So this is one of my two beds, small, full sun, well draining, planted in 2007 and more or less zero maintenance (ok, pruning of dead stuff in spring).
I startet with the pictures in March when the first botanical Crocusses started flowering

March, 07th
ok, Crocus almost spent, some Thymus serpyllum and foliage of Tulipa turkestanica emerging
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March 11th, our first and only snow
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detail: Crocus in the snow
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March 24th
Tulipa turkestanica flowering
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April 4th
some botanical Narcissus (Tazetta-type?, sorry lost the name)

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April 14th
the Tazetta still flowering, Tulipa batalinii started flowering, Salvia nemorosa emerging

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April 21
Tazetta still going, Tulipa batalinii in full flower, Salvia nemorosa producing flower buds
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June 17th
Salvia nemorosa flowering (Caradonna and Adrian/ Snow Hill)

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September 03
almost done, second growth of Salvia

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Because of the set of plants there isnt much of a change in autumn. Well, thats it,
yours, Lin

I keep all of my pics in my gallery. Check out the link below

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaylas yard/plant Gallery

The thing we most look forward to in spring is when the Chinese wisteria tree blooms in mid-May. I've got my fingers crossed that next spring the young Japanese wisteria tree at the other end of this bed will bloom for the first time. It should bloom after the Chinese one, extending the spring wisteria bloom season (the Chinese one rebooms in summer but the Japanese one won't).
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An important addition to the front garden this year was an 8' wrought iron tuteur (obelisk) for growing clematis. It will be a few years before the clematis put on a big show but the structure is a nice feature on its own.

Planned Placement:
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Placing it:
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In place (not the best of pictures!)
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The highlight of the front garden this year turned out to be when the Monarch butterflies swarmed the heptacodium tree for about 10 days in late September when they gathered around here while waiting for favorable conditions to cross the lake on their annual journey south. We have never had so many in the garden as we did this year:
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In the backyard, the main project this year was painting the shed in shades of green to make it recede into the plantings a bit more. It was nice when it was blue-gray, but the green fits into the garden better we think.

Before:
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After:
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The entire property is now garden so we've run out of room to do new things without removing exisiting plantings! We did that this year by removing the roses on the rose swag in the south alley and replacing them with clematises to make a 'friendlier' (no thorns!) swag. It's going to take a couple of years thouugh for the clematies to get big enough to put on a show, so no pictures of that yet...

On the whole, 2010 was a good year in the garden here.

woody, i had completely forgot that it was YOU who did that really neat re-do of your house. so glad you posted these to remind me. now maybe you're really in my head:
handsome clever house re-do
obelisk
monarchs on heptacodium
so. ontario ( it was my terrorized reaction/ memorizing because of your "i TOLD you"!!!!)

best,
mindy

Beautiful pics everyone.

-linaria, love how you have the rocks making another tier in that bed. Those peachy tulips are to die for.

-woodyoak, that butteryfly pic is spectacular!

Nothing very fancy from me. I have been trying to be better when it comes to dating when my pics were taken, but it hasn't always worked out that way, LOL! Some of the times given are a big vague...
This was one of the worst years for veggie gardens (naturally I choose this year to put a new veg bed in! ;-P But it was one of the better years for flowers. Roses never looked better (far cry from the year before when they were all broken down busted from all the snow and ice of winter!!!). Please excuse all the weeds- by mid summer I found myself being lazy when it came to yard work! ;-)

I also put in an island bed (called the 'Bean Bed' because it is shaped like a kidney bean, lol) in the middle of the backyard, so you will see the progress of that in a few of the pics. Did a lot of rearranging in the back garden in late summer, so next year things may look a bit different!

Late winter. Can't tell you if it is end of December or early Jan.
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Very early spring (maybe March?? It was warm so early this year I can't recall...) digging out more grass to enlarge front shade bed:
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Front shade garden (older portion) April 28th:
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Back yard garden April 28th:
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closer shot same day:
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Patio and Shade garden April 28th
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Back yard May 18th
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May 26th
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Back garden- fence garden side- May 26th
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Late June
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Patio Garden late June
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Expanded front shade garden Early Aug:
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Back garden- side by fence- Aug 8th
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Bean Bed Aug. 8th:
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Patio Garden Sep. 3rd:
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Sep. 11th- from path looking to house/patio:
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Oct. 12th:
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Sorry if I posted too many pics.
CMK

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Gardens I aspire mine to look like one day! Just takes time, and money, and I don't have much of either.

Christinmk- What is that blue grass you have planted in the bed by your patio? I really like it!

Karen

I didn't take many pics this year, but here goes...

