Hi Laurie
Beautiful pictures. The lawn in the backgroung of the second picture makes me want to go play golf!! LOL. I absolutely love the white glad, it looks so pure. Mine are just starting to bud so will post pictures later.

Here are a few more pictures of some of my flowers

Camelot Foxglove
{{gwi:767618}}
Nemesia
{{gwi:767621}}
Tropicanna Canna
{{gwi:767623}}
Arctic Snow Daylily
{{gwi:767625}}
Pretoria or Bengal Tiger Canna
{{gwi:767627}}
Pink Beauty Canna
{{gwi:767629}}
Morden Fireglow Rose
{{gwi:767631}}

I hope you like these

Cheers Al

I love that white glad too! Some of my glads have scapes now but only one is close to blooming.

Just took a couple of pictures this morning. Here's one garden being watered:
{{gwi:767633}}

And here's El Desperado's first bloom this summer:
{{gwi:767635}}

I'll probably take more pictures later this week.

Al, i have nemesia in a container and it does not look anywhere near as nice as yours! Is yours in full sun? Maybe i should have put it in a shadier area. It's with some osteospermum that aren't looking very good either. They did really well last summer, but then last summer wasn't much of one and a lot of things enjoyed the cool weather better than i did!

Hi Al,
Love that Arctic Snow Daylily!
I am not going to spend any more money. I am not going to spend any more money.
Oh maybe just one more item. LOL
Ian

A few from today:

Gazanias, these bloom and bloom.

Amaranthus hypochondriacus, big tall plant, kinda cool looking.

Amaranthus gangeticus, I won't comment on this one!

{{gwi:767642}}

Laurie: Put me on the "Love your white Glad" list :) (I didn't put any Glads in this year)

Al: Your Camelot is gorgeous! Love the cheery brightness of your Nemesia as well :)

Marcia: I can almost feel the mist from your photo! Looks great.

tabardca I SO love your Gazanias! Are yours purchased plants or did you start from seed? I had purchased plants a couple of years ago and was so happy with them - collected the seeds and just have not had the luck with those.

Well, this is pretty much all that's left for me now - I'm pretty sure I have nothing left to bloom! :(

Catananche

Echinacea (I'll have to take a photo of the full plant as this year is SO full of blooms!)

Dwarf Platycodon 'Sentimental Blue' (the blooms on this tiny lil' thing are almost as big as the whole plant itself! LOL)

Lavatera 1 (pink)

Lavatera 2 (white - LOVE these ones)

Have a great everyone!
-Colleen

Here is a link that might be useful: My 2005 Garden Album

Well, i went out and took some pictures today. Here's a link to my web album.

Colleen, i love the white lavatera too, but didn't end up with any this year. I'll make sure to plant lots of lavatera for next year - they can really put on a show!

Tabardca, those gazanias are gorgeous! I have a few blooming, but by the time i went out to take pictures, they had closed up for the night.

Here is a link that might be useful: August pics - so far!

Hi all
Love all the pictures!!! The gazanias are so cheerfull, and the amaranthus are definitely a conversation piece, while the lavatera looks so clean. Gorgeous!!!

Marciaz: The nemesia is planted in full sun. I find that it is such a versatile plant that I can plant it almost anywhere, except deep shade. Is your nemesia one of the newer varieties. I find that they don't do as well. The one I plant I get as seed from Vesseys and is called 'Carnival mixed'. It is cheap and you get lots of seed. I use it and annual phlox as a filler to put in spaces between perennials.
Cheers Al

Al, i bought the plant at a nursery. I think it was called "Sundrops" (it's yellow!). I'll have to try it from seed next year. Yours is so nice and bright, and it WOULD look really nice as a filler plant. With all these gazania pics, i'm leaning towards them too. Which reminds me - i should take pictures of mine today while they're open!

