Exuberant color and obviously well cared for. Absolutely lovely!

Is that Veronicastrium/Culver's root behind the Monarda/bee balm?

Also, which yellow Magnolia is that with such rich color?

I will root around to see what I can find that I haven't posted.

Babs, I think the yellow magnolia is "butterflies". I LOVE magnolias.

As for the Veronicastrium, Culver's root - Babs, you have a good eye! This one I believe is called, "Fascination". Grows tall. One of my favorite plants in this bed. Tough to see in this pic - I need to take better pics next year!

I read about gardening an plan next years

I do the same! It's a great time to catch up on garden books.

And...how many gardening books are we getting for Christmas? My frugality always limited what garden books I owned in the past. I would often see older books at people's houses and find them of limited value, especially if the pictures were faded or had off-coloring. It discouraged me from spending the money. Now I seem to be on the rebound. I've have two new magazine subscriptions, as well as some published extras from them, as well as several books on both gardens and stonework. Right now I'm thinking about buying myself Glorious Shade (Jenny Rose Carey) and The New Shade Garden (Ken Druse) for Christmas. Our teeny tiny library had Druse's book, and I found it really useful. Hated finally turning it in after rechecking it out several times. I believe that's a sign that it would make a good purchase!

Bella Rosa, your pictures are inspiring!

Deanna, thanks! It's funny that you should mention that you purchased books on shade gardening, because I just did the same thing! I purchased

Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, And Grow a Fabulous Garden That Lightens Up the Shadows Hardcover -by Larry Hodgson (Author). I purchased the book for less than $7 in Amazon used books section. There's so many wonderful inexpensive books there. You might want to look into this - it's addictive ! :-)

Lily, your garden pics are stunning! I love the design of your front garden. As for the penny macs hydrangeas, the buds may be dying off from a late Spring freeze. Why not replace them with Little Limes hydrangea paniculatas or one of the smaller smooth hydrangeas. Garden Crossing is a great source for them. Your pics of the magnolias are great! That last one is really pretty.

Bella , thank you ! I am going to look for replacements for penny macs. But all around town I see hydrangeas with no winter protection blooming in the summer. So I truely just don't get it ! Penny Mac is supposed to bloom on old and new wood . They were so expensive for a plant that dosnt bloom . I was thinking of trying the vanilla strawberry hydrangeas there since I have limeliggts already. The hedge behind the hydrangeas needs to go too. I had all my hedges pulled by a landscaper and he misunderstood me and left those but I wasn't home to correct it. That should give enough room for the big hydrangeas.

Just curious, do you protect your Penny Macs? Maybe wrap them in burlap or heavy mulch. Are they in full sun? The other option would be like you said, to plant a hydrangea paniculata. Have you seen the pics for Zinfin Doll? That's a stunning hydrangea and so is Fire Light. There's a thread on the hydrangea forum with some pics. Mine are new - got them as birthday gifts from my hubby. They are beautiful and I think, fade to a deeper pink than VS.

BTW, what are the roses on your arbor? do you have any pics?

Oh I'll look up those hydrangeas! I think I have zinfindoll , but it came from bluestone and is incredibly tiny. It may be a couple seasons before I see blooms!

On my arbor i am growing colette. The poor roses were swallowed alive by my morning glory so hopefully they were busy putting roots down. But besides the thorns , it already looks awesome. It has a unique deep green foliage I really like. No real pics as it hasn't blooms

On my pergola I am growing Renea. Thinking of adding clematis too. Still in the growing stage but Renea blooms a ton and smells awesome and is very clean and 99 percent thornless . It's amazing! I'm sorry i don't have pics that are great but I'll show what I have. This was to show how tall it had grown

This just to show the color and size of Reneas nlooms, but you have to look closely

This just to show the overall garden

Beautiful glossy !!! The peony is gorgeous and I love the Daisy's. I need to try the daisies again . They were woody and yucky here my first try for some reason .

Foind one spring photo of Renea to add

Thank you Lilyfinch!! Your gardens are quite spectacular!