Bloodroot, early spring:

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Tree peony, dwarf bearded iris (and grass that needs mowing), spring:

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Siberian iris, peony buds, Jap. maple part-shade bed, late spring:

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Back bed, August 2010:

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Sun bed between houses:

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Patio planting:

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Most of my picture taking was done late June/early July.

Eastern Swallowtail on Sweet Williams.
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East/southeast gardens against the house.
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One of the front gardens by the road. I really enjoyed the Alpine Poppy with peach hues which bloomed all summer.
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So many things in the back garden, but the Blue Poppies are always a hit. :O)
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Some of the southeast gardens.
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The hidden hosta garden on the north side. Most of these will be removed and replaced in the next couple of years with Brunneras and other deer resistant plants which have so far proven themselves in other areas of the gardens where they also travel.
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Christine, there's no such thing as "too many pics"!!! Thank you all for sharing. I don't think I took a single picture this season. Not much worth photographing this year.

Dee

-Karen, that is Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens). I adore it! It is nice by the patio too since it is airy enough to see thru but also gives the space an enclosed feel. I might have seeds of the grass...you can shoot me an email if interested in some.

-Dee, ok good!! Sometimes I just don't know when to stop, lol. ;-)

-Tiffy, I am in love with your "East/southeast gardens against the house". Your clematis is stellar- wish I had better luck with them. What is that tall plant behind the peony?? The one with the purple-ish stems and pale clusters of purple (?) flowers? Lovely!
CMK

Christine,

There are two purples behind the peony. One is Geranium Rozanne which will 'climb' into other plants as they grow or trail the ground if it's lazy, and the other is a summer blooming Aconitum/Monkshood which grows to 5 feet. The Clematis is Josephine. I've learned that it performs better if left to be pruned by the winds and not me. :O) Doesn't grow as vigorously as Ville De Lyon (pictured below) which has a mind of it's own and is my most favourite. It was pruned heavily this year but grew to 15 feet.

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I've always had problems with Clematis in full sun so keep them southeast to northwest. The soil never sees daylight and in some areas is even covered by our native Irish moss. In the spring I feed them a handful of organic tomato 'fertilizer' and mulch with shredded leaves. I don't know... You might like to try some of those tricks. I never could grow Clematis either!

-Tiffy, not sure what I am looking at is either Aconitum or the Geranium. Maybe Hesperis?? Sure is lovely whatever it may be ;-)

Really great information on the Clematis! Good to hear yours performs well in less than full sun. I got fed up with mine and moved them all to a small corner behind the shed against the neighbor's garage where the ground stays fairly shaded. I did get one or two blooms, which is a step up from zero!! Hopefully someday they will look as great as yours. Thanks again for the info.
CMK

These pictures are all so great and there could NEVER be too many! Tiffy, I absolutely love your hosta garden. Too bad those darn deer love it too! I have tried Plant Skydd this year and the deer really have not come around at all. It's expensive but does seem to work if you want to try it before replanting that whole area. That garden looks so natural.

I decided to choose pictures from the new backyard area as the seasons progressed. It really is amazing to see how much growth there is over one season. It was very well watered (albeit not by mother nature) this year.

Early April

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Mid May

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Mid June

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Early Aug

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Mid Sept: With the grass paths put in the beds really started to take shape

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Late Oct: Time to get the chipper/shredder going. We're mulching all the beds with leaves. (OK, my DH really does all that work!)

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It was a blank slate last summer and after lots of planting it has really filled in. We just planted about 800 bulbs back there so we should have a decent early spring show in 2011.

THANK YOU EVERYONE! It's a little to give a shout-out to individuals, but all these photos were a wonderful end to a long day. I hope people keep them coming. It is like going on a garden tour.

Marie

DItto to what Marie said! I have really enjoyed looking at all of these! You all have such sprawling gardens. Mine are just a few beds here and there that seem like a lot until I look at pictures like these!

I do have to mention one thing: I really like the garden shed repaint! Totally blends with the surroundings now.

Fabulous pics everyone. I hope you don't mind Idabean if I start a part 2 to this thread as it is taking a while to download with all the lovelies on it. Hoping more can post pics!
Flora

Thanks to Marie for the original idea and to everyone who contributed. I always enjoy seeing others' gardens and garden styles.

I have a couple of specific plant questions:
Christinmk: In the photo Back garden- fence garden side- May 26th, is the fuzzy seedhead a clematis or prairie smoke or something else?

Tiffy: What is the variegated foliage in the first photo with the swallowtail, a weigela? Does it stay that variegated all season?