Everyone's pics are excellent, great detail, and the colours! The gazanias are from seed, Hybrid Kontiki mix, I planted them quite close together and it helps. I grew annuals for the first time this year and gazanias will be on the list for next year as I am really happy with them. Also, they take drought conditions very well, we just plumbed a water tap on that side of the house so I can water them today, it has been in the 30's.

Great photos everyone.... So pretty... Keep them comin...

Great pics everyone!

Here are some of mine for this week.

Daylily
{{gwi:767649}}

Grand Cru lily
{{gwi:767651}}

I think this is Crete lily
{{gwi:767652}}

This is the mini rose that I wintered outside last year....
{{gwi:767654}}

Potatoes are flowering
{{gwi:767655}}

Peas
{{gwi:767657}}

cucs still going strong
{{gwi:767658}}

Happy Gardening,
Sierra

You folks are awe-inspiring!!!....Way to grow!

Here are some of mine for this week....enjoy ;)

and something different....

Check out some more of my garden photos for this week at the link below ;)

Happy Gardening everyone, let's see some more of your photos so that we can hopefully get a Gallery added to our forum ;)

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Week of August 7th

I've been a bit lazy at pictures and uploading this summer but have been enjoying everyone else's a great deal! Sharon, a question about your ribbon grass - it looks so fresh! I was wondering if you trim/cut it back mid season? I was noticing my white/green variegated ribbon grass is looking rather tired (it's probably dry as a bone, too). And hmm, I think I overplanted my verbascum seedlings - that is, if mine grow as beautiful as yours are.

Thanks Pudge, no, I didn't trimmed back the Ribbon Grass ;)

There are 3 Verbascums in that patch and I too will have to space them out more next year. Same with the ornamental grasses behind there, those too are planted way too closely....its so hard to judge when transplanting, eh!

Sharon

Yeek! Sharon do you need a license for that thing? Is it some kind of nightshade? It's cool! Oh and I'm jealous of your foxgloves and lupines, none of mine ever flower. I love old gardeny things.

Sierra your veggies look so healthy and your lilies and rose are beautiful.

Wow !!! That Solanum looks dangerous... Does it bloom too ?Your Lupins are still blooming too.......
Colleen your Echinacea is a head of mine.. All I have is buds..
Here's my latest...

Lovely photos everyone!

Kat3 might your second, smaller Eupatorium be 'Little Joe'?

When I first saw a hummingbird about a year ago my eyes were probably the size of golfballs. Those around me could've drawn an anology with Slyvester the cat from Bugs Bunny. I thought I saw a hummingbird...I did...I did!

You bet NS, the SOLANUM is in the nightshade family, I just noticed a little yellow flower that opened today. This scary plant is only about 3-4 feet tall, but I'm sure if we had a warmer spring it would of been taller than it is. I'll try again next year ;)

Kat, might your smaller Joe be a Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum ÂGateway that has wine-red stems? 'Little Joe' is a new perennial in my neck of the woods, would love to find one ;)

Oh I really like the Agastache aurantiaca, does that act as a perennial, annual, self-seeder in your garden? My choice of colour is favouring towards more the oranges nowadays, love it.

About the Angelca gigas... Is it because our season is too short for them to produce viable seed for them to act as a biennal? I grow Angelica archangelica and you have to make sure to cut most of the seedheads off, otherwise you'll have them self-seed all over the place.

Sharon

I have seen more hummingbirds than I can count, but everytime I do, my first thought is "OMG look at the size of that bee!"

Question about LUPINES - mine that I planted this spring are about the size of the ones in Kat's first pic. Are they going to bloom?? Next year? If they're biennials does that mean they only bloom once ever? This is the first time I have tried to grow them.

NS, Lupines are perennials, but can be short-lived, deadheading is recommended to encourage more flowers as the season progresses, but make sure you leave a few spent spikes for them to self-seed for next year.

The first year you will be lucky to get a few blooms, depending on the species, cultivar, but next year or the third year, thats when you'll see the show ;)

Sharon

Oh whew, I thought they died after the second year, as my non-blooming foxgloves religiously do. If they're going to stick around awhile I can be patient. I have two clumps going and the one that gets more sun is starting to grow fairly quickly.

