Mid-June

Different bed, Mid-July

This has been great, I've enjoyed everyone's pictures, I just went through them again for about the third time.

It's been raining all day, I'm not complaining tho, we really need it and hope it continues to rain for the next couple of days. Dragging the hose around is getting to be a pain, this has been a really dry summer.

Annette

Ooooo more pretties !! Backyard bouquets , do you have a favorite variety of zinnia that does well for you? I have never planted them but will for sure next year . What great arrangements you made !!
Shilla, I love the idea of a butterfly and hummer zone !! Did a lot stop by to visit ? We have a small four hummer army that bicker at the feeders just about all day long . They hardly drink any nectar bc they spend so much time chasing each other away ! :)
Nhbabs your beds are so beautiful and full !! I love the variety of textures and colors . Purple is a favorite of mine so I am extra smitten!
Thanks for all the pics everyone !

Hi nhbabs,

Two great pictures,..sitting here just after breakfast and looking into your garden and enjoying the views,..you have very healthy looking Hostas there,..no sign of the slugs i see,..is that Nepeta cataria,'Catnip/Catmint',..giving off a great display,..very nice hue.

Philip

Philip, the first photo has a Penstemon, Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', and then two clumps of an ornamental Nepeta, probably N. racemosa or a hybrid, though I am not sure that the labels were specific.

Lilyfinch, as you can tell, I also like blue-purple, and that bed was planned to be mostly blue and yellow flowers, though early spring has quite a bit of magenta and summer has pops of orange and white.

One more photo of the view behind the house earlier this month. The perennials were planted at the beginning of last season, and I am pleased with how well they have filled in. The corn is about 12' high this year(!), great for the farmer who plants the field, and since I love the look of the red-seeded grass DH leaves mowing that part of the field until about now when it fades to tan.

Hi nhbabs,

Thanks for the update,..if i thought the Nepeta looked impressive then your big splash of red seeded grass is spectacular,..looks like a Lavender field in France,..really beautiful sight.

Philip

Love that red seeded grass,i've never seen that before.How long does it stay red?? Your gardens are quite impressive,i'm another lover of purple in the garden along with pinks and grays,then i go to the other end of the spectrum and like the bold colors of zinnias.i even love the colors zinnias have when they are in their last days.

Nhbabs in the first picture is that purple plant on the top of the picture angelonia(sp).I planted some of that this year,in the purples,havn't had it for a couple years,don't know why as i really like that plant and all the colors it comes in.

Like Annette,i come back here often to see if there is anything new.
Thanks for sharing everyone.
Kathi

So many beautiful photos!
Try to post, but my pictures are rejected, unless I post only a small section. Too many bytes in the regular photos I take.
But I post my pictures in my blog, ad nauseum.
Was surprised when a neighbor tree remover commented on my perennial bed, calling it a cottage garden. Years ago, but the first time I heard the term. He has a college education in gardening and trees, I suppose.

Bogturtle, you could post a link to the blog.

Kathi, the grass (a small amount of little bluestem towards the left where the dogwood branch comes out) and the unknown brighter red that makes up the majority of the patch stays red for 3 or 4 weeks. The color varies some with the light, so the when it's dewy or at midday when the light is harsher, it's a mauvy pink, but closer to dawn and dusk it turns this gorgeous color. It was just part of the field grass when we bought our old farm. The first photo's purple flowers from the front: a Penstemon, Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', then two clumps of an ornamental Nepeta and farthest back a few 'Globemaster' Alliums. No Angelonia since I only plant annuals in pots, not in my beds.

I've had fun perusing through this thread again. So many wonderful photos/gardens.

Wow Barb, your borders just look great. Glad you got a new camera so you can share photos again!

The past number of years we've had fairly warm autumn with warm overnight temps. That has led to less than spectacular fall foliage throughout the garden, and one thing I really missed in the perennial garden was the peony foliage. This fall has been a little cooler and I finally have a season where the peony foliage did not get mildewed and turn brown. I love the coppery colors of the foliage.

That's gorgeous, Thyme2dig. Is that autumn sweet blooming at the end of the porch ?

Guinness,that mage take flower is an Epiphyllium cactus.I have that in several colors,and that particular one,my next door neighbor gave me last year.I also have it inhabited,pink,a lighter and darker version of the pinks,and one that is sort of a peachy color.

