Well, it is positively stunning!

Have you posted pictures from the same perspective of all the seasons? I would certainly love to see that. I have a bed outside my window that could use a tweaking.

So very beautiful, if I had this lovely vista to look at I'd be hard pressed to tear myself away from it, get anything done :o). I'm beginning to think this might be my favorite color too, why I like Michaelmas daisies so much as they have so many shades in this color. No, unfortunately I don't have an all season garden, something I am trying to remedy.

Annette

What a beautiful view - you should be pleased with yourself. All season interest is my aim, with the new house - that may take a few years to accomplish. Hmmm...verbena bonariensis - had to google that to pick it out - lovely. I bet I can grow that here!!

Thanks for sharing. Nancy.

That's lovely. Looks like a picture.

Libby

I am able to have something blooming over the spring, summer, and fall seasons in each bed, but some have more blooms than others at different times of the seasons. I am trying for a fuller look all seasons in my new bed, but I'm not sure what I'll add for early spring, as I don't think I want many if any bulbs in there.

Your bed is looking exuberant! What is the white flower in the middle? It almost looks like a statice plant.

Sue

It's important to have a nice view from one's Kitchen windows. That is Lovely!

We have year-round flowers, but every bed doesn't have continual interest. There are on-going projects and there's always the unexpected storm cleanup, or some other impediment to perfection.

Right now insects are chewing up the alternanthera. I know that it will survive without intervention, which would probably poison the butterflies.

I find myself longing for camellias and cold weather, like this afternoon when a brief rain shower turned to steam. The camellias already have fat buds, winter is coming.

Nell

Oh, my. I WANT IT. I LOVE IT!! This is just fantastic.
Post more pictures of your slump. You are really, really good at garden slumps :)

Beautiful!

Brenda,
I love purple too.
I have long admired your "Verbena bonariensis" - it is so lovely.
I have Nicotiana sanderae "Perfume Deep Purple" seeds which I saved from my garden in Fall 2007.

{{gwi:751470}}

This is a photo of it when I first bought it. I can't find the photos I took of it growing out in the garden -FSR.
Anyway...
Care to swap seeds?
Drop me a line.

I can have it in the mail tomorrow morning.
~ Annie

Lovely. What's that variegated grass? how invasive is it?

Love the purples, Brenda. I tried osteospermum for the first time this year. They come in different colors. The purple is absolutely eye-catching. I am so pleased with them!

Lorna

Just beautiful! I love it too. As Nell said * It's important to have a nice view from one's Kitchen windows. * That view just has me sighing. What are the purple spiky flowers at the back? Even though you have been going through a slump, your gardens have been steadily blooming for you through all the seasons. You are blessed. Thank you for sharing. I'm inspired to get out and work some more in my gardens. This was a great way to start the day.

FlowerLady

Thanks everyone!

The white flower in the middle is sedum 'Frosty Morn'. It's one of my favorite plants because it looks good from spring thru fall, with clean bright sturdy variegated foliage all season. Easy to propagate.

The grass is miscanthus sinensis variegatus. My favorite grass for the shock of white it puts in a garden. Easy way to break up all that green foliage. It's not invasive at all, rather a slow clumper. Easy to divide.

The purple spiky thing is butterfly bush. Mine self seed and I give away several every spring.

I'd be happy to send seeds of the verbena to anyone who wants it. But be sure you want it, because it self-seeds like crazy. Fortunately, it's easy to pull out, even when full grown as it is very shallow rooted. That's why it happily grows over the tops of my tulips and alliums. If you want some email me. The seeds won't be ready for about a month or so. Annie, I would LOVE some of those nicotiana, they are gorgeous.

I've posted lots of photos of this garden. I even made two albums, one for the first year, one for the second. This is the third year and I haven't put an album together yet.

Here's a spring photo, posted earlier.
{{gwi:683396}}From Spring 2008

Here is a link that might be useful: Second year of purple bed

Oh, and here's the first year so you can see how it all started.

Here is a link that might be useful: purple bed first year

I just never tire of looking at your gardens Brenda. You are very talented! I have clipped many of your garden photos for inspiration. I don't know how you do it as you make it all look so easy. How many do you group together when you plant?
Meghan

Everyone loves a purple garden and you really have a fantastic display! Your artistry is amazing!

My stick verbena have really multiplied this year, so I have hope for next year's growth to be more substantial from all these little seedlings! The goldfinches are pulling the seeds out, so they are bending the stems...but, hey, I planted it for them, too!

Cameron

Gosh. Now I want to try tulips again more than ever (first year pics). And your alliums, perfect choice.

Brenda,

Thanks sweetie.
A nice big fat-daddy packet is in the mail and on it's way!
You are truly an inspiration to us all!
I wish I had your talent and physical agility.
I love the variegated grasses and the Chinese Variegated Privet. I have some kind of var. grasses (no name tag on the pots) that I got from Wally World this year. I hope they make purple plumes. Yours are just lovely! Regal looking. I put mine in containers but I love how you've mixed your into your flower landscape. Gorgeous affect.
I lost my Var. Chinese Privet several years back. It grew big and pretty and was a special landscape element in my front yard. I didn't think anything could kill privet, but it kicked the bucket. It was too wet that year and it didn't like standing in water. Will try one again in a better location.
The rock wall that your hubby built come out terrific, didn't it? Glad he finally "got 'round to it" and "got er done", as they say here in Okie.
You took that meadow and changed it into a flowering paradise.
Your life with your children seems like the inspiration for a Winnie-the-Pooh story with your two little Christopher Robin bobbins. :)
Lovely.
~ Annie

Wow. Just, wow.