My dad thinks me growing lupines is sooo funny because of the old Monty Python thing.

Digitalis purpurea Foxgloves are biennal, forming rosettes of foliage the first year. They are fussy here too, you are best to start the shorter cultivars like 'Foxy' or 'Camelot' indoors early for them to put on a show the first year. Or grow D. grandiflora, the hardy yellow foxglove.

See now I really wish we had an conversation forum, I don't get the Monty Python and Lupin thing. LOL

Sharon

I actually complained about my foxgloves on the forum earlier this spring and was advised to try D. grandiflorum. I picked up two already started ones labeled only digitalis "Foxy". Just as I was typing this I went out to see how they are doing and one has a flower spike developing. JOY!! Here it is... you can't really see the spike but I could see all the little flower nubbins.

{{gwi:767671}}
(Yes it's wilty, I have to water yet tonight - it finally quit raining and may never do so again)
In previous years I had been planting D.x mertonensis and they had lovely foliage for two years and then disappeared.

I have a couple more pics -

Garden Party is back at it... look at the beautiful new growth all over the place. This was planted this year.
{{gwi:767674}}

Sonia blooms all summer but gets kinda washed out when it's hot. The funny foliage colour behind the middle flower is due to iron application on chlorotic leaves. It's perfectly healthy but looks awful. From now on I'm just watering the soil with it.
{{gwi:767676}}

Delphinium "Black Knight" had a little too much mushroom manure and passed out on the nicotines. His foliage is having some bad issues this year but he produced a lot of flowers.
{{gwi:767678}}

NS, We'll have to start calling you the "Queen of Tenders". I quit growing tender roses years ago, but after seeing all your beautiful roses, my mind has changed. I just might have the perfect spot near the house to plant one or two or three next year ;)

I was going to ask earlier if there was anyone that has been able to overwinter D. x mertonensis (strawberry foxglove). I tried them in my Saskatoon garden with no luck ;(

Your Delphinium passed out on the nicotines...LOL, you are so entertaining ;)

Hubby just clued me in about the Monty Python and Lupin thing..., Dennis Moore right? LOL

Sharon

Oooh a title! lucky me! Tee hee. Tender roses are fussy to say the least, but I love them. Laurie grows a few hybrid teas too, she keeps pulling another one out of her hat and surprising me.

Yes Dennis Moore it is, LOL! I can't actually remember the content of the sketch but I think he attacked people with lupines. I just remember he had a big bunch of them he waved around. Ask your hubby if he knows Martin the Shrubber. Sometimes when I am pruning my shrubs I like to refer to myself as Northspruce the Shrubber. Gosh I hope someone knows what I am talking about, if not it is another Monty Python thing.

Digitalis mertonensis did overwinter fine for me, just the one winter of course, but I tried planting them three times and they were reliable for two years each. The foliage was 100 times more attractive than the Foxys I am growing now. But they just never even thought of flowering. I don't know why I like foxgloves so much I have to keep trying and trying, but I do.

I think I say this every week, but I just love these weekly 'Show & Tell' threads! Here are a few of mine:

A very bright yellow lily from a mixed bag purchased at a hardware store:

I posted these flowers a while back but these Gloriosa Daisies are glorious!
They have been blooming for close to 4 weeks now with more and more flowers every day:

Zinnia with ladybugs:

This isn't the clearest picture but I thought it was cute:

These pumpkin blossoms are huge.
I think that I should be plucking these so that more energy will go to the pumpkins already forming (maybe when the flower starts to fade...):

My gardening assistant Kirby and her garden buddy Bob:

Susan

I haven't posted any pics in a couple of weeks, so thought I'd show you a few of my blooms:

This is about half of our back bed. It is looking very unorganized yet, but this is sort of it's first year. There were only a couple of shrubs and a couple of perennials in it last year. All of my beds still need paving stone edgers, that we want to get done this year. We lost a large chokecherry tree from that area this year. I've replaced it with two baby U. of S. cherry trees, buried in there somewhere. In the background is the gravel for the rest of the deck. I haven't done anything with that area yet. Eventually, that is where my greenhouse will go.

