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posierosie_zone7a__

2018 Garden Progression Photos

Hi Everyone,


For those of you that participated in last year's garden progression challenge and saved your photos to share, please post them on this thread.


If you would like to repost your progression - the more the merrier!


Please note this thread is a spin off of an existing thread that already has some awesome progressions. You can see them here:https://www.houzz.com/discussions/garden-progression-challenge-dsvw-vd~5277276?n=88

Comments (53)

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Bruce, isn't it amazing how a garden can change Year to year? Thank you for sharing!

  • 7 years ago

    Hey posierosie: I see older photos of other parts of my garden and I say "Oh My!" It still has a long way to go. I am striving to have a full garden in spring, a different one in summer, and another different one in fall! I am trying to get to the point where I can't see any soil between the plants for most of the year. I'm addicted to my garden and am always buying new plants and seeds to try out. I hope that it keeps getting better and better.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked Bruce (Vancouver Island)
  • 7 years ago

    Rosie, your garden is so full. I like seeing your progression pics. Every year it's always amazing to me how fast things grow and change.

    My pics are a bit farther away. These are from my front deck looking down my walkway to the street. I've already made some changes in fall that don't show here yet. .....A work in progress as is most of the garden. I know you all understand how that goes. :-)


    mid- April


    early May, Lilac in bloom


    early June, orange poppies, salvia, roses, and spirea in the foreground


    mid-June


    early July, rudbeckias, shasta daisies


    early Aug, rudbeckias, roses, echinaceas, heliopsis


    late September, asters, roses

    Can't wait to start all over again in the spring!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked sandyslopes z6 n. UT
  • 7 years ago

    Love all your pictures!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
  • 7 years ago

    Bruce, I love your enthusiasm! It's a fun challenge to get a succession of blooms.



    SS, I really enjoyed your progression! That lilac must be amazing to pass by on the way to your door. I bet you get lots of compliments on that bed!

  • 7 years ago

    Cool. One of my favorite things about gardening is how it's always changing... usually for the better?

    Posie- what happened to your fig? I see it in the earlier pictures but then maybe you transplanted it? I planted one a few years ago and I think it might be getting too big for where it's at... maybe mine needs to go somewhere else as well.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago

    Hi Katob, good eyes! The fig was in a "temporary " position and then died back that winter and was just those two sticks. It started getting huge with all the rain last summer and I repositioned it sometime late summer. It took both me and my husband to whack away at that root system. It seems not to have skipped a beat in it's new position.

  • 7 years ago

    Is it possible to post photos as a slideshow here? That would be a great way to view the progressions!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked violetsnapdragon
  • 7 years ago

    Violet, I am not aware of that functionality. Would be more efficient!

  • 7 years ago

    Wow, the pics of progression of all your beautiful gardens are so wonderful! Thank you very much for sharing! I would love to participate next year as I will purposely take pics of my garden's progression this year.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago

    Karen, I would love to see your progression for next summer!

  • 7 years ago

    I just went to the thread that you posted link above! The pics of everyone's garden progression are amazing and so lovely. I am seriously taking on this project. I am planning to take photos of my beds starting tomorrow for January. Then each month, I will take several shots from the same angle. I too am interested to find out what my garden progression looks like with each passing month!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago

    Karen, it is fun! I'm glad you also checked out the other thread. There's great progressions there!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    These two pictures illustrate a different type of progression....a "negative" progression ;)?


    JULY 3 2018:


    JANUARY 29, 2019

    (That "pointy bump" under the snow is that same 5 foot obelisk which supported this Tie Dye clematis last summer).


    posierosie_zone7a thanked rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
  • 7 years ago

    Rouge, not sure I should like this. Stay warm!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
  • 7 years ago

    rouge21_gw - Wouldn't a "negative progression" be a "regression"? LOL

    posierosie_zone7a thanked Bruce (Vancouver Island)
  • 7 years ago

    Yup. Right now I consider January relative to July as definitely a regression.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
  • 7 years ago

    Haha! I like your sense of humor, rouge21 and Bruce. I agree with both terms!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Amazing all that beauty under the snow.

