Today’s photos are from Gloria Payne in Dayton, Ohio. She says, “I have been gardening seriously for the past 5 years, since I retired. I love being outside working either in my flower garden or vegetable garden.
“Since my yard is small I have learned to incorporate some of the vegetables and herbs within the flowers. These pictures are mostly of the side yard, which consists of a variety of perennals, annuals, and pots. I like how they add a pops of color while I wait for the perennials to develop and bloom.
“Also on the side yard I have a Chicago hardy fig tree. This is the second year I have had this fig tree and it is loaded with figs. Also in this side yard are two kinds of mint, which I dry for tea. There is a grape tomato plant growing–I didn’t plant it, it is a volunteer from last year.
“There is nothing I love more than working in my yard. I am one of those people who will buy a must-have plant and get home and walk back and forth looking for a place to plant it. I have a library on gardening, but felt I need to go deeper, so I enrolled in the The Ohio State Extension Master Gardener program. I am a Master Gardener Intern 16 hours away from getting my Master Gardener Volunteer certificate. Besides working in my own garden, I volunteer with the Master Gardeners.”
You’ve got some great combos, Gloria! Is that edging part of an irrigation system? And can I tell you how happy I am to see marigolds in your garden? I adore marigolds, and think they’re vastly underrated. I even love the way they smell. Anyone else feel that way, or do you hate them?
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Comments
well, i can tell a gardener lives here! nice groupings and plant variety. i see the fig along the house and mine are slow slow to ripen this year too but the plants are loaded. marigolds,,,,,,always bright and cheerful but i never seem to be able to keep them deadheaded so i haven't planted any in years. i do not hate them but i'm too lazy to grow them
Yes, Michelle that is a drip irrigation system. This is the first year I have had one and I have over half the yard completed. Love it !!!. tntreeman and Michelle I must be nutsy because marigolds are the one I love to deadhead and I do it every time I am out side. Love to hear that pop when they are being deadheaded. I did get one ripe fig yesterday. The fig tree is loaded and I see new ones coming.
gloria, when those figs start to come in ,,, if you don't eat all of them fresh/// slice in half, put some gruyere on the fig and pop under the broiler to melt and toast the cheese... heaven on earth
tntreeman I will try your recipe if I get them inside. I usually eat them as I pick them. I hope I'll have enough to make some preserve,
"if i get them inside" that's me in the fig patch, eat them as i pick them :)
Gloria, thank you for sharing your garden! All of your plantings are beautiful, but the frog is my favorite. Congratulations and Welcome to the Master Gardener Volunteer Program! I will be graduating in October, and am scrambling for the remainder of my volunteer & phone hours. You have shamed me into weeding today. :-)
Is that Anise Hyssop I see? One of my favorite "double duty" plants. It attracts lots of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds when in bloom and later on the Goldfinches are all over it picking the seeds. A big plus is that the deer more or less leave it alone.
Hi, Gloria, well, count me in as a sucker for the bee on the stunning panicle of the buterfly bush...what is that variety? I've bought a few different ones hoping to get that color purple but they always end up more in the majenta family. I was also struck with how perfectly placed that old lantern looking object in amongst the subtle but multi hued aguga...very pretty.
My husband loves, loves, loves marigolds but, I admit, I always try to "forrget" to buy them. It must be the deadheading thing because when I see them, I like them.
not such a fan of marigolds, but i am a big fan of gladiolas, which I see in your nice beds. Since they seem to perennialize well here on central ohio, I have them scattered about and enjoy the architectural presence of their foliage when the blooms are done. Thanks for sharing your garden.
Enjoyed seeing your plantings, Gloria. Love Marigolds, very fond of that wonderful pop of vivid yellow. Love them especially, in my vegetable garden. How nice to have your own figs! Wonderful suggestion from tntreeman on how to enjoy them another way!
Lovely side garden. thanks for sharing it. Yep, the pops of yellow and orange are great and reinforce the drama created in having cool and warm colours in a garden. Marigolds? Well, I rarely plant any annuals in a bed - just into pots, and marigolds don't do it for me. I am not big on deadheading.
Gloria,
Your flowers are beautiful. I have been admiring both your flower and vegetable garden for many years. I must say they get better each year and that seems so hard to do because they are so beautiful each year. I thank you for trying to help me with my garden over the years which seems to continue to stay at the beginning stages. When I want to see and smell the really beautiful flowers I will come over your house and enjoy your talent.
I too plant marigolds in my vegetable garden, have been for as long as I can remember, partly because my vegetable garden is fenced or the deer would devour the marigolds but also because I read somewhere that the aroma of marigolds is a natural insect repellant, don't know if fact or myth. I like Gloria's drip irrigation, a big help for plants right at the building foundation where eaves thwart rainfall. And I adore that frog, I wonder if it can endure winter freezes or needs to be brought indoors. I need more photos. A very cozy garden, thank you, Gloria
Beautiful side garden. Great use of the space.Love your frog! I must remind you that Marigolds are a staple in the tropical garden. They tolerate the heat and may repel insects.