Back bed

Cleome starting to bloom
{{gwi:767701}}

My Mimulus collection
Mimulus X h. 'Magic flame'

Mimulus lewisii

Mimulus guttatas

Minulus cardinalis

Gladiolus X h. 'Priscilla' First one to open

Sweet Pea 'Fragrantissima'
I love this burgundy one

I could go on and on but this is enough

Shauna

Susan, stunning as always, does your Gloriosa Daisies come back every year for you, how old is that patch? My WSÂd ones are just starting to open up, IÂll take a photo soon. The lady bug resting in the Zinnia bud is remarkable and Kirby, what a cute little man, and oh garden Bob too, great photos, keep them coming!

Shauna, I love your curve, that is the curves in your bed IÂm talking about ;) and your tall fence, no peeking from the neighbors on the other side eh?

NS, IÂll have to ask hubby tomorrow about Martin the Shrubber, LOL

Sharon
btw, I added more photos today in my Photobucket ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Week of August 7th

WOW - everyone's gardens are truly inspirational. I LOVE those Gloriosa Daisies, and the Lilies, and the Lupines, and the Roses, and ALL OF IT!! I kept up with this thread while on vacation too (nuts, hey?)

Since coming back from holidays I've spent most of my time deadheading, cleaning up, etc. so now I could finally go snap some pics again! These are all my Winter-Sown-Babies and I was happy to see them all doing well and blooming.

Moonshadow Sunflower

Monarda ("Bee Bomb" according to my DD)

Not sure what this is but she sure is PRETTY!

Knee-High Sweetpeas (these are going on my "do every year" list!)

Giant Cactus Flowering Zinnia entertaining a garden friend!

I just love this little corner of the garden and how the colours just blend nicely -- kinda by accident! Gotta love those kind of "Happy Accidents" LOL

Keep the pics coming!

Stunning! :) Sharon, i did NOT want to see those gorgeous petunias. Mine are dismal - well, some of them are. Your amaranth caudatus is similar to my cruentus. And the corydalis is one of my favourite wildflowers. I see it growing on the rocks at the cabin all the time! Is this the second bloom for your saponaria? Mine was finished long ago. I'll have to check it for new buds. And are you saving seeds from that white veronica? Hint? :)

Shauna - Love the Mimulus 'Magic Flame'. Are these grown as annuals in our zone?

Sharon - Surprisingly (to me anyway) the Gloriosa Daisies are only 2 years old. I direct seeded a 6X6 inch patch in my garden last summer (June I think). They grew to about 2 ft tall and bloomed by fall. This year the patch has increased about 50% in size and they are 4 feet tall!

I checked out your garden album and you always have the most interesting structural plants. I love the Amaranthus and Sanguisorba. And that Solanum is wild! I winter sowed Sanguisorba officinalis but I think I like the bloom on your obtusa better and I have added to my ever growing list of wants.

CrazyDaisy - Way to winter sow! Your blooms are beautiful.

Susan

Susan, the 'Magic Yellow Flame' is rated as a HHP for zones 6 - 9 so I'm not expecting it to come back. All of the others are supposed to be hardy to our zones, so I'll see what comes back next spring.

6" X 6"? Oh no. I have 6 spots that I transplanted from my seedbed last fall and also about a 6" X 6" area that I w/'d this year (in case they didn't overwinter, you know?) I really like them but I will be removing some this fall to make some places for other things. Besides, if they multiply that fast, I'll have nothing but Gloriosa Daisy in my flower bed. Oh, the mistakes I am making but it is so much fun learning.

Angela, I really like your 'Moonshadow' sunflower. Where did you get the seed?