That was my first time growing Shasta Daisies, that one was called 'le freak' or something along those lines, they make great cut flowers. Hopefully they do just as well next growing season. Waiting for peonies is such a chore, but well worth the wait! Now if only my other ones would hurry and catch up ;-)

Lily, your garden is so beautiful, especially the pergola! Renae is stunning. Is she fragrant?

gl0ssy, great pics as well!! what's the name of the pink rose?

Glossy - do you know the name of the rose ? It's so pretty. There is a beautiful peony and iris farm nearby I liked visiting this spring. I'm love to see them in people's gardens but don't grow them myself .

Thanks bella ! Yes Renea is fragrant , like that sugary sweet smell . It's really a great rose. Do you have any arbors ?

I have a gazebo.

Hey Lily and Bella Rosa, that would be the lovely David Austin - Alnwick

Lilyfinch, I may have a *slight* problem on the peony front, I enjoy them everywhere and grow about 32 plants, one day when they all mature I will be drowning in the blooms, but alas that in my books anyway, is a good problem to have ;-)

Some fresh cuts from the summer, ignore the Doritos lol

Glossy, beautiful peonies. I grow well over 50 or so peonies. You're making me miss mine! :-)

Thank you Bella ! I miss mine as soon as they are gone ! Which peonies are your favorite bloomers? do you strictly grow herbaceous or do you dabble in itohs and tree peonies as well?

I’m sure come spring time your garden is bursting with amazing blooms

Oh boy!!! Great photos !! Bella , I envy the gazebo .. did you get it online? There is an antique store that is selling one but it's lines are a little modern for my taste but I am always tempted to ask dh for it . Would love to know where yours came from . Love your flowers around it .

Glossy and Bella please start a spring thread and share your peonies with us ! They sound wonderful. I have to laugh when you say you have a "slight " peony problem . That's how I feel about roses . When people suggest other shrubs or things , all I can think is I could have a rose there, why would I plant ... ?

Oh my rose problem started this year Lilyfinch. It is thanks to a rose called Poseidon which I thought ‘I’d try’ out, that quickly snowballed to two additional bushes and 5 more planned for next spring ... oooops! I foresee this being a dangerous new ‘interest’

I just have a thing for flowers in general, it’s not just exclusive to peonies. I also have about 8-10 hydrangeas going. Probably no less than 200 tulips ... oops again. Maybe 6 lilacs? I don’t even know anymore lol. I’m constantly looking to smuggle more into my gardens. This spring I’m going to try my hand at lots of annuals from seed

One bed in June, starting to fade from the spring flush. Funny how they were taken same day and time but color balance is so off.

And then in late July, the same bed filled with hand-me-down and self-seeded phlox and with self-seeded annual Nicotiana beginning to bloom. The Nicotiana blooms until a frost kills the plants, and they have seeded around the garden for well over 15 years from the original flat of 6 in shades ranging from deep red through pink to white. One of the largest bangs for the buck in my garden! ;>)

I have planted a Hydrangea paniculata White Diamond and several clematis for summer bloom, but all are still small so there isn't a whole lot of interest in this bed other than birds and lavender Thalictrum/meadow rue in July. In fall there is some foliage color, but I have no photos.

Lovely garden NHbabs!! Love all the beautiful colours

OH I CANT WAIT FOR SPRING!!!

gLOssy,

I grow mostly herbaceous peonies. I try to have the early, mid and late blooming varieties, which gives me a few weeks extra of blooms. Some of my favorite peonies include: Gay Paree, Do Tell, Coral Charm, Coral Sunset, Early Scout, Edulis Superba, Red Charm, Charlie's White, Krinkled White, Mons Jules Elle, Paul M. Wild, Paula Fay, Sarah Berhart, Bowl of Beauty, Festiva Maxima and well, I could go on! I love all of them really. I'm running out of room. I'm like you - I love all flowers! You mentioned growing annuals from seed and I did just that this year. I grew: poppies, petunias (Laura Bush variety), cleome, cosmos, sunflowers (check out one called, Chianti), snapdragons, rudbeckias, salvia, zinnias and marigolds. These are SO easy to grow from seed and they help to extend the growing season. I definitely plan on growing these and adding other annuals, i.e nicotiana, to my garden in 2018. BTW, you mentioned tulips. I grow a few, but the darn squirrels ate SO many of them. Bummer!

