Lisa, everything in your garden looks incredible! The asters look like they are going to put on an amazing show!! I think I'm going to move my cimicifuga to cuddle with my oakleaf hydrangea next year. They do look really great together.

I'm pretty sure you may have gotten the Chelone from me. If I recall, your son was looking for a plant at the swap and I thought because it was called Turtlehead he would think that would be fun! I'm glad to see it's doing well. It's one of my favorites in the fall.

How did the vitex finally make out. Did it survive after all?

How is the color of your Fothergilla coming along? If I remember correctly you had a really nice one in your garden.

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Susan - I also love how kt had the cimicifuga surrounded by light green hostas. I might have to work that in somehow.

Thank you so much for the Chelone. It's already spreading and looks so healthy where it is. It has a big shaded area it can occupy, so I don't have to worry about it spreading too far. I had forgotten that about the turtle plant for James. That was fun for him.

The vitex is alive and well. In fact you can see it above the aster if you squint at the blurry white blobs. I didn't realize it was going to be white, did you? White is actually better for that spot since it has a background of a mulched hillside. The white stands out more. We'll see how it survives this winter!

The Fothergilla hasn't started to change over at all. It's one of the last turners, and the color is so pretty. Another fall picture for the future.

Thanks for your kind words. Hope all is well with you.

Lisa

Lisa, very nice! I particularly like the Clematis. I'm glad to see that more of us are sharing photos. I like to think my post a couple of weeks ago may have inspired some others.
Bill

Lisa,
Great photos!! I can't believe how much your garden has matured in one year! Do you have any of your garden on the side of your drive dowb by the street? Katy

Katy - I haven't been posting many long view pictures of my garden, because, to tell the truth, I'm not excited by them. I know that the problem of one-of-everything-itis is that while the individual pieces are lots of fun, the overall sense of the garden is just a jumble. Since I'm not ready to change how I garden, I just focus on the pieces I like.

But I should post some longer view pictures and promise to do so soon...how about as soon as the Asters are in bloom. And I'll post them if you promise to be honest with some constructive criticism on how to give the gardens a bit more 'design'. You have such a wonderful garden space. I'd love any input you'ld have.

Lisa

lisa, i hope you will put your location in your i.d. So helpful for those of us saying "hmmm, where is she? my callicarpa isn't blooming yet!....." etc.

best,
mindy

Hi Lisa,

I'm looking forward to your longer views. So many of us have "the one-of-everything-itis" so we can relate!!

Glad to hear the vitex held on.
Can't wait to see the pic of your Fothergilla later this fall!

Susan

Lisa,
I can totally understand why you don't want to post wide angle photos. Even after promising myself last fall that I was going to follow a design for my berm/garbage pile project halfway through I came down with a bad case of "the one-of-everything-itis" so one side of this berm (preplanned) I am very happy with the outcome and the other is a jumble of plants that I transplanted because they were cluttering up other beds. My solution this year has been to turn my back on the whole mess and divert my eyes elsewhere. Frankly I would rather post a photo of my dirty laundry than my schizophrenic berm. Katy

Ha ha ha - great thread. Love the term "schizophrenic" as it applies to gardens!

My "one of everything" garden is tied together these days (I almost said nicely tied, which would have been a big lie) by rampant rudbeckia, verbena bonariensis, and sweet autumn clematis. They are positively everywhere - very ... um, unifying, in a smothering sort of way. So, be careful what you wish for!

Mindy, Lisa is in Plymouth.

The long view

Here is my yard in total.

All of the pictures are so washed out. I should have waiting until Monday when the sun is supposed to shine again!

Lisa

Lisa, I enjoyed looking at your pictures. What I see in the "long view" pictures is a great love for a variety of plants and the bones of some beautiful gardens. As your plants mature, it looks like the plants will fill in and shrubs and trees will become more prominent in shaping the landscape. Perhaps if you repeated some of the perennials and/or added groupings of (the same) annuals, it would add some cohesion and reduce the one-of-everything-itis.

I can relate to feeling self-concious about the long view, it is hard to achieve congruency in a large garden or landscape. But it is an art for me - unfortunately it is a painfully slooooooow art at times - at least when you DIY and start with small plants. There is only so much moving around you can do each year, and it's hard to envision what a shrub or tree will look like 10 years down the road.

On top of that, every year plants - including certain perennials and annuals - grow drastically out of line with my expectations. Sometimes they grow HUGE, sometimes stunted and sickly. Last year it was the Mammoth grey stripe Sunflowers that hit 11 feet (guess the "mammoth" part flew over my head, and I've even grown the darn things before :). This year the Joe-Pye weed is 10 feet tall (last year it was barely 6), sitting in the middle of a garden and towering over all its neighbors. Very statuesque, but next year, it's being moved to the "tall garden" with other plants closer to its stature.

LOL, Terrene - next year or the year after, you may be looking in your "tall garden" and wondering where the heck Joe is; it responded to the wet spring this year by growing way taller than normal, at least in my garden (after about 10 years of growing it, this is the tallest it's ever been).

Lisa, I think your garden fits in very well with the surrounding woodlands. That's something I don't have to consider since I'm in a downtown area, but I think it's an art all in itself.

And, you have planned your plant spacings really well, it looks like. There don't seem to be plants jostling for position, so your garden looks very serene to me.

Well done!

Lisa, your gardens look great! I really like the work you have done on the side where the Cornus is (still my favorite tree and it looks wonderful where you placed it).

