the dickens of a time with the pigeons this year - they are ones new to me and obviously haven't gotten the word that they are not supposed to peck at my plants. Arghhh!

PV

I just noticed the coreopsis early sunrise. I bought one plant last year and divided it this fall. I have a couple clumps blooming now. Those in less sun are covered with buds and should open soon. My perennial bed gets between 4-5 hours of late afternoon sun. I need to take down some more trees. ;)

token - I have wintersown coreopsis Early Sunrise - third year - so they are tremendous now - very tall and huge... They started blooming last week - they don't get sun until around 1:30 in the PM and then the rest of the afternoon.

The only problem I have with the coreopsis is that they can flop and also they constantly need deadheading - but other than that - they are gorgeous. They are so easy to divide - but I never got around to it :0(

Carrie

Carrie, my biggest issue with my garden is that it wasn't full enough. I didn't know that I would have so many wintersown plants blooming this year or that my ruds and echinacea and shastas would grow to be monsters. So I divided everything in my garden last year. I have huge mounds of shastas, ruds, echinacea, coreopsis (full moon and early sunrise), and hardy hibiscus (3 varieties - Turn of the Century is the only one I know by the leaf). This year I hope to be more patient and only move things rather than divide them. I'd like to get them more organized since I did a lot of plunking and running this winter/spring.

token - I have the opposite problem. My gardens were way too full last year and I couldn't get into them to deadhead without worrying about snakes....

Also, yes, it is amazing how huge the perennials get - I was shocked my third year wintersowing - seeing the shastas, ruds, coreopsis' etc. grow so huge. I gave away so many clumps of daisies and still had so many left. Also, Bee Balm - unbelievable spreader - takes over if you don't give them away.

Hey, but who's complaining? It's all for mere pennies and so much fun to grow...

Carrie

pvick - if you get back to this thread - Bird netting is also good - I had some bird netting on some plants - looked better than the wire (I remove both during the day and replace them at night - when MY critters are out)...

Anyway, the bird netting works but one day some of it blew into the lawn - got caught in my husband's tractor - and that was not good - took awhile to remove it - so I don't use it anymore.

Carrie

Carrie - I've used bird netting in the past. Problem with that is that these slick urban pigeons managed to get under it; stopped using it the year one of them got stuck and I actually had to put my hands on him to get him out. Lucky I didn't get pecked. Now I use plastic hardware cloth to protect seedlings and emerging plants, but it's a little difficult to manipulate into the shapes I need. So I may check out the chicken wire for next year.

PV

Wow Carrie, lovely. I also think your secret garden is brilliant and nicely laid out. Keep those pics coming.

love the extra pics you posted...

I hope to have a full garden like that someday!

My perennials are just blooming and my WS babies are just small now (except 2 plants that have tiny blooms)

I am so jealous you get re-seeds. nothing of mine ever re-seeds. Maybe it is the mulch?

Karen

Could be - I don't use mulch - too expensive to buy all the mulch for my borders, so I do without it - seems to be why I have tons of reseeds - too many, if you ask me!

Carrie (hey, wait - can you have TOO many plants?)...

aah...another reason for me not to spread mulch! lol

I did some over the weekend but I did not cover everything. Just some of the untidy edges and parts people can see. the rest I hope will be covered with WS babies!

Karen

Ok...I'm salivating, now.

Picture #4 is my favorite!!! What a gorgeous color combo between the color of the leaves and the flowers!!!

Linda

Very beautiful and inviting. I can't wait until I can fill up out 2 acres with beautiful flowers.
Pattie

Just beautiful gardens and so early!! I have to move further south!! Imagine we have had frost two nights in a row - it's just not fair. Love the penstemon. I have a few seedlings from last year to plant out. Hope they survive this cold snap.

Boy Carrie so glad you asked so many ?s early one. Lovely gardens. You should be very proud of them.

ML

mlcom - if you are referring to when I was a "newbie" - lol, I was thinking the same thing...boy, did I ask questions!

Just five years ago, I didn't know how to grow from seed, not I'm a seed plantin' fool... and I am loving it!

Thanks

Carrie

correction: "Now" I'm a seed plantin'.....

I feel the same way. I have never had this much success with seeds! How am I going to stop myself? there are so many great seeds out there that are calling my name!
Karen

Wow Carrie,
Lovely, lovely gardens. I love the enclosed garden space.

I bought an early sunrise coriopsis last year. It is doing
great so far this season. Are the seeds from this variety
viable? I would love some more to WS.

Mary

I bet they are, Mary - I had bought my seeds, but i am sure coreopsis seeds are viable - Someone who has more experience harvesting seeds could probably let you know - I buy my seeds more than harvest - by the end of the season, I am way too exhausted cleaning up to harvest and clean seeds -

Carrie

OH MY GOODNESS!!! Awesome, I love your flowers! What are the ones in the fourth picture, is that what catchfly looks like? Do you have a map made of your gardens? I'd like a copy if you do...Great job!

The pinks are rose campions and the yellows are coreopsis in the fourth picture... Thanks

Here's a better photo of the Rose Campions (in the background) with Foxgloves in front (Even though Foxgloves are tall I had to put them in the front because that's the only part of that border that gets sun...) The Rose Campions did very well in part sun to mostly shade.

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Just beautiful Carrie. Tiny seedlings and zone envy here.

Karen

WOW!! Gorgeous.

For some reason, those Foxgloves grew really huge - but then again, I sowed them heavily last year and never really split the hunks.

I wasn't sure how they would look in the front of the garden.. but that was the only place I could fit them and the edge gets just enough sun to make them bloom...

Most of my wintersown seedlings from this year are also tiny - remember the foxgloves were done last year, Karen

Thanks

Carrie

Lovely, lovely gardens, Carrie. All your hard work is paying off. Your secret garden/holding bed is very nicely laid out. I like how you put the large pots along the sides.

I just love looking at your pictures!! the foxgloves are pretty. I did not WS any of those. I picked lupines cause I got seeds at the grocery store :)

I might try foxgloves as my spikey plant next...

Karen

Lupines do not do well for me - but was happy that my foxgloves took off and the rabbits don't like them! Yay!

Next year - foxgloves galore!

Mary, the seeds from Early Sunrise are viable. They are the only ones I collected that germinated this year.