Lily,

We purchased the gazebo from a store out near us. I hope to build up the flowers in this area. So far, I've planted roses, lilies and a bunch biennals/annuals/perennials. BTW, if you want to view some of my peony pics, go to the Peony Forum. I'm pretty sure I posted a few pics. You might have to make space in your garden for a new plant addiction! lol. Do you grow any clematis? I love these too!

NHBabs,

Your garden is beautiful! What is the name of the yellow iris? Also, what's your secret to growing lupines? I tried growing the red one, Morello, I think was the name. I can get them to germinate, but that's it. Once I put them in the ground, they disappear!

Starting on the far end of the same bed, not visible in the first set.

Late June

Hydrangea Tuff Stuff in late July when there are also some clematis in bloom

and here preparing to haul off the last one. (DH likes his toys, but for all that I made fun of him when he first got it, that little Ford tractor has moved rock and bricks, shifted an enormous number of cubic yards of wood mulch, and mows the fields, so I really adore the thing and use it myself quite a bit!) You can see how the plants along the back of the bed, largely roses of a type common at old farmhouses here, are bare stems from the hemlock's dense shade. I expect to plant some evergreens again since I love both the look of them in winter and how they back up the flowers in spring and summer, but they will be smaller and slower growing ones. For now it is a sea of mulch to keep out the weeds until I get organized, though this fall I did plant one smaller type of spruce from my pot ghetto just to the left of the tool bag in the above photo.

Lovely photos from everyone! I enjoy seeing the flowers, but also really love seeing the larger overviews.

Bella Rosa, I have no idea of the iris's name. It came from my Grandaddy's garden, planted in the 50's after he retired, and is one of two kinds I dug when the house was being sold after both my grandparents had died. I will see if I can find the name, but if you are interested I can send you some roots since it spreads. I also have divisions of his Festiva Maxima peonies that are just starting to open down the bed in that second photo, and they started me on peonies, of which I now have perhaps 8.

There is no trick for me with lupines as I have well-drained fine sandy loam that I add organic matter to, both when I create the bed and then via mulch. I do find they are favorite winter vole food, however, so I view them as self-seeding biennials since after the second year the roots are large enough to be tempting. I can get a couple of six-packs at a nursery near a friend's house for surprisingly little money, so I like to add a few most years, and then have a few that seed around also. If you have clay soil, perhaps adding some sand and organic matter to create a mound for better drainage might do the trick. I can't imagine them growing in the clay soil where I grew up (Cleveland) without major intervention, but I didn't know too much about soils then. The beds where I grow lupine are all either on a slope or at the top of a rock wall which means that even when the ground is frozen, water drains away well.

Bella, you have many great varieties! I love coral charm and do tell. Well I pretty well love them all to be honest! I planted a number of itoh peonies, for some reason, as lovely as they are, they just aren’t the same as herbaceous peonies. I planted three tree peonies this year but it’s way too soon to tell what those will be like

How did you find the zinnias to grow? I have several varieties I want to try! And sunflowers as well! To be honest there’s a very extensive list of ‘trials’ I am planning to conduct in the spring with seeds .. lol.

Luckily I have no squirrels around here , or if they are around they certainly don’t go into my beds. I tend to plant the double type tulips, which resemble peonies. Drop dead gorgeous blooms. My faves from last year were sensual touch which is a double-fringe I think, my gosh are they ever beautiful. la belle epoque was gorgeous too! I love bringing in cut flowers into the house. I can’t wait for spring

NHBabs, once again your pics are great! Is that the Morello Cherry (is that the correct name) lupine in your first two pics? You're probably right about growing them in clay soil. I'm going to try to grow them again and amend the soil as you suggested. Wish me luck!! Is that "Rebecca" and "Little Duckling" (I think that's the name) of the clematis in your pics? So pretty. I just purchased this one - LD - from Home Depot this past Summer. Very pretty.