    I'm losing my good humor with the weather. The first few snows I am so positive and bake bread. I keep telling myself just one more month....this was early March last year. I was taking it inside at night, but it helped me feel that the end was near.


    This was March 21st, though



  • 7 years ago

    I've been inspired by all your progressions. May I cheat slightly by going back a little further? This is late July 2017 - new build, zero landscaping but I have great dirt - 14 dump truck loads of it! Beds have been sculpted and "lawn" is ready for hydro seed ...


    By September 2017, the grass was slowly filling in and I could actually start to add some plants. I so want to hide the septic tank lids ...

    By October 2018, things are starting to fill in ...


    This is September 2018, looking towards the house ...


    And by October 2018 ...


    Another view Sept 2017 ...

    And Oct 2018 ...




    posierosie_zone7a thanked edenchild
  • 7 years ago

    Wow, you have a beautiful lot and property! That's a great backyard view of the woods. Will you be adding more flowering plants?

    Posierosei, hope you won't have a repeat of late snowstorms like last year!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago
    KarenPA, I have a five year plan for building the garden. Trees and shrubs in the upper section were 2018/Year 1, along with the garden shed. More trees and shrubs will be added in the lower section this year as well as more perennials in the upper section. There is a 100’ x 15’ bed just below the level change that you can’t see from these shots that’s only half full.
    posierosie_zone7a thanked edenchild
  • 7 years ago

    Sounds like a great plan! Would love to see the progress of your garden in the next 4 years!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    KarenPA, also these photos were taken in October so the perennials were pretty well done. There are plenty of nepeta, hemerocallis, monarda, perovskia, echinacea, lavender, alliums, hellebores, hosta, heuchera, tricyrtis, eutrochium, asclepias, peonies, etc.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked edenchild
  • 7 years ago

    Edenchild, what a great progression! Thank you for sharing!


    You are off to a great start and I can see that island filled in quite a lot by the end although on my tiny phone screen I couldn't get much detail.


    It is amazing how a garden fills in especially the first year v. the third year. Please keep us updated!


    Oh, if you want to fill in or put annuals as filler, look up winter sowing. There's a forum here. It's a great way to start seeds without taking up windowsill space or needing grow lights.

  • 7 years ago

    posierosie, as I recall last season, in our area, we had more snow in April than in the previous 2 (or was it 3 months). Spring really isnt here till May 1.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
  • 7 years ago

    WOW, Katob! The progression of your border is absolutely gorgeous! Now, that's how I aspire my borders or beds to be. I am amazed that you can fit all those different plants in there and that they perform so well without suffering from competition.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago

    thanks Karen! don't think there aren't casualties, I just ignore them and let something else grow in its place. One year it was all rudbeckias and oxeye daisies, but the last couple years I've been mulching with chopped leaves and it smothers most of those seedlings.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago

    Katob, such an amazing progression! Can I ask some questions? What are the bright orange spikes of flower in August? Also, tempted to ask all flowering plants in September.....

  • 7 years ago

    @katob: you have the best pictures of Spring bulbs! Gorgeous! And the rest of the year looks wonderful as well.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked mazerolm_3a
  • 7 years ago

    :) I do like the spring bulbs!

    Posie those are standing cypress, an annual for me which usually seeds enough that I have patches here and there without any trouble other than thinning. I think it's a southern US native plant.

    September is a lot of stuff, the edges get a few zinnias and coleus but the inner parts of the border rely a lot on whatever comes up. There are verbena bonariensis, rudbeckia, sunflowers, fennel, amaranthus, plus the backbone of butterfly bushes and hydrangea. Last year everything was a little wild with all the rain.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    A couple years ago there was an invasion of rudbeckia seedlings. That was a good year for color... if you like golden yellow!

    -sorry but I couldn't get the picture to show up

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago

    Thank you Katob! I looked up the standing cyprus and I was hoping it comes in other colors. Google lists it as a native plant so there goes my hope for pastel versions.


    My ignorance is showing, but I know what I know and.....I don't know much about zinnias except for the taller ones. Are those well behaved mounds of colorful flowers at the front zinnias as well or am I focusing on the wrong place?


