Now THAT is an awesome colorful garden!

Aw, thanks, GP. My new gardening mantra is, if there is room for a weed, there is room for another plant. So every time I pull a weed, I stick something else in its place, hahaha. That bed is full to overflowing, almost, but I figure I'll let them fight it out. Strongest plant wins!

I'm glad you like all the colors. Some might find it too busy, but it makes me happy, and that's why we do it, right?

Marcia

Marcia that is a great looking garden. The colors are awesome. That view of the pond in the fore ground with
the paths,the second picture is a great shot. The coreopsis looks fantastic. Such brilliant color. Of course the coleus looks beautiful. They coordinate
so nicely. It all looks so different from when I was there to pick up the roses. My eyes always go to the beautiful colors of your shed. To me, it is a perfect combination of colors. I'm happy for you,my friend.

Oh Marcia ~ What a wonderful garden you have created, with soft curves, luscious colors, different textures. That coreopsis is a beauty. I've never seen it. Your native orchid is really sweet. I love your place and felt right at home. I'm working on adding more color as I have LOTS of green. Seeing your before and after pictures has inspired me. I love that pond of yours, it really adds an extra special something to your lovely gardens.

FlowerLady

Marcia, I LOVE your garden...the somewhat cottage looking garden, with masses of flowers and growth - that is what I am striving for my in my garden as well

Very pretty views...Lovely pond

Your orchid, encyclia tampensis, is looking wonderful
Nova's mini lilies are so cute....

How well does Gartenmesiter fuchsia grow for you? Is it a perennial here? Looks very nice..

Wow Marcia
Thanks for sharing your awesome garden with us! I am so happy for you and I totally know how you feel now, since I have finally recovered from TS Fay.

I just gotta say: your Limerock Ruby/Dipt in Wine combo is that kind of show you sometimes see in gardening books and mags. I give it an Olympic Gold Medal! And now I've gotta copy it somewhere - it's gorgeous.

Don't overdo it in this heat, y'hear?

Love ya
Susie

Marcia, I love your brick garden path, your cottagy garden, your blue bottles area, your pond area. Just love the whole look.

Thanks for sharing,
Sylvia

Marcia-I love your "after" garden. It is very impressive and you have done a ton of work. I've gotta say that I didn't think much of the stock thingy when you first showed the picture (before starting work). You've done a fantastic job.
How did your white bird make it through the freezes? Mine didn't have any leaves left ;-( though it is coming back.

Awww, thanks, everybody! I'm happy with how it is coming along, if I could just get the rest of the yard underway. But mostly I wanted to show what a difference 3 months can make. I'm not kidding when I say my garden was devastated, as I'm sure some of you experienced either from this year's freeze or from storms in the past. But hard work and some new plants, and I'm beginning to feel good about it again.

I have put quite a few freeze-hardy perennials in the beds, and as they get larger, I won't need to add so many annuals as fillers. Also, they will survive most of our cold weather and not leave the beds quite so empty as this year's freeze did. At least, that's my plan! Hope it works out that way.

I found the Limerock Ruby coreopsis at Blodgett's and it was covered in all those buds when I bought it. I have no idea of how long it will last, but if I only get a few weeks out of it, I'll be happy. It's just a stunning looking little plant.

Mark gets the credit for all the brickwork. He has been collecting bricks from torn up streets and landfills for years. Lord knows, we have hauled TONS of them (yes, actual tons) every time we've moved, but now they are really getting put to good use. I tell him where I want the paths to go and he lays them.

We did make one mistake initially...when Mark laid the edging row of bricks on each side of the path, he laid them flat. Even with the path. That hasn't worked well. Dirt and mulch wash out of the beds and weeds grow right over them. So all new pathways get the edgings raised, and bit by bit, he is replacing the old edging with raised ones, too.

