Garden Photo of the Day

READER PHOTO! All the joys of a garden, on a deck

Michelle Gervais, Associate Editor

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Photo: Miriam Settles

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Today's photo is from Miriam Settles in northern Virginia. She says, "I started a container garden about 8 years ago because I don’t have much land around our townhouse for flower beds, but I do have a deck.  This is a view from one floor above.  The garden contains quite a few perennials including trees and shrubs like Japanese maple, oakleaf hydrangea, and butterfly bush.  I also grow black raspberries, tomatillos, bell peppers, and all kinds of herbs.  There are two trellises to add vertical interest, so climbing flowers like mandevilla and a 'Graham Thomas' rose have a home here too.  I fill in the gaps every year with different types of annuals.  This is an eastern exposure so it’s ideally suited for nearly everything but deep-shade-loving plants. This garden provides the perfect oasis for my husband and I to enjoy after a long workday and on the weekends." Thanks, Miriam, for sharing your deck garden with us!

Welcome to the Fine Gardening GARDEN PHOTO OF THE DAY blog! Every weekday we post a new photo of a great garden, a spectacular plant, a stunning plant combination, or any number of other subjects. Think of it as your morning jolt of green.

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Comments (10)

flatbottomflowers writes: Thank you to Fine Gardening for posting a picture of my garden and I appreciate that readers sent comments. To answer the question that a couple of readers asked regarding what I do in over the winter, I will say that I don't do much. As far as perennials go, I try to stick with plants that are hardy to zone 5 even though I am in zone 7. I give myself an allowance of a couple of zones because my plants are so much more exposed in containers. Having said that, if they don't survive, they don't survive. I also have more than half of my plants in weatherproof containers. I do have some in terracotta pots and I did lose a couple of them to cracking last winter but that's a risk I was willing to take. Sometimes Gorilla Glue helps to repair. Since the annuals don't survive the winter, I buy new every year. That allows me to try new things and experiment with different color schemes. I would love to hear any additional comments/advice/hints that other container gardeners out there might have at www.flatbottomflowers.blogspot.com. --Miriam Posted: 7:12 pm on August 15th

ckrose writes: LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! Posted: 10:17 pm on August 9th

Patty_Erwin writes: I, too, would like to know what do you do with your plants in the winter months? The deck looks so lovely, that I don't think you'd want to lose all those plants. Posted: 9:23 pm on July 28th

rebroach writes: It looks wonderful and well-designed. What do you do with you plants in the winter? Posted: 6:47 pm on July 28th

rebroach writes: It looks wonderful and very well-designed. What do you do with the plants in winter in a townhouse? Posted: 6:41 pm on July 28th

arboretum writes: miriam, looks very lush and dynamic with attention to varied colors, texture, and YES! Verticality!! congrats on all that!

Have you been thinking about a water element? maybe in association with your j maple and hakonechloa? maybe a figural head w/ water coming out through open mouth, placed on the wall or a vertical 'headboard' in the corner where the rail meets the building, so you could start w some height and fill in w/ lushness around. We did a simple in-ground version of this but the ideas is basically the same and could easily be adapted to above ground, because you have the lush plants to surround it with.
here's the link:

http://www.cottonarboretum.com/garden-lessons/techniques/

I confess I am addicted to fountains and waterfalls. I do recommend something that makes noise, not dribble. So soothing.
best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/
a teaching website Posted: 2:46 pm on July 28th

Rosella49 writes: An amazing array of plantings--looks great! Demonstrates just how addictive gardening can be! Posted: 11:28 am on July 28th

wwross writes:

This is great! As a fellow N. Virginian, it inspires me for my own small garden and deck. Posted: 9:28 am on July 28th

wGardens writes: You Go Girl! Looks FAB! Thanks for sharing! Posted: 7:13 am on July 28th

Gdarla writes: Beautiful containers here. Posted: 6:48 am on July 28th

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