I just replaced a crabapple with a Stewartia and I'm really happy about it. In your zone you may also want to consider Franklinia for that spot. Katsura had some beauties!

Lisa,
I whole heartedly agree with everyoneÂs evaluations, particularly dtdÂs comment about marrying your garden with your surrounding woodland, itÂs not an easy task and you have done a wonderful job of it. Frankly I am pretty impressed by your patience my biggest mistake is the year after I have spent countless hours making certain to have given each plant plenty of elbow room, I canÂt resist tucking in just a few more. Thanks for sharing. Katy

Thank you so much for the positive feedback. When I look at the pictures mostly what I see is a a mish-mash, so it's great to hear y'all seeing some sense in it all.

Terrene - Thanks for saying I have good bones! Of the things in the garden I am happiest with, it is the big things. With the exception of the crabapple which was not my choice, I am very happy with the big trees and shrubs that are already established. The problem mostly is figuring out what (if anything) ought to go in between them. Was there a thread a while back where you posted some pictures of your garden? I might be misremembering, but if there was, I am going to search it out and find some inspiration.

DTD - Remember this house was built 5 years ago, and the vast majority of the garden has been in the ground only 2 years. Don't worry there will be plenty of jostling! In between the large shrubs though, I have been trying to incorporating lots of low plants to reduce the jostling...sedum, thyme, dianthis, juniper, cotoneaster, low catmint, geranium, sea thrift, in theory to get a low place to rest your eyes in between the big balls of interesting stuff going on. It's a very busy garden, but I have tried to keep some space between the biggest plants.

Susan - The Cornus is definitely my favorite tree in the yard. It had almost no transplant shock too, which makes me think it will do well this winter. I think the wet spring really eased it's transition. So how I pick between a Stewartia and a Franklinia, they are both such beauties!

Katy - So now I've posted mine, I want to see your berm! And don't worry...there really is way too much tucked in everywhere, but most of it is first year mail-order starts. Most of which will outgrow their space. I'm counting on being disciplined enough to know what to move and when. (HaHa!!) What you don't see in the pictures is that both side yards and the entire backyard is a completely un-landscaped weeded mess. So with all of the new starts in the ground, the idea is to see what works and what doesn't or grows too big and then move it into a new garden.

Thanks for all the feedback. You guys are great!

Lisa

"So how I pick between a Stewartia and a Franklinia, they are both such beauties! "

Flip the coin :-)
You may pick them by the time of the bloom (Stewartia blooms earlier than Franklinia by a month), by the size (Stewartia is larger) or by all season appeal (I found nothing special in a winter look of Franklinia) or by cultural preferences (Stewartia is not particularly like to be in a hot afternoon sun/western exposure while Franklinia wouldn't mind to be in a sun full day).

I have both Stewartia (pseudocamellia, the most common) and Franklinia - about 4 of each, way too many for my small yard - and each has its advantages.

Stewartia has great bark, but Franklinia has lovely glossy foliage - much more of an asset than the Stewartia's fairly nondescript leaves. Fall color is better on Frank, too - it's an intense red. The flowers are about equal, although this year the Stewartia flowered poorly because of last year's drought (and I saw this in other gardens, not just my own) while the Franklinia did much better.

I enjoy the late blooms of the Franks - mine are still flowering and they do stand out in the waning gardens along my street.

Frank may be a little more difficult to establish; I think I killed about 4 before getting one to survive, and that may have been only partly my inexperience as a gardener back then. This is something I posted on another thread a long time ago (which just popped up in google)

Dirr warns gardeners not to fall in love with this plant. He actually says "somewhat akin to a fickle lover, and may stay around and tease with its beauty, or simply leave... the garden, that is; it is best not to become smitten with this plant." To which I must add that it can be finicky, but when it blooms for you you'll be glad you went to the trouble to grow it.

Dirr also says "full sun or light shade, but best flowering and fall coloration occur in full sun". And he says that if you are "fortunate enough to procure this species [you] should give it a place of prominence in the garden."

Since this spot is in full sun, sounds like Franklinia would be the way to go. I know Katsura has them. Plus I'll have them plant it. They come dig a huge whole and fill it up with great soil. That will give it a good headstart. They did the Cornus too and that is just so happy now. Hmm maybe I'll swing over there this week and see what they have. I won't plant til spring, but it will be fun to browse. Anyone want to come with me?

Lisa

Ahhh, I wish I could. That's such a great nursery, really worth the trip. Unfortunately, I'm leaving in about a week and won't be home until mid-November. I still have a Stewartia (a different variety) to plant, and a few other little projects to complete if the rain holds off.

Good for you if you are capable of just browsing, Lisa. I'm positive that if I went I'd end up driving home with a car full of plants - and I have no space for anything with bark.

Your gardens look much better preserved than mine, Lisa. Probably you are further south than I, or more meticulous about covering up plants on cold nights. I love your "named" gardens, esp the mailbox garden and Obama garden! :-)

My gardens are frost ravaged, but still maintaining some color before the big frost hits. The nasturtiums and marigolds are still blooming in the "birdhouse garden" while the phlox too in the distant perennial beds behind the equine lawn ornament. The daylilies have long since given up though.

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Wow spedigrees I love that birdhouse and bottle structure. So eye-catching and it complements the nasturtiums perfectly.

I'm glad we haven't had cold nights yet. I don't think I could deal with frost warnings...too much to do. I still am on the look out for one or two more rhodies to plant. I'm gonna be doing the anti-frost dance for a while!

Lisa

I like the pony--wish my garden had one!