Good job Michelle.
Thanks to all of you for your comments. Would love to share more pictures, got lots of them. This year was really great for my garden. As for the frog, he goes in my basement in the winter. lepfan, I am not sure if that is a Anise Hyssop, that is one of those clearance .50 plant that look healthy to bring home and was a perennial.
Meander1, the butterfly bush is a Buddleja Black Knight. FlorenceS I am glad you enjoy my gardens and I will help you anytime. Your garden will turn out wonderfully, it just takes time
Gardengrl1 go weed. LOL.
Vojt I didn't know I could leave them in the ground. I have been digging them up and planting the bulbs in the Spring.
Thanks again for all the nice comments
What a sweet and pretty garden. I really like the little lantern and I love the ajuga next to it. I purchased 2 of those ajuga plants at a clearance sale. I generally wouldn't have thought to buy ajuga, but that was one one of the best plant deals I have ever scored. The deer don't touch it , it spreads nicely without being a pest, it smothers weeds, and the colors in it are fantastic. I have several different shades of purple flowers next to it and it sets them off perfectly. On the marigold issue, I say yes! I am not a big fan of most of the common bedding annuals you find at the big box stores, but I think marigolds can work out nicely. They aren't common in my opinion, but kind of old fashion and cottagey. I tend to like the single varieties and the solid colors. They probably look best in mass and I love them around a veggie garden for a pop of color and some pest resistance? The miniature 'tangerine gem' and 'lemon gem' varieties are so cute. I haven't found the right use for them yet, but those giant varieties are intriguing. There are probably some hard to find species types that would be quite nice. Love the smell-so fresh and gardeny. Back to Gloria's garden, what variety of buddleia is that? The saturated color is lovely. Your variegated weigela is a nice anchor shrub. I love the foliage even without the flowers. Looking at my comment, I realize I had a little diarrhea of the mouth this morning. Sorry, I should lay off the coffee.
While I was blabbing, I see you answered the buddleia question, thanks Gloria.
Lovely, lovely garden Gloria. I can tell you have your soul planted out there. I would call you a master even without the certification. I need to invest in irrigation systems - it sure seems simple enough and has big impact. Michele I plant Marigolds among my veggies every year. This year I went overboard with the rabbit herd and all and planted some Marigolds that are now 3' tall! - they would make a beautiful hedge if they weren't overshadowing my poor peppers. I am drawn to orange and tend to only save the seeds of the orange ones. Orange looks so eye-popping next to purple.
Fun combos, Gloria, both in plants and colors. Your gardens show that you are having fun digging in the dirt, and your container gardens add just the right amount of pizazz. Congrats on being so close to becoming a Master Gardener!
Funny you should mention the marigolds, Michelle. I was just thinking about them the other day. My very first attempt at gardening had a row of tall and short marigolds along our drive and I thought they were awesome! Maybe it was then that I realized that deadheading was a whole lot cheaper than therapy ;)
Gloria, if you've got some glads you really don't want to lose, maybe you shouldn't believe me. But I've got about 6 different colors in my Columbus garden, and only one is supposed to be hardy (gladiolus "Boone"), some have been in the garden for 12 years. They always seem to come back for me and multiply. No special treatment, no special protection, out in the open garden. Good luck!
Master Gardener! Good for you -- and it shows. Nice plantings. The ajuga is lovely around the lantern. It has such beautiful coloring, BUT beware if it gets going. Mine has escaped the garden and is spreading rapidly in the lawn. It pulls out quite easily in the garden soil, but is impossible in the lawn. I am not a marigold fan, but love zinnias, especially the new low ones which come in soft, unusual colors. And I also like State Fair zinnias which are tall and showy with hot tropical colors. When all the perennials are resting I love their bright dependable colors here and there. Have a nice patch beside a blue caryopteris (sp?)shrub. So pretty.
Sheila_Schultz: I have to agree... I have a couple of friends who I'm always trying to convince that playing in the dirt is a lot easier on ones soul and on ones wallet than therapy. I know for myself anytime I'm feeling a bit low I go out with my machette and hack at the brush for a few hours and I feel wonderful, gets rid of all the frustrations. Anyone who wants is welcome to use my machette on my hedgerows... hack away all you want, you'll feel reborn!
Hi Gloria, Seems like you and I have some things in common.
You like to plant annuals and don't mind deadheading and
adding them for additional color among your perennials. And
then it's buying a must-have plant, bringing it home and
wondering where to plant it.(LOL, sounds like me, sometimes!)
3rd photo down on left does look like an Anise hyssop/
licorice mint. If you rub the leaves and it smells of licorice- that's what it is!
Do you find your Lobelia siphilitica (Blue cardinal flower)
shown in featured photo (behind marigolds) likes to spread?
I find this to be true in my garden. Has been blooming for
me about 2 wks, now.
Michelle, Speaking of marigolds, they have been an old time
got-to-have in my yard, whether bought or grown from seed!
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