YES! Encyclia tampensis is IT! Thanks, Olya. My mother rescued that plant from a tree that had been cut down on Sanibel Island when they were clearing a lot for a home. She gave it to me when my daughter was a baby, and she is now 33, so that's how old it is. I've carried it from place to place for a long time, and I love the sweet little blooms it gets. Very cheerful!

The Gartenmeister fuchsia grows pretty well for me, Olya, though it doesn't always last more than one spring & summer. It takes the heat and sun though, which most fuchsias don't, and it blooms nonstop. I grow it as a long-blooming annual, and if I get a second year out of it, I count it a bonus. The hummers love it.

Felix, that blue color on my shed and bench, etc, is my favorite shade, too. I saw it in a magazine layout in Better Homes and Gardens and went to HD to match it. Between that and cobalt ceramic pots, I get my Recommended Daily Allowance of BLUE, a color that never fails to make me happy. With all the many other colors I have in my plants, I like having touches of one consistent color scattered around the yard, and the blue is it.

Susieqsie, thank you for the medal! I've never won a medal before. *me doing my best Cowardly Lion* "Aw, shucks...I'm speechless!"

Flowerlady, after looking at my "after" pictures, I could see large areas of too much green, so this morning I was sticking red coleus here and there to break it up some. Coleus are my favorite all-round plant to add instant texture and color. They are so reliable, and so easy to propagate, too. And you don't have to worry about the spot going all green when the flowering is done. The color is just there for the duration.

You guys have made me feel very good this morning. I've been out there in that dadblamed heat working like crazy, and just came in to cool off again (which I have to do about every 15 or 20 minutes). Your comments make me feel like it is worth every drop of sweat! (Can you kill your plants by sweating on them TOO much????)

I have a couple more things I want to do out there before I quit for the day, so I guess I'll head on back. Thanks again, everyone!

Marcia

Thanks, Laura...I have 4 or 5 white birds around my yard, and none of them froze. I was surprised. They each had a few nipped outer leaves, but that was all. They are pretty big plants, so I don't know if that made a difference or not, but they held up well. Other things in the same beds were killed outright.

Yeah, I'm really happy with the pond. I knew we could make it pretty, and it was SO easy to do! Up and running in one day, and ready to add plants. Can't beat that.

Marcia

just fanTAStic, Marcia!! .....and all that hard, hard work you've done this spring has certainly paid off.... everything looks grand!!!!

Marcia your gardens are looking great and your pond... I just LOVE it. Things have really grown and to look at the afters it's hard to believe that a few months ago they were the befores. I like the coleus mixed in here and there too.

your yard looks super-great Marcia! Can't wait to see it in person :-)

Marcia, what a great job you've done! The pic with the pond in the foreground and the large, curved beds and paths is stunning. I hope your rudbeckia trilobas didn't freeze, as I'm looking forward to seeing them in full bloom later in the summer. Keep posting your progress, as it makes me want to go out and work on the dead areas of my yard too.

Anna

Thanks, Ladies! I'm so glad you like it so far. I had to come in a take a cold shower...couldn't take another moment out in that heat. I will probably do some more stuff in the morning, but I'm done for the day. It's 95 out there right now, and for me, that is just pure misery. I'm struggling to leave the thermostat set at 80 inside...I'm LONGING to turn it down to about 72 and really be comfortable. But then that power bill shows up, and it's EEEEEEEK time! *grin*

Evelyn, you will have to come give me advice on layout as I start working in the pot ghetto area. I think I know what I want to do, but it never hurts to get input from others.

Marcia

Thank you, Anna! I'm so glad you like it. My rudbeckias DID freeze, actually, but luckily, they seed nicely, so there were plenty of new ones popping up all over. I just move them to where I want them, and share the extras, and it's all good.

