Wow! Impressive! I hope I have as good as results as you have! I keep walking around the garden chanting...grow, grow!

If I could give one piece of advice, plant a lot, really close. LOL!

Thanks for looking. I love my perennial bed this year. I would never have been able to buy all these plants.

Token, that is amazing! I just love it! You are still a brat, nothing has gone beyond sprouting for me, and that zone envy is kickin' in big time! Still, it's beautiful!!

Lovely, great job token.

great job token!!!

Looks really nice. I can't wait to see more WS blooms. I have a few but most are small here. I am trying to be patient...

I planted pretty close so I hope I get good results!!!

Karen

my weeds arent even that big yet.

:)
D

Yeah Doris! No kidding! I know that if I can see it without my reading glasses on, it's probably a weed!!

For those that are growing it, that red in the background is the Yvonne's salvia I started indoors. The wintersown plants are just starting to bloom and are as tall as those. The wintersown ones get 6 hours of sun or more. The indoor plants only get 3-4 hours in late afternoon, so it's the hottest sun of the day.

Indoors.

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Wintersown.

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Yes, those are tomatoes in the same bed. What's wrong with that? It's an orange, red, and yellow bed.

Awesome pics Tom! I wish I was in zone 7 too! :D

Everything's gorgeous, Token! I'd put tomatoes, especially cherries, in a flower bed too, if it weren't for "my" deer.

Land and homes are cheap(er) in NC. :)

Two years ago this month in a small town outside of Charlotte, I purchased a 1946 fixer upper for less than $85k. Covering three floors, it's roughly 2700sq ft. Sure, it needs some work, but that's what winter is for. Right? LOL!

DOH!

Stage, those are all cherry tomatoes. My big indeterminate tomatoes have their own dedicated space.

I've got Large red italian, purple cherry, sweet 100s, yellow pear, and a few others scattered in that bed. They're all over each other right now, but I should know what is what when they ripen.

Looks great Token! Most of my WS plants are still on the small side. sigh......

-StLGirl

token! Your gardens are gorgeous and you did so much in one year.

I love the ruler - it really is helpful and your salvias look so healthy.

Since you and I have the same weather conditions - isn't the month of June the absolute best here? Everything I love is blooming - and will last now for a few weeks at least..if not a month.

Keep the photos coming, they look great!

Carrie

I agree - keep the photos coming please!!

Any new pictures of hairy balls?

Ahhhh so pretty...and LOVE LOVE the Yvonne's Salvia OMG!
I started mine indoors too on April 4th and just planted them out about 2.5 weeks ago, but didn't get the last one planted until a few days ago after locating a spot. Mine are still small at about 6-8" tall and since transplanting are now starting to send out new leaves. I just mulched them all today with dried grass clippings under the straw.

It might be my year to finally see good looking Yvonne's!!

Vera

Carrie, you know most of these perennials will bloom again if you cut them back by half before they set seed. :)

June is the best month by far. As soon as the coneflowers start to bloom, it'll be all downhill from there. But I'll be harvesting tomatoes then, so it's not all lost.

Mine coneflowers (purple echinacea) have been up for about ten days - Couldn't wait for them - so hard to wait two years for blooms but definitely worth it - they are gigantic.

Only problem is: I grated ivory soap on several flowers and have damaged some of my leaves in the process - well, at least the rabbits haven't eaten them down to nothing...

Another what is worse (?) - Damaged leaves or no plants at all - I'll take the weird looking leaves any day.

So many perennials now (or have been and still are) in bloom: Yarrow, Echinaceas, Rudbeckias, of course Day lilies all summer, Gailllardia, Salvia Corals, Salvia Rose Queen, all other Salvias, Balloon flowers, Monardas, Cleomes - the list goes on...

which perennials are you referring to, token? I keep deadheading and that really helps prolong the blooms - some even two months.

Carrie

Which ones

somehow "which ones" was repeated at the end of my post (?)

Also blooming: Boltonias, Cleomes, Salvias - all of them, vincas, some dianthus still going strong, zinnias in full bloom now (yay), Oenothera STILL blooming - can't believe that!

Now I am dealing with Jap Beetles - :0(

Carrie

very very nice Token - WinterSowing never ceases to amaze me and I am in my 5th year. I still have a problem with planting to sparingly and not getting that WOW factor but this year I am doing 5-7 plants per space so I am getting better. I want DRIFTS of color. Thanks for sharing ......

