Very nice gardens Kathy, and very well maintained. Thanks so much for sharing. I wish my beds looked as good!
Ed

Beautiful! Mine are overflowing due to the lack of space. I am getting rid of a lot of plants to make it more manageable. Mike.

Great shots! I really like the stand of Stargazers, hoping to see a little height on mine this year (2nd from bulbs). Also nice to see 'Spider Miracle' and 'Spider Man' in less crowded settings than my own. Too bad about the begonias, I really like the dark leaved varieties and usually pair 'whisky' (pink-red) and 'vodka' (white). They take a fair amount of Ohio sun but it can't compare to Florida by a longshot. Beautiful scenery compared to what's outside my backdoor right now!

~Wes

Ed, Glad you enjoyed the pics. My flower beds only look well maintained from a distance. Ha! We had lots of strange weeds last summer...unrecognizable...things I'd never seen before...I blamed the birds.

Mike, I still have plenty of space, but I've promised not to make any more beds. I have more than I want to take care of already.

Wes, The Stargazer's have done so well in that bed that I had to move about 15 of them last year. There is a camelia in the center which will eventually fill up that whole bed...so the Stargazer's are temporary to keep it from looking empty. I love begonia's too and I keep seeing the dark leaved varieties planted in full sun here. So, I figured they were worth a shot. They would've been fine if I had watered them every day...but I'm too lazy for plants that require daily attention. The begonia's work better for me in the shade. I think I'll use Profusion Zinnia's instead this year.

Thanks guys!
Kathy

Everything is so pretty and weed free! Most of my gardens need to be completely redone. They have so much Bermuda Grass invading them. I tried a very expensive spray and it didn't kill one sprig of the stuff.

Debra

Your garden is beautiful! Love the stargazers. Thanks for sharing! It's so cold here. Had snow on Friday and expecting more snow or sleet tomorrow. I'm tired of this. Ready for spring....
Michelle

What a beautiful garden. I love that first picture with the trees framing the flower bed. That bench looks like a great place to sit, relax, and enjoy the beauty:)

Do I spy LADY NEVA in the front on that first picture? LN is one that I got because it was tall and not for the color. I went through this phase where I didn't like yellows at all, but now that is changing.

I have a pink velour crape myrtle that I want to train into a tree like yours. Yours look so well manicured and I like that you can still put other flowers around the base.

Don't you just love the way those balloon flowers self-seed? In most cases I don't want a flower to do this, but that touch of blue just does something to fill in the bed. I end up pulling some of them because they can take over an area. Unlike some other self-seeders, this one doesn't bother me.

Thank you so much for that wonderful walk through your garden:) We got several inches of snow yesterday (southern Indiana) and more snow and drifting predicted today. UGH! I can't wait until this all stops!

Vickie

Enjoyed the photos. Nothing like a bloom to brighten the day.
Snowing here today. Can't complain as our winter snow has been very light this year. (knock on wood).

Julia

Kathy, when I say your white begonias in another shot and saw you were from Fla. I was wondering the same thing. Try them in shade this year, they will do great. Love all your pics, your beds are so lush and gorgeous.

Sharon

Debra, I have plenty of weeds...but I'm glad you couldn't see them. It's a constant battle. I was going to use my usual *free* wood-chip mulch, but when I went to pick it up, it was full of army ants. So I'm having to buy pine straw this year. I put down 20 bales last weekend and I'm only about 1/3 finished. It will help control the weeds, but...Egads...I'd rather spend my money on plants!

Michelle, We had a few snowflakes on Friday, but I know it's nothing compared to the cold and snow most of the country is getting. Hurry up Spring!

Vickie, Yes, that is LADY NEVA. She always puts on a good show here. But we water early in the morning and when those big flowers get wet, it causes the scapes to lean....so I have to stake them. The crape myrtle trees bloom mid-summer here. They add a lot of color when most things are struggling with the heat. My favorite is the white Natchez....even the bark is beautiful. Like you, I'm also glad the balloon flowers self seed. The coleus also self seed here and I had thousands of volunteers this year. Here are a few of them...
{{gwi:663593}}From FlowerBeds

Julia, Go ahead and complain. I do...I hate cold weather. If it's below 50, I'm the biggest crybaby you've ever seen.

Sharon, I won't give up the begonias. I love them all, especially the fancy leaved varieties. But I learned my lesson...shade plants for me.

Glad y'all enjoyed the pics!

Kathy

Thanks for the pics! Beautiful!