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READER PHOTOS! Leslie's garden in Colorado Springs

comments (12) October 12th, 2011 in blogs

Michelle Gervais, Associate Editor

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Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Ornelas

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Today's photos are from Leslie Ornelas in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She says, " The old adage in my area is that if you can garden in Colorado, you can garden anywhere!! Between wind, drought, late/early freezes, HAIL, etc., gardening is an exercise in patience and acceptance.
   In a tiny suburban lot, and with limited funds, the garden has slowly evolved over the past eleven years. The front garden, sadly, no longer looks like the photos as the deer have identified their favorite "salad bar" (notice the daylilies which have not made it to flower since!). I have recently moved all the deer-delectables to the back (fenced) yard and re-planted "deer resistant" plants up front.
   The tiny back yard is shared by three dogs, a miniscule patch of grass, and the garden, which rims the perimeter. A black iron decorative fence keeps the dogs out. The shade garden photos are in mid-spring (late May here); hostas, bleeding heart, sweet woodruff where the gargoyle hides, lamium, and my favorite gentle re-seeder, Corsican violet.
   The fountain area in the back shows Agastache rupestris (hummingbird mint), rudbeckia, and the last vestiges of 'May Night" salvia; in the background is a bristlecone pine. The early spring fountain shot shows Allium 'Purple Sensation' in bloom and the dog fence.
   The pots on the deck rail, which are exposed and tend to dry out quickly, contain Stipa tenuissima (angle hair grass), moss rose, and succulents. Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle) and 'Palace Purple' heuchera are in the background with the black Chow Chow, Zia." Beautiful! Thanks, Leslie, for sharing your garden with us!

Keep those photos coming, folks! While I can't post everything that comes in (please don't be offended if I don't feature your photos--they're all beautiful!), I'll do my best to feature as many of your gardens as I can.
Thanks! ---Michelle

posted in: pets, Colorado

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Lounging in the lady's mantle

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READER PHOTO! Pauline's garden in Carmichael, California

Comments (12)

Annek writes: WOW! I love the fullness of your garden..the colors, the combinations. Congratulations on a masterpiece! Posted: 11:14 am on January 18th

LuvYardWrk writes: Leslie: Be thankful you do not also have turkeys. What the
deer don't eat, the turkeys scratch up. However, I love them, so I have learned to plant so they have no room to
scratch. We live in Northern California so we don't have the same weather conditions you have. Love your photos.
Posted: 11:08 pm on October 12th

Gardenmae writes: thanks for the pictures. We have similar zones. I too have deer who like to chomp my front yard. My back yard is fenced so that is where my fun plants go. I am afraid I am a bit out of room. but have many of the same plants you have. Posted: 3:57 pm on October 12th

meander1 writes: I thoroughly enjoyed this tour of Leslie's garden areas...a true feast for the eyes! Her fuzzy wuzzy black Chow Chow is posed perfectly presenting a wonderful contrast with the chartreusy lady's mantle and complementing the dark leaves of the heuchera. Posted: 1:09 pm on October 12th

GreenGrowler writes: (Leslie = GreenGrowler) A heartfelt "thanks" for all the positive feedback. I will look at my garden with much more appreciation and a far less critical eye after reading all your kind words! Regarding the deer, I think in regions where the food supply is more abundant (Southern & Eastern U.S., Canada, etc.), the critters don't have to resort to "cultivated" diets. Here, the food supply is pretty scarce, and in times of drought, deer will eat virtually anything - bark from trees, prickly things, etc.

But, they are beautiful creatures and we, in fact, are living in their habitat, so adapt we must. Thanks again - you all are a great group of nature-nurturers! Posted: 12:42 pm on October 12th

JardinDelSol writes: As a fellow high desert gardener, I can fully appreciate the miracles you have wrought here. Your garden is stunning! Like Janet 1954, I am going to keep these on file and will use the photos as inspiration for planning my own gardens. Your hostas, alchemillas, bleeding hearts, and heucheras make me insanely jealous - we cannot grow them here (too dry and hot, even in shade). Your garden really demonstrates what an artistic eye, determination, and hard work can do! (Love your 'lawn ornaments' too - the pups! Adorable). Congratulations on a lovely and inspirational garden. Posted: 11:09 am on October 12th

sheilaschultz writes: Your gardens are just lovely, Leslie, and I agree with the others... they look much larger than described. I'm in Denver, so I understand your challenges, Bravo! Posted: 10:34 am on October 12th

Wife_Mother_Gardener writes: I love the first photo with the yellow daylily and laitris together! And also the Agastache by the fountain. Beautiful plant combinations! Posted: 10:23 am on October 12th

Vespasia writes: How lovely, it certainly does not look like a small garden, what a great trio of dogs you have. We too have deer, a herd of about 26 down in the very wild ravine with a river running through it behind our property. They do nibble at the evergreens in the winter and some shrubs when they get hungry in the winter but they are so lovely especially the fawns as they come leaping through the garden so gracefully.

I feel blessed to live so close to these lovely creatures, even our cats have got used to them and they never touch my daylillies, don't know why.Our neighbours mostly feel the same way and we are fiercely protective of them. We also have raccoons, squirrels, hares, foxes, groundhogs, grouse and a wonderful blue heron that flies over. "Wild in the City" we call it as we do live in an urban environment Posted: 9:11 am on October 12th

janet1954 writes: I just love your garden.I saved the pics on file an i am using them for background pics on my computer screen.Eve the dogs also.I love animals just as much as gardening.Love your garden, Posted: 7:26 am on October 12th

Steepdrive writes: Lovely. You'd never know from the photos that its as small as she describes. I know about her deer troubles. I have those here in MD but fortunately they respond to Liquid Fence spraying and eat the woods that surround me. Posted: 5:58 am on October 12th

gottagarden writes: Leslie does an amazing job creating so many different garden looks in a self-described small space. Love the stipa in the deck garden, creates a great vertical accent. Posted: 5:21 am on October 12th

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