Lynne

Oh, Token, what a beautiful garden...keep postin photos. If zone 7 looks that good, can zone 5 be far behind...hope not! TQBarbie

Awesome!

Lynne, The shastas went in first since I had started them from seed last year. The rudbeckias were sown in Sept 08 and overwintered. Half Hardy annual hirta variety. I planted at least 5 clumps of shastas much too close. About a foot apart. I used hibiscus and BESusans to make anchors in the garden. This year, I'll fall sow echinacea for blooms next year and add those to my anchor points. Between those areas, I have roses, cleome (not even close to blooming), and lots of other wintersown perennials like bee balm, mountain bluet, etc. I've got butterfly bushes and daylilies scattered throughout as well. It's a cottage garden and that is the best shot of the whole space right now. Too much shade for some areas to be blooming just yet. Next year I know what can be planted in those places and still bloom well.

Just wait til the hardy hibiscuses are in full bloom. Took this picture today of my Luna Red I bought last year and divided into two over the winter.

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There's also a "Turn of the Century" out there. Two, if I counted right.

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So Token's been at this, fixing up the yard and starting seeds for 2 years. As to that advice to plant really close, you could end up with a jungle like this after a few more.
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From this angle it doesn't look as bad as it really is. But that gaillardia on the right is all one plant. The one one the left has about swallowed 2 huge rudbeckias. Two lavenders have been swallowed, one by cosmos and another by volunteer ruds and larkspur.

From the other side you can barely see my big 4th year butterfly weed.
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From the back, a 3rd or 4th year established veronica has been swallowed. Everything, from floor to ceiling, is solid plants.
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So that advice to plant really close might not be the best over the long run. Token, your flowers do look great now, really pretty. I predict that next year you will find thousands of volunteers!

My friend was supposed to come today and I was going to try to give her some of this stuff, but it looks like we'll have to cancel for rain again. (I have already given away dozens this year). Many I probably can't remove without damaging other things though, and I won't do that. Things like my established butterfly weed get priority. I'll probably have to just yank plants out bare root and it's awfully late in the year to transplant those.

I wish the moonsoons would stop. The plants are growing more.

Karen

Karen, I know as time goes forward, I'll be removing plants rather than installing more. But for a first year garden, planting really close helps a lot. Those shastas of mine have gotten a LOT bigger than I thought they would this year. I'll need to divide them again this year unless I want to have no space at all. In the south, that means more powdery mildew than I care to think about.

Looks good, Karen - but I agree about planting too close - and for this reason: It's hard to divide in the spring, when everything is so close together. Also, I have trouble deadheading some borders in my yard because I can't get into and around the plants in the middle -

I made "paths" but they are now hidden with all the shastas, BESusans, Larkspurs, lilies, etc. - And snakes have a good hiding place with everything planted so close - also rabbits...plus - I wonder if some of the perennials are fighting for some root space... :0/

Knowing I can grow as many plants as I want every year, I find myself making new borders/beds ... and giving myself more work

Wintersowing is knocking the HECK out of me :0) (but I love it)

Carrie

Carrie, my gardens are full after just one year. This summer, if the rains ever stop, I'll be building a new bed in the backyard. I've already gotten the cardboard. Just need the leaf mulch.

This morning, I got some really cool pictures. The sun was just right.

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Tom - you did wonders in one year!!

I sent you an email - re: pots

Everything looks so healthy and you are right, you took those pictures just at the right time. I never do that - I always end up taking the pics when it is too sunny and the colors always look faded.

I bet your neighbors are oogling your yard, heh heh to the old lady!

Carrie

Oh that last set of pics are just stunning! After seeing your pics I just can't wait to see what my WS results will be! Let the show begin!

Very Pretty Token!

the gardens are nice and full!

I have some cardboard for my new beds too... I plan to WS for some more this year. Now I know I can fill 'em up!
Karen

Carrie, I got the message. I thought I had responded. Sorry if I didn't. My internet connection is lousy lately with all the rain. I'm actually borrowing right now. ;)

Yes, I will take the pots. I brought home another 48 today from the store at a nickel each.

Mine are free! :0) Have mostly small pots (plus the ones you left here)

Try the slideshow again... couldn't make those pictures bigger - too bad...

Carrie

They were also filled with promix. I've gotten two wheel barrows full for less than $5.

"It's GOOD to work there".... :0)

carrie

Oh, the old grumpy lady next door came down this evening to ooh and ahh. She can only see a few things and me working. She hasn't had the chance to see the whole yard. She was very impressed. I might take her some fresh tomatoes and squash next week. Maybe.