GlOssy, wow, you're tulips are stunning. what's the name of the large red ones? I swear my garden attracts every squirrel in the neighborhood! darn critters would dig up the tulips and leave them laying on their sides! Sometimes them would bite them the tops off of them. Of course, the deer probably enjoyed themselves as well! BTW, zinnias are VERY easy to grow as are most annuals. If you can grow marigolds, you can grow zinnias!

Bella R, the lupine was just labeled red lupine IIRC and came from the little nursery I mentioned, really nice, but small, not much larger than a roadside stand and not much in the way of labels, just large, well grown six-packs and gallons of annuals and perennials with a few shrubs in larger containers. I can look for the label come spring or a good snowmelt since I think I tucked it in behind one of the plants so I would know where they had been.

The three clematis are Rebecca, Piilu AKA Little Duckling (I think a translation of the original Estonian? name) and Serious Black with the white flowers and dark foliage. SB isn't a climber, but is a bit sprawling, so it will be interesting to see if it stays a bit more in the bed now that the hemlocks are gone. Pure serendipity that they bloom together and so nicely complement each other.

The iris seems to be an Iris variegata hybrid or selection of some kind, perhaps Sans Souci.

Thanks Bella !! Everyone I cut some for were shocked when I told them they are tulips. To be honest I’m not sure, they were some ‘surprise’ bulbs I got as a bonus with my order. I heard that you can use chicken wire above tulip bulbs to keep the squirrels from digging them up. As for the snackers I don’t think you can do much about that. A lot of my tulips vanished by critters of the human variety.

I grow plenty from bulbs but I have yet to try my hand at seeding annuals. This fall I planted some anemones just to see how they grow and a bunch of different smaller alliums. Threw a few more tulips for good measure. I have my eye on some amazing seeds at florets flowers, I’m sad they don’t ship their dahlia bulbs to Canada

Gl0ssy, do you find that any of your tulips return well? Even before our voles got so bad, I found that only a few specific types are perennial for me, and so I pretty much stopped planting them since I was a classroom teacher and the fall was too busy to be doing a lot of planting. Since daffodils and alliums return well for me, I have more of them, plus in general the voles ignore them, though they do occasionally eat Alliums. The bouquet of tulips is a lovely variety of color and form. Do you have separate beds for cutting, or do you cut from all your beds?

Hey NhBabs, it varies depending on the tulips. I keep majority of my tulips in raised beds at the front of my house so most of the critters never get to them.(They all hangout outback) some seem to come back better than others. Nursery stock bulbs are definitely much more vigorous growers for me. Big box store bulbs come out so piddly looking in comparison. I cut from all my beds, my flowers are scatttered everywhere - plus i wouldnt be able to resist temptation. How about you? Do you have a cutting bed or are they all your cutting beds ? ;-)

what are some of your fave blooms?

Gl0ssy, I actually almost never cut flowers unless I am taking them to someone else as a little gift. Not sure why that is.

Here are some shots from the large bed behind the house. It is mostly viewed from windows above since the house is built into a hill. I planned for largely blue-purple and gold with occasional pops of orange, but there are two pink plants that snuck in which will stay despite the color since they mostly don't overlap with the orange and yellow.

Really? I love flowers inside, maybe it’s also the enjoyment of arranging them to create something even more beautiful, that suckers me in all the time. Oh and let’s not forget the smell... heavenly. I am known to get a little scissor happy

Love the beds! And all the colour, they work well together. I would be tempted to sneak in some more pinks, especially because they pair so nicely with the purple. I’ll have to remember to take some garden bed pictures next year, I’m always more excited about the flowers

NHBabs, your garden is beautiful. I like how you've added obelisks into the garden beds. I like the gold and purple pic the best!