They are beautiful flowers,unfortunately the blooms only last a day.
Kathi

I hate auto correct!!!! Guinn,hope you can figure the above post out.I posted it from my kindle.
Kathi

Kathi,
I can, and thanks! I have a lot of plants that only bloom for one day, so it will fit right in when I find one. It is beautiful!

Hi friends,
Life has kept me away from the Cottage Garden Forum for quite a while--since before this thread started! Family visits,
general aging, medical issues, appointments and procedures,pressing needs in an organization.

This morning I had time and my heart has been warmed by the wonderful displays from your garden! I'm sure I'll return to enjoy them again.
Thinman, we've corresponded before--I hope that I get to visit your part of the world again sometime--maybe not so far north--Manistee is my family's "Brigadoon". I loved your photo.

I was amazed at the gardens in zone 4 Nevada.

nhbabs, I resonate with your gardens--they show things I aim for--

Backyard bouquets--your offerings would have pleased my mother so much and remind me of directions to go in my own gardening which are more realistic for my 83 years. I've got cobalt vases in my sunny windows also.

Thanks so much all. Chris

Welcome back grandma Chris ! I hope everything has been well with you . It's so nice to have more posters here ! I believe I remember some pictures you have shared before . :)
Here is a pic of the progress I have made . Only one bed is done for the season . The roses will easily grow and fill in the space , and then some . So for now it looks unfinished but I bet by the end of next summer it'll be much better .
Still undecided about curved beds . Not sure if I should or just leave it be .

Going to be a favorite spot to sit !

Storm rolling in today ...

Sunset a few weeks ago . Taken with my phone , no picture fussing . Just Truely amazing sunset .

Henry peeking over my hammock , trying to hop in.

All for now , really excited to show you more once I get more done !

Lilyfinch, I can hardly wait for pictures as your beds develop, they're going to be beautiful. And your sitting area, what a view, just a wee bit green with envy. Henry peeking over your hammock deserves a frame.

I love your sky pictures, whenever I see a sunset or something unusual I run for the camera, not that I'm very good at taking pictures I just want to capture the beauty knowing it's only going to be there for what seems like an instant and then gone forever. I took this picture through the windshield one evening on our way back from Victoria.
Annette

That is beautiful Annette !! I also try to snap pics ASAP , because the sky changes so fast you never know if it'll get more intense or begin to fade . Your picture looks remarkably like one I took a few weeks ago , maybe even longer than that . Wouldn't that be something if it was the same day ?

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Here are a few more . Maybe a sky thread is in order ! I bet others have awesome pics too . I personally just love the sunrises and sets . So much glory !

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All this beauty around us and it's free, I wonder how many people actually stop and enjoy these fleeting moments.

Yes a thread on Skies would be nice, I'll start one on the GALLERY side of our forum. Nobody seems to post there anymore, it's a shame, it used to be very active.
Annette

Beautiful Sky pictures lilyfinch and Annette,..i always like sky pictures,..you may find it hard to believe but your cloud formations mostly differ from ours,..you get much longer formations to ours.

Philip

Here's the new daylily I tried this year, "Marque Moon."

It was a sad little dry and droopy collection of stems when I bought it off of a $2 clearance table at one of our local nurseries in mid-June.

I planted it, not expecting it to bloom at all this year. I watered it; it thrived, grew, and had about 25 huge, fragrant, lovely blooms this year.

It's a ginormous clump of greenery now, and getting ready to go to sleep for the winter. I can't wait until Spring!

Love these sky pictures,and I also take a lot of them.I'm all for having a post of them somewhere,actually I love scenery in general.I never could understand how one could see all the beauty around us,and then not believe there is a higher power.(GOD)
Kathi

Caroline , sorry I didn't see your post sooner! What a beautiful daylily for a bargain ! And you can keep separating it and having more if you like . I definitely have to add some to my garden . Currently have 2 ! Lol
Kathi, I totally totally agree! :) so much to admire and reflect on . Being in the garden and admiring his creation makes me feel closer to God than anything ! Come join us on the gallery side , Annette started a thread for us !

...been out of touch. But thank you everyone for your kind comments and inspiration! I try to order a variety of seed from different companies but am partial to the "cactus" variety as well as any shade of red, orange or peach I can get my hands on. Since I don't always have good luck saving zinnia seed, I buy fresh seeds every year. With alot of trial and error, have found the best time to plant here in zone 8a is late May or whenever it has started getting really hot. And after the larkspur have been pulled up. Usually have blooms in 60 days to start cutting.