Colleen, Does Catanache bloom its first year? I'm patiently waiting for mine to do something, anything, other than sit as a star on the ground. They were w/s this year. I have white platycodon, which was more than half dead when I put it into the ground. It was started about 2 weeks too early in my greenhouse and I couldn't hold it. But, it has come back really well and even produced a couple of flowers now and then.

Northspruce, I checked on my foxgloves, hoping upon hoping after seeing your picture. Nadda! I don't see those doing much until next year. I can hardly wait. I want to start some more this winter so I can get a consistent cycle going.

Love the cannas, Al. I haven't tried them in years. I think I'll have to wait 'til I have my greenhouse, tho. I ran out of room this year. Next year will be worse. I also planted nemesia this year for the first time . I really like them. They are a PW Nemesia fruiticans 'Compact innocence'. They smell beautiful. Does anyone know if I can collect seed off of them ("Mom, it's the nemesia police") and if so, how?

Keep the photos coming, everyone. Pats on the back,all around. D---, we're good.

Shauna

I love everyone's pics. I was also admiring that Moonshadow sunflower and wondering where to get the seeds. I like odd sunflowers.

BTW, what colours does Bee Balm come in? I got one plant from my pack of seed and I'm wondering what colour it will be - probably red or pink right? It's doing very well.

I collected seeds from Compact Innocence a few years ago, but i also had Bluebird, so the plants came back a pale blue. I don't remember if they had the same scent, though. The following year, they accidentally got "Round-Upped" before i could collect seed. When my friend Gale and i visited Vanderwees in Thunder Bay this spring, we noticed that the nemesia didn't have much of a scent. Don't know why.

YIPPEE!..this afternoon I can open this thread...great pictures everyone..thanks for the welcome back Sierra..it seems that everything doubled in size the time I was away..here is a few of my garden goodies to share
planter of godetia
{{gwi:727518}}
foxy foxglove I started in February
{{gwi:767743}}
tidal wave moss baskets..they are now 4 feet wide and over 4 feet hanging down
{{gwi:767746}}
single white poppy...a mystery where this one came from
{{gwi:767748}}
and lastly a pink version of a danish flag poppy
{{gwi:767749}}
I hope everyone has a great august gardening month..savona

Wow, everyone's pics are FANTASTIC!! The gardens are still going strong. I was amazed at how much my veggie garden grew in the last 4 days! Even came home to a ripe tomato on the vine, yummm!
I've got so many things now that I want to plant for next year, I don't know where I'll go with it all.....will have to remove more sod I guess :0)
Sharon, that solanum is about the meanest, baddest looking plant I've seen....would hate to be on his 'bad' side lol. But a great conversation piece.
Keep the pics coming. It sure makes my day viewing all these lovely gardens!
Laurie

Savona, welcome back, hope you had a great vacation! Your Wave baskets are spectacular and love the trellis they are hanging on!

I got the hint Marcia LOL ;) This is the first year with Corydalis sempervirens, they were WSÂd this year so IÂm hoping the will self seed all over the place too, the photo doesnÂt do this plant any justice, they sure are a real pretty graceful plant when you see it in person. I realize that Rock Soapwort blooms in the spring but these were WSÂd in April and they are just now putting on their show.

Oh good to hear Susan, another cold zone gardener who can overwinter Gloriosa Daisies, gives me hope for next year, Kat3 says they are a perennial for her too. Thanks so much for the nice compliment; if I can catch the seed from the S. obtusa, I will save you some, you might also want to try Sanguisorba menziesii too, has nice dark maroon blooms, blooms forever and very easy to WS.

CrazyDaisy, I too love your Moonshadow Sunflower and your unknown pretty flowers has me stumped, have no idea what it is.

Laurie, still waiting for my 'Boogie Woogie' to happen. LOL For sure IÂm going to order more Orientpets, but IÂm going hold off and order next spring, IÂve read that they have a better chance of survival if you plant them in the spring in our zone.