I am also growing three other rudbeckias right now that I hope will come back for me, too. A lovely full, larger-flowered one called rudbeckia submentosa that Nicki gave me. The tall one pictured above, rudbeckia lanciniata, also from Nicki. (Seems like half my garden came from her!!) And rudbeckia fulgida, but I don't know which cultivar. Nicki and I found it at Blodgett's (a treasure house of everything under the sun). It does NOT appear to be "Goldsturm" which is a fulgida. This one has smaller leaves, shaped differently. I tried Goldsturm one year and had no luck with it at all, so I'm hoping this one will do better. Rudbeckias are just so cheerful and long lasting. I love them, and the butterflies seem to, as well.

Thanks again!

Marcia

Beautiful Marcia, one day when I get to retire I can see how I'll be spending my time, seems the weekends just fly by with only about 20% of my garden list completed...you suppose it has anything to do with the heat? ;-)

Tom

Marcia, you sure can't tell you had no garden after the freeze as lush and beautiful as it is now. What a difference!! Everything is so beautiful and I have brick path and pond envy. Who cares what the rest of your garden looks like, the part you are showing is the BEST. Thanks for sharing.

Ginny

Thanks, Tom! Yes, when you are home all the time, you will find that there is always something to be doing out there. Don't know if your ToDo list is affected by the heat, but mine sure is. In just a few more weeks (maybe DAYS!), I will only be going outside in the AM to water and tweak here and there. No more than 30 minutes or so, and I will be scurrying back inside the air conditioning. I'm pretty much trapped inside for several months every year due to the temps. Just like up north, only in reverse, and at a time when the YARD wants to go crazy.

Thanks, Ginny! I can't help you with the bricks, but I'm telling you, an above ground pond like the one we finally decided to do is EASY-PEASY! And relatively cheap, compared to digging a big in-ground pond. I know it doesn't look "natural," but often times, neither do the ones in the ground. They may be beautiful, but they seldom look like Mother Nature put them there. (NOT saying I don't still love them! I absolutely DO!! Just that you can usually tell they are man-made.)

Check out your local tractor supply stores and see what you can find. Smaller stock tanks don't even need pumps and filters, often. And they are SO relaxing to sit next to!

Marcia

Here is what the backyard looked like when we bought the house, 5 years ago! Almost totally empty! No privacy fence, no bamboo along the fence, no flowers, no shrubs, no nuthin' except a big beautiful tree which Charley pushed almost over, and a shed with a RED door, which I had to paint BLUE.

But when I looked out there, I just KNEW it could be so much more. If I were 20 years younger, I'd have a lot more done by now, but I'm not, so it moves along slowly. But at least now there is a pretty spot to sit and sip an iced tea, and watch the birds, butterflies, and fishies, and listen to the trickling water.

Marcia

Wow I love your creative colorful garden. And now that you've posted the "Before before" photos it is even more amazing.

LOVE that ruby coreopsis. I haven't had luck keeping coreopsis alive so haven't bought it much. That red one I'd buy if I ever saw it.

You have the green thumb with coleus too as I've been admiring it for years when you share your photos here. Something else that doesn't grow well for me, oh well.

Thanks for sharing your lovely garden.

Denise

marchia, could you tell me were you found pond. i looked at tuckers feed store , they have 3x6. lori

Lori, I got my stock tank at Tractor Supply Company in Eustis. There are several of these stores around the state, so google them, and you can find out which one is nearest to you. My pond is 6' x 2', and cost $205, I think. Well worth it! No digging, no expensive liner, etc. Quick and easy, and plenty big enough for the spot I had available.

Thanks Denise. The trick with coleus is learning which ones need full sun and which need shade. Used to be they were ALL shade plants, but not any more. Many of the most colorful ones can really stand up to the sun.

Glad you liked the pics!

Marcia

It's looking great Marcia!

The way I console myself when I lose plants to a freeze.... It's an opportunity to upgrade! Looks like you're doing just that.