That is stunning, Backyard Bouquets !!! Very easy on the eyes & I'd imagine makes your heart happy.

Thank you Cenepk10! And yes - I am so grateful for for a hobby (obsession) that never fails to make my heart happy!

Hopefully this pic uploads right!! First time here! Also I know the pic isn't the best but this was my Garden next to the Pool this year! I finally started gardening again last Fall and filled this area in with pink grapefruit yarrow (2 plants) and bee balm seedlings and it looked so beautiful this Summer!! The yarrow already grew together as planned, veronica was also blooming in the back with pink bee balm around the left side :) Balloon Flowers and Lilies also in this garden!

I picked this pic because it also reminds me that I have work to do :) I included some Columbine and Bulbs to add some Spring Color next year as it was "sleeping" for most of Spring!
~Michael
heavenlyfarm

Just beautiful -

Aww Welcome ! I love yarrow & bee balm & Veronica ! Very pretty & guaranteed to please next year too ! Beautiful !

My asters among the weeds.

Winter is coming! I posted a "before pic"in sept. And this what my garden looks like this morning. With my daughter getting married this oct and cutting myself with the pruners (and needing stitches, what an idiot I am) I finally finished cleaning up my garden yesterday. Old man winter was shaking his head and thinking when will she get done. Bring on the snow! We need it.

Valree3, your fence and barn are so beautiful!

Roper, those asters just glow!

Lilyfinch, your view and sky photos are breathtaking.

Heavenlyfarm, I would love to sit and listen to the bees buzz in your spot.

Beautiful pictures, everyone.

Martha

This is one of my favorite photos of my beloved Frogview Cottage.

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Frog view , what a lovely picture !! I know nothing about that flower .. Can u tell me what it is ? Do u grow them from seed ? It sure looks pretty .

Fabulous Froggy !!! Makes me long for spring & summer !!!!

The plant is Datura. Related to gypsum weed and of the Nightshade family. So if you have a weed eating dog, this is not for you One can watch the bloom unfurl at dusk and release its powerful perfume.

I do not have a green thumb and we have had to re-landscape a few times in the 23 years we've lived here. This summer I had a professional landscaper help us. This is a picture just after it was completed in October. I cannot wait until spring to see how it comes up.

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Pretty place you have there !!! Looks promising

We just moved to a brand new house last year so I'm starting all over again with gardening.

I brought some seeds from a native delphinium (delphinium exaltatum) that was growing at the old house, wintersowed them, and it bloomed the first year, here in NC.

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Impressive and beautiful, Lois !!!

this time of year it's pictures and planning-and inspiration from the great pics on this thread.

Beautiful photo david !! So warm and inviting !
I have been planning too , getting restless in the cold dreary weather here. I ordered a ton of roses and received a saw for Christmas to maybe build some obelisks and maybe a trellis .
But it's way more cozy in bed with my seed catalogs so I'll just daydream here! :)

Wonderful, warm photos abound. Beautiful. I've been having a hard time falling asleep lately as I've been dreaming of the garden. I'm excited about adding many new things this year with the creation of some new beds. I'm learning more about my gardening style as the years go on. I'd like to focus more on perennial plants that have a lot of uses and such- I've been talking a lot about herbs specifically. I could also use more perennial ground covers around. We moved into our home here now 4 seasons ago and I've barely gotten anything done to the blank canvas/mess our property was in. I hope to continue fixing that this year. So much space needs to be covered!

Last year was hard for me because I was pretty focused on learning about chicken keeping. I know a lot more now and this coming year will be better.

Thank you for all the photos, very inspiring!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ground cover ideas with perennial phlox

replanted most of this last fall-when i look at the pix can't remember why:-)

This post was edited by davids10 on Fri, Jan 30, 15 at 11:17

a really good salvia

nice, the colors of the dianthus and the geraniums are almost a perfect match

That's gorgeous. I long for spring .... Sigh

Here is one of my favorite combos from 2014.

One more.
Debby

Wowser,where did you find this post?? I thought with all the changes that these older posts were/are goners.Glad to see they have been resurrected.Thanks so much for reposting these,hope I find others in the days ahead.

Kathi