Al, is that Plectranthus argentus growing at the base of you Canna, very pretty! I tried growing some from seed, but they rotted, IÂll try again next year.

Martha, I really like your Amaranthus, especially that second one. LOL. I see you mulch with straw too ;)

Colleen, stunning close ups!!!!

Sierra, very nice....my 'Crete' Lily doesnÂt look nothing like yours, so I looked it up at the Lily Nook and yours looks like the real McCoy.
http://www.lilynook.mb.ca/images/Asiatics/Crete.jpg
HereÂs my Crete, NOT!
{{gwi:767597}}

NS, do you mean Roger the Shrubber who specializes in shrubs and where the 3 Knights say "Neeee", I remember that now. LOL

Shauna, yes weÂre d---- good!

Sharon

Okay... remind me never to mention Monty Python to my British husband! I told him there was some chat about it on this thread and he made me sit while he popped in his Monty Python and the Holy Grail dvd. After fewing the scenes on shrubbery and Roger the Shrubber he relapses to his teen years and starts quoting lines along with the movie. Help me....

WOW, this thread just keeps getting prettier! I love your baskets and all the poppies, Savona. Your Foxy is super pretty too -- very cool that it is blooming already!

The Moonshadow is a new one for me this year and I am really happy with it. I picked up the seeds at the local Super Store here. They always have McKenzie Seeds in the early spring and then they seem to dissappear. Maybe if winter-sowing kicks in a bit more they will keep seeds year-round?? Would be nice!

Sharon, my "mystery pretty bloomer" may be Xyranthemum??? Literally just this minute that name popped into my head! Usually that happens at 2:00 a.m. when I can't sleep. LOL
Does that say anything about how I feel today? TGIF!!!

Crazy_Daisy/Angela

http://www.botany.com/xeranthemum.html

Just thought that I would share the info I just discovered.

I'll have to see about collecting some seeds later! **hint** 8^)

Savona I love all your poppies! The Foxy foxglove, it is the same one I have that is finally going to bloom. OMG so excited if it's gonna look that pretty!

Yes I guess it was Roger, not Martin the Shrubber. He made shrubberies. hahaha whoooo... I think Monty Python causes brain damage. I also am British and have a British Dad who intoduced me to such nonsense at about the age of 4 until my Mom found out what he was letting me watch... haha

Hi Sharon,

Is this the same lily as yours?

{{gwi:767754}}

{{gwi:767756}}

I think it might be. If it is this one is called Cote D'azure.

Sierra

Wow !!! Spectacular thread!!! Everyone's photography skills are awesome. Love all the pictures.
Sharon that is 'plectranthus argentus' with my 'Tropicanna' canna. I also have 'helichrysum petiolare minus' mixed with it. I grew both from seed and really like the effect. I usually put 'coleus blumei' with cannas but saw the mix of 'plectranthus argentus' and 'helichrysum petiolare minus' with some cannas last year on a garden tour, so decided to try it.
Anybody get any frost yet. They are calling for it tonight in our part of the country. Here's hoping that they are wrong.

Cheers Al

Sneaking in with a few last minute pics!

A couple of gazanias:
{{gwi:767758}}

Glads:
{{gwi:767760}}

Oriental lilies:
{{gwi:767761}}

WS malva fastigata, courtesy of Jan:
{{gwi:767763}}

Salvia hormonium, also courtesy of Jan:
{{gwi:767766}}
(thanks, Jan! LOL)

Is this a white morning glory or a moonflower?
{{gwi:767769}}

This glad is way more red than it shows here:
{{gwi:767772}}

Some impatiens, not wilting for a change:
{{gwi:702984}}

Front of the house - oh no, the grass needs to be cut again! LOL

And now it's off to bed!

I'm not sure Sierra about the Cote D'azure, mine are more peachy. This Lily was purchased last year from T&T seeds, so I wouldn't doubt it they sent the wrong one!

Al don't say the "F" word at the Far North forum, that is really bad luck ;)