    That verbena just went on my seed list, thank you.


    Last year I "discovered" bronze fennel and I am in love with that plant. Talk about 3 season interest!

  • 7 years ago

    Did you try editing your post and trying to add the picture again? It can be buggy to get pictures to upload.

  • 7 years ago

    I used to have two different fennel types, the bronze was a hardy perennial and the regular vegetable one (green) would die over winter. I think they've crossed though and now I have perennial green ones and a couple shades in between.

    I think the most pastel the standing cypress gets is a pale yellow version which was supposed to be in the mix which I planted, but I never saw anything other than the orange.

    Yes, those are zinnias in front, either zahara or profusion. I pick up whichever I can find and they always do well, but to be honest I didn't really like this color as much as I thought I would.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago

    Posie I tried loading the picture again but was copying and pasting from my blog so I don't think it liked that.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago

    That's interesting about the fennel crossing! I read a review that said the flowers are "insignificant" and I certainly did not think that the case even with my one plant. Each umbel is small, but there are so many! Your garden proves my point (and justifies my adding more)!


    Later season color has been a challenge and so have some defiant patches at the front that have dormant bulbs below. Thank you for sharing what is in your garden as I have some new plants to try for those challenges.

  • 7 years ago

    Can't help with copying and pasting. Maybe download to your device and then upload?

  • 7 years ago

    katob, what great progression shots. Your neighbors are lucky to be able to look out onto all that changing color. (Don't know how anyone could call it a mess) It's gorgeous!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked sandyslopes z6 n. UT
  • 7 years ago

    Agree! What mess are they seeing and talking about? I see only beauty.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago

    The September shot is my favorite! There's something to be said for having a garden that peaks in Fall, instead of Spring.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked violetsnapdragon
  • 7 years ago

    I've been loving seeing everyone's garden progressions! One of the things I love about herbaceous perennial gardens is that look of bare ground that springs forth into a whole garden every year. I took some photos last year, not with the conscious regularity that some of you have done though.


    March 10, 2018


    April 12, 2018



    April 28, 2018


    May 12, 2018


    May 14, 2018


    July 30, 2018


    November 12, 2018


    posierosie_zone7a thanked noseometer...(7A, SZ10, Albuquerque)
  • 7 years ago

    Is that hail in July? WOw, I have never seen that much of hail before!

    Your garden progression is wonderful, noseometer! I love April and May the best! Are those lavenders and salvias clumps? They look gorgeous together with your roses.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago

    Wow, love the color! -not so much the hail though. To me your garden has a very calming feel. Is that a planter at the end of the path, or a water feature?

    posierosie_zone7a thanked katob Z6ish, NE Pa
  • 7 years ago

    Noseometer I love those beds. I agree they are very calming and just gorgeous!

    posierosie_zone7a thanked GardenHo_MI_Z5
  • 7 years ago

    Beautiful progressoon! I usually focus on plants, but I'm so impressed with your hardscaping and that beautiful wall! It's a really lovely garden.

  • 7 years ago

    Thanks, all! Yes KarenPA, there are lavenders, several kinds of salvias, catmint, several kinds of penstemon. The hail was so intense that it stripped leaves from the tress and most of the perennials. Even the grasses and lavender were damaged. Of course, most of the flowers were destroyed. Katob, that's a water feature/planter at the end of the path, the fountain is off in the picture. The grasses are in the planter portion of the feature. Posierosie: I had a lot of angst in deciding how to do the hardscape. I had a designer who designed a lot of meandering foot-paths through the planting areas, but I felt that the space needed a stronger statement to direct the focus to the feature which was there when we moved in. I had already removed the lawn which was the entire backyard, and I created this broad axis path instead. Thanks for compliment, and reassuring me that I made the right decision.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked noseometer...(7A, SZ10, Albuquerque)
  • 7 years ago

    They look awesome together! I love the color echo of the above plants and how they complement your hardscape. I am sorry about your hailstorm. Hopefully, it is not a common occurence for your area.

    posierosie_zone7a thanked KarenPA_6b
  • 7 years ago

    Noseometer - I know what it's like to make a decision and then wonder....it looks great!