Thanks!
Barb

Barb,

Bingo!! :O) It is a variegated Weigela. Never blooms, but the power of those leaves all season is a treasure in the gardens.
It was planted nilly-willy next to a burning bush and in the fall the bright yellow/lime next to the red is wonderful. Don't have a name for it since it was bought at a big box store at the end of the season when they were offering 2 shrubs for the price of one. The clerk said that it was the only one they had received and was obviously a 'mistake'. I like mistakes! A bit of a slow grower, but again, well worth it.

Here's a photo (June 2009) of the garden it is in. Not the best shot since this garden really comes into being in late July with tall Buddleias and Inulas.

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Thyme2dig,

I love your end result. Great and beautiful work. Good eye - wish I had such planning capabilities!

-Barb, those seedheads are actually from Pulsatilla vulgaris. Such a great, tough plant! The seedheads look a good deal like Geum trifolia, except these are silky and not pink tinged like the geum.
CMK

Bravo!

Well,I am a perrennial-lover,but I have very little sunny areas,as I live in a heavily forested area. Here is a pic of part of my hosta garden from earlier this year. I also have ferns,Trilliums,and Heucheras in there. Take a look. Phil

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I'm really enjoying this thread not only are these pictures a visual treat, they are giving me ideas :).
My garden is not very big, all in all it's about 60x100 feet in the back yard enclosed by a 6 foot high stockage type fence. It's also cut it up into garden rooms for want of a better term.
I've been gardening here for over 40 years so it's pretty much crammed full but I always seem to find room for that plant I just have to have. These pics were taken in different areas of my garden.

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These three pics were taken of the planter that wraps around a small koi pool.

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Some spring flowers.

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Clematis Dr. Ruppel.

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One of my garden beds.

Annette

I didn't take many pictures this year, these are from a couple of years ago but these areas looked just about the same this year.

Annette

Alright, I'll bite...here are some shots from my Omaha yard...wish I could show ya some of the gardens I have in Ohio, ah well...

mid-April

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mid-May

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late summer/early fall

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And one pic of how it looked not long ago..

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Did I kill this thread?? lol

~Mike

I hope not, on a gray ugly day with freezing drizzle, it's been a real treat to come and look at these pictures.

Mike - I love the pond!

Mike, great photos - great garden! I'm in constant amazement at you folks whose yards look so "neat". My yard never seems to look neat... I think I need to work on my edging and my grass - or lack thereof!

Love the pond too!

:)
Dee

Whew...glad I didn't murder it, and I'm glad you two enjoyed the pond - I'll include a few more pics of it. As for keeping the clean edge lines and stuff, we live on a golf course and we have to deal with all those neighbor codes and stuff...bleh. I'm actually amazed they haven't come down on me for having things too "overgrown" yet.

Enjoy!

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Three photos from NH, 2010

Spring in the meadow:

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Summer driveway welcome garden:

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Vegetable garden flower border 2010:

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oooooh,fran, YUM!That 2nd shot needs to be on the front of Fine Gardening!what a difference a great fence makes to set off the whole effect! and pray tell, what IS that vine that ate chicago? a campsis?
best,
mindy

Mike, does the golf course crew maintain your lawn?!?! It is gorgeous through the whole season. Beautiful yard and gardens.

Franeli, what outstanding gardens!!

Mindy,
LOL, the 'vine that ate Chicago' is the native Lonicera sempervirens. It is actually planted on the other side of the fence near the compost. I have a total of 4 planted by the fence for the (my) hummingbirds.

Wonderful pics everybody!

-Annette, soooo envious of your lovely trout lilies!! They are wonderful paired with the lungwort...

-Mike, what is that charming flower I see in pics #2 and 3 of your first post? Beautiful garden (and lawn!).

-franeli, absolute perfection!
CMK

Thank you all for the inspiring photos. I fear that half of my two year-old garden was killed by the drought this past summer and I came to the perennials forum today to cheer myself up and get inspired with ideas for replanting in the spring. You all did the trick :)

I'm so glad this thread is making its way to the top again. I looked at the whole thing again, and each photo is as fresh as the first time I saw it.
Thanks you all. Any updates or new ones will be appreciated by all!
idabean

fran, i really do think you should send in the first 2 shots to fine gardening photo of the day. terrific design.
a great illustration of how a fence can be a garden's picture frame; giving the view structure and focus.

btw,regular old lonicera? but the flower color is bright pink or orange......so isn't it a cultivar?
best,
mindy

mindy,
Thank you for all the compliments;they are well received.
I had forgotten that I had posted to this 'thread' back in November.
I should have noted that the Lonicera in my garden photo was the cultivar, 'Alabama Crimson'. Below is a close up photo...it is more red than the photo shows.
This past fall I did have a few photos featured in the GPOD. I'm not sure they'd be interested in the above full garden
photos...they seem to like close ups.

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