One thing I do want to know - how deep is that bed? I keep trying to figure out if my 8' deep beds are really deep enough - I do know that next year, I am going to move a bunch of things closer to the edges.

My ideal garden would have year-round interest, but I haven't quite gotten there yet.

Beautiful!

Sierra

Meghan - I don't have rules on how many I plant. If it's a big plant like the grasses or dappled willow, then just one. If it's medium like dahlias, then about 3. If it's bulbs, I try to do a lot like a dozen or more.

The bed is 9 feet deep. I wish it were deeper.

Annie - the variegated plant is dappled willow, nothing kills it and it would love standing in water. Super easy to root, just take a branch and stick in the ground. I've given many away and will send one to you when the seeds are ready. Mine is in full sun but the leaf tips can get a bit sunburnt and it would probably appreciate a little shade.

I am stunned and amazed by your garden, I checked out the slideshow, wow. I love that you laid the flagstone in sections for easy reach gardening. I love the colors too, I didn't realize plum was my favorite color till my closet filled up with it. What are your favorite combination's for season round interest? I'm trying to get more flowers all the time but have limited sun and space.

Gottagarden, I think yours may be my favorite garden. At the very least I've been in a ho-hum gardening slump..from rampant mosquitoes, drought after bugs waned, etc. Just didn't have any "garden oomph" anymore. Well you have done the trick with your pix! Thank you.

Please include me in your verbena seed giveaway. I will email you. Thank you.

Carol

Thanks, gottagarden. Beautiful.
Renee

If the view out of my kitchen looked anything like yours, my dishes would never be dirty! What a beautiful picture! Thanks for sharing.

Pat

thanks for sharing, your gardens are an inspiration!

Yes, Brenda's gardens are an inspiration! She was nice enough to share a photo and write an article for my gardening blog.

I've started a new thing called "Garden Inspiration" to show the gardens, garden art, or potted plants from gardeners who want to share. Later this week, I've got a potted Hoya plant in bloom to show from a gardener in California.

Many thanks to Brenda for being so generous to share her designs with us.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Who Says Fall has to be Red and Gold?

Slams you on a chair, seats you at a desk in a dimly lit room with flaking green painted walls and the stench of damp and mold in the air. shoves a desk lamp inches from your nose and turns it on, your pupils retract like ants from a flame, temporarily blinding you.

"TALK, TALK, LADY, DON'T MAKE THIS DIFFICULT" (waving the lamp in your face) "WHAT EXACT TYPE OF SELF SEEDING BUTTERFLY BUSHES DO YOU HAVE?"

Door slams, leaving you alone in complete darkness, out of energy and hope until you confess.

Think about it!
Mihai (I live in the same zone and want those plants!!!)

Whoa! This is a Peaceable Plant forum, Mihai, you don't need to resort to such measures to get information, just ask.

I suggest that you go back to the front page, scroll down to the Search box and type in gottagarden -- look at any of the posts that come up that were initiated by gottagarden, you'll be amazed. She freely shares information.

One more thing: we want to see photos of your garden, please.

Nell

Butterfly bushes - more than I know what to do with. Foolish me is even thinking of starting a new hedge with them.

The dark purple is "Potter's purple", the violet purple is "Nanho Purple", both colors reseed. I also have a white one in a different garden called "White Profusion" with gorgeous extra large plumes, but it has never self-seeded.

But butterfly bushes are easy to propagate. Basically just make a cutting and stick in the dirt and it will grow. I found this out one spring, when the cuttings on my compost pile had sprouted roots over the winter. Boy was I surprized, 4 foot cuttings had simply been thrown on top and they grew. (but buddleia prefers to be cut back in the spring, not fall.)

HI Gottagarden!

Wow. there is so much to say about your gardens. serously they are so stunning. I cant beelive that is the same garden in spring and now.. whoa. You are IMMENSELY talented at planning your beds- truly.
I wish I had you here as a neighbor to help me! i cannever believe all the thigns you do. you must jsut be out there digging morngin noon and night every day. it's amazing you have tiem to write to us. LOL

I have a couple of questions for you. First of all- i would LOVE to take some verbena seeds off your hands.I woudl love for them to go crazy here. i tried it one year and it never took??
I have plenty of cosmos brite lights seeds I can send you if you are interested.

secondly- My butterfly bushes don't reseed either?

But they are big and we got really heavy rains a couple of weeks ago and it bent some of the branches down to the ground... do you think it's an ok season to just cut those off and stick them in the ground? I was hoping to propagate it for my husband's grandfather this year. or shoudl I wait until spring to take a cutting to plant?

ps- i found derelictgardener's post hilarious. haha. thaks for the laugh haha!

Email me directly for verbena seeds.

I think they probably root easier in the spring than now, but hey, nothing to lose. Just stick some sticks in the ground and see what happens in the spring. Just remember that they are very late to get started in spring, much later than most perennials, so don't give up on them too early.

You've got mail!