John

Gosh Marcia, I can't believe it's the same backyard!
For some reason I thought you were on acreage, I mean with your shed and pond and tili hut. Now you're telling me it's a backyard? I love it! You have a gardener's paradise there, girl and I can only imagine the hours of backbreaking work.
Now sit with a cool one and enjoy it.
(Take mosquito spray. lol)

Oh, heck no, Kristi. I wish I DID have acreage. But we are in a suburban area, with most lots at 1/4 acre, and typical 1970's style ranch houses, with a few Colonials thrown in. Our yard is bigger than most...just under 1/2 acre. Not quite a double lot, but more than a single. The backyard is big, but it's just that...a backyard. And even at THAT, I'm nowhere near done planting it. Haha.

Thanks, John. After I finished moaning and groaning, I did just that...looked for ways to upgrade to easier care, drought tolerant and freeze hardy plants. With plenty of annuals thrown in for color and texture. I hope to fare much better the next time we have a serious freeze. (Fingers crossed.)

Thanks for your comments!!

Marcia

Your garden's looking gorgeous, Marcia. I love the texture contrasts (I've been thinking more and more about foliage combinations lately: i don't know how to do them), and the big view of the garden, the overall design. Beautiful!

Bill

Wow Marcia, über nice job. Impressive colors, layout, design...everything :) One of these days I'll just have to see it in person.
V:)

Lovely Marcia. I always love your coleus combos. They look so pretty with the green of the taller salvia as a backdrop. My coleus is now tucked in pots in the shadiest areas for the summer. Yours looks great.
Nancy

Thank you so much, y'all! I'm glad you enjoyed the pics.

Bill, I am a champion at moving things around until it looks like I want it to. I try to picture a good combination of plant neighbors before I start, but often, I realize later that I should have put this one there instead. I just dig 'em up and move 'em over. So I guess I'm saying there's a lot of trial and error involved in figuring out what really looks good next to its neighbor. Go for it. Nothing is set in stone, and you can just shuffle them around a bit if you see a combo that looks like it would work better.

V, you will just have to come on by one day, that's all. We aren't too far apart for a visit.

Nancy, I have a couple more months before I will have to relocate some of the potted coleus. Most of the ones I have in the ground are in areas where they will do okay the rest of the year, though. The bed that's in full sun now gets shadier later on, and those will be fine. Plus many of them are sandwiched between plants tall enough to throw afternoon shade on them, too.

I tend to pick coleus that can take a lot of sun when I can ID them, so that helps. My Kong coleus are all in the shady mailbox bed though, because sun just burns them up and makes the leaves come in smaller and smaller.

One of these days, I HAVE to start doing something in the sadly neglected FRONT yard. No curb appeal going on out there at all. I keep postponing it because I need a truckload of compost and haven't managed to make that happen yet.

Thanks again for the kind comments, everyone!

Marcia

Just BEAUTIFUL!! Thanks for sharing...

Very nice & I love the blue doors on your shed & trellis. The yellow flowers of the Carolina Jasmine will contrast beautifully with the blue. BTW, what is that trellis made from? Nice yard!

Marcia ~ Thanks for the tip about using coleus to fill green areas with some color. Now I need to make some cuttings of the coleus I have. Moses-in-the-bullrushes also adds color, so I've been adding them around.

Getting in here again this morning and seeing your property just 5 years ago is amazing. You and Mark have been very busy and created a wonderland oasis.

FlowerLady

Looks good! Nice recovery. I know that it sure didn't seem that way after the freezes. We were all pretty discouraged.

I am going to pick up some coleus to fill in the beds here too. I got two little ones from you and/or nicki at the swap and they are back by the greenhouse. I had forgotten how much I like them and what they add.

Melissa

Marcia, your garden is awesome! I keep trying new plants and moving plants around but so far I'm not happy with the results. My plants live at the end of my shovel! You have given me a lot of ideas on color and texture combinations. Thanks for the inspiration!

Regina

Thank you, everyone. The whole yard got slammed by heavy winds and rain late yesteday and is looking a bit ragged today, but it will bounce back, I'm sure.

Fldirt, I love that color blue, too, and try to repeat it here and there throughout the garden. I was thinking that the yellow Carolina jessamine would looks great against it, too. Until it gets taller, I have some black-eyed Susan vine planted there, though it hasn't bloomed yet.

Flowerlady, I sometimes think nothing is getting done out there until I look back at the pictures from five years ago. Then I realize that slowly but surely, stuff IS happening.

Thanks, Melissa...yes, you will find once you get going with coleus, it's pretty addictive. Nothing like it for instant color and gratification. Such a variety of colors and leaf shapes & sizes. I can't imagine not having them throughout the yard any more.

Regina, sometimes my plants think they live at the end of my shovel, too, but eventually they find a "forever home." (Like stray cats & dogs?) And I'd rather move them than be annoyed every time I look at them & realize I put them in the wrong place. It's kind of like a picture hanging crooked...a constant irritation. So, move them I do.

Thanks again for the nice comments, everyone. I sure appreciate them.

Marcia

Well geez!!!
This is the second time in 3 days that a post of mine failed to show up...what the.........?????

So........I guess I'll simply 'second' what everyone else said...LOL

...and I really typed up a storm of a reply, too...hehehe.

BTW: Marcia...didja git my email? :)

That has happened to me several times lately, Lellie. At first I thought I forgot to hit the post button after proofreading, but by the 3rd time, I realized that wasn't the problem. Don't know what's up, but I don't think it's on MY end, so perhaps there's a little glitch somewhere.

Anyway, thanks for the comments!!

Marcia

Hi Marcia,
Your paradise is amazing. You certainly can't call it just a backyard any more!
Love all the brick roads, wonderful masses of color, Gorgeous water feature, and I love the repetition of blue hardscape throughout.
You had me fooled with your operation. I thought you would have let your yard go, but No, you and Mark have been sneaking around working hard all the time.
Really it's beautiful. And I hope to visit in person sometime.

Love ya,
David

Oh, David, you sweet man!! Bless your heart, but I DID let my yard go. For 6 months. It was an overgrown mess with weeds taller than my head. And then the freeze hit and killed 95% of my plants. Dead. Defunct. Kaput. I've been working my ample backside off out there since February, though, and this is what I managed to get accomplished. I'm soooo glad you like it. It is only 1/3 of my backyard. The rest is a pot ghetto and plant slum, but I'm getting to it bit by bit.

Someday, I'll have an entire backyard to share photos of. And then after that, a FRONT one! Wow. Won't that be something. My neighbors will be so happy, as I haven't done anything out there at all. Still waiting to get a truckload of compost and some brickwork done, first.

Thanks again!
Hugs to you!
Marcia

Marcia,

What is the yellow coleus? I want to get some of that for my bed of coleus...Beautiful pictures...I lost most of mine last winter as well...I'm in the same boat as you.

Kim

That is a gorgeous garden! I love the pathways.
This winter was really hard, I didn't lose anything, but stuff froze to the ground that never did before.

Hi, Kim and Phoebe...thanks for your kind comments. Kim, the coleus is "Orange King," and I got it at Lukas. It has stayed full and fairly low...about 18" tall maybe. (I have other coleus I grow get over 3' tall and wide, but some are lower growing). This one is good for the front of the bed, and is in full sun and doing well. I've never seen it before, and hope to find it again next year. I'm going to try to make cuttings, too, though I lost 75 of those last winter.

Phoebe, I had one or two things that froze to the ground but came back again (like my tibouchina, which will be another whole year before it gets as big as it was), but most things froze to the ground and died. Like my jatropha. The roots were MUSH after the freeze, and it was well established, about 4' tall and wide, with a full canopy. We were in a pocket where the cold was severe for four straight nights. Very little survived that many nights of 26 to 28 degree weather for hours on end. *sigh*
But I learned a lesson. My perennials and shrubs are now cold hardy varieties which should fare better. I don't mind replacing the annuals or tender perennials, but I need SOME things to come through okay.

Glad you didn't lose anything. We were hauling dead plants to the curb for a month, 5 or 6 barrels full at a time.

Marcia