Garden Photo of the Day

Daniela's garden in Ohio

comments (37) February 26th, 2013 in blogs

Michelle Gervais, Senior Editor

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Photo: Courtesy of Daniela Baloi

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Today's photos are from Daniela Baloi in Ohio. She says, "Here are some some pictures from our May garden. My husband and I moved to this 1968 house in Hudson, Ohio, 12 years ago during a March snow storm and started our labor in the garden the first day the ground was warm enough to plant. We work as professionals during the day and become gardeneners in the evening and week-ends. This property and garden had great bones and layout when purchased but very few plants, but we took care of that. We now have over 350 species of perennials, bulbs, shrubs and recurring annuals. We also started a small raised beds vegetable garden on one side of the property.
What I want to share with you today is our back yard. It is a big surprise to everybody that turns the corner from the driveway. I picked May because in May we have two amazingly rich and full-of-blooms moments in the back yard. The time when the Japanese candelabra primulas are in full bloom and later in the month when the roses are showing off their first blooms for the year. I started the Japanese candelabras from seed collected in a neighbor's garden and never thought that they would bring us so much joy and pride. They bloom at the same time as foxgloves, honeysuckle, wisteria, columbines, astrantia, and woodland poppies. The roses bloom at the same time as clematis, lupines, and delphinium." How floriferous and wonderful, Daniela! Your garden is so happy and beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us!

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Comments (37)

tractor1 writes: DSBaloi:
Moles, Voles, Gophers, this works well, available at Lowe's, Amazon, etal... I have four in my vegetable garden and several more in the beds around my house... They've been operating for five years now:
http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/s9014 Posted: 9:07 pm on February 26th

tractor1 writes:
Mandarin Lights Azaleas:
http://i55.tinypic.com/2hr2tn5.jpg

Posted: 8:53 pm on February 26th

tractor1 writes:

I have several of these orange azaleas in the beds in front of my house; Mandarin Lights:
http://www.gurneys.com/product.asp?pn=82717

Posted: 8:41 pm on February 26th

tntreeman writes: i'm guessing that orange azalea is 'Gibraltar' . it's readily available and it does flower in May. just guessing Posted: 6:57 pm on February 26th

cwheat000 writes: Oh, I also wanted to say your candelabra primroses are amazing. If you want to add a new color to your collection, I found another new variety at my local CT White Flower Farm ( they are a great mail order catalog , too.) Check out the North Hill strain primulas. They are beautiful shades of yellow, orange, apricot, and pink. Posted: 5:17 pm on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: Ambowers: Thank you for your comments. I have two public photo albums of my garden at the following addresses. See if you can open the links and see more of our garden.

https://plus.google.com/photos/109741050484551625409/albums/5793233396823162721
https://plus.google.com/photos/109741050484551625409/albums/5793240759627517569 Posted: 5:14 pm on February 26th

cwheat000 writes: I love the great variety of plants in your garden. I have been meaning to try astrantia. Thank you for the inspiration. For everyone having trouble with lupines and delphinium, I found some varieties on Annie's Annuals and Perennials website, that I plan on trying this season. Check out Delphinium elatum 'true wild form' and Lupinus regalis 'Thomas Church'. They both look like they might be reliably perennial and they are gorgeous.
Posted: 5:07 pm on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: janetsfolly: Candelabra primulas or Japanese primroses thrive in moist soil and while the spent flower are unsightly I do not cut them all so that more seeds drops in that area. I do the same with foxgloves. If the seed likes where it drops it starts new plants before fall and next year they bloom. I loose many Japanese primroses when the summers are dry or due to borers and or other pests or diseases but if I let some of the flowers go to seed I will for sure find some young healthy seedlings tucked somewhere in the bed ready to bloom next spring or even in the fall when the weather gets coller. Posted: 5:01 pm on February 26th

Daisy8 writes: Thank you so much for your detailed delphinium information. They are high maintenance, but well worth it. I'll be purchasing some delphinium elatums this spring, try your tips & hope they'll survive the winter this time. Posted: 4:43 pm on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: tractor1: Thanks for your advice on the garden fence. I plan to build the garden fence with chicken wire and double it with bird netting. I will also cover the top of the structure with bird netting to protect the raspberries. I will give up on growing strawberries since after netting them on top, the moles, voles or chipmunks got all my fruit. This is how we pay for gardening near woods.
The pink flowers 5th picture down on the right are foxgloves indeed. Posted: 4:08 pm on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: Daisy8: The delphinium you see in the picture is delphinium elatum. Since is a favorite is placed in my sunniest bed which I also mentioned that is a raised bed with good drainage garden soil. I inspect the plant very frequently and I have to admit that I always find something wrong with it. If it is not black aphids is slugs damage or wind damage... I spray frequently with a solution of neem oil to control the black aphids. I start in the spring by applying organic compost to most of my plants (instead of mulch). Then I add broken eggshells to the base of the emerging leaves for slugs prevention. When the flower buds appear I spray with neem oil solution first time. I apply a slow release fertilizer in the spring as well. I always stake the blooms individually and after the first round of flowers I cut the stalks to the first pair of leaves so that I can get a second flush of blooms. Once these are spent I cut the stalks a couple inches from the leaves. Only after the first frost I cut the rest to the ground. What can I say other that this beauty is a high maintenance plant! Good luck! Posted: 4:01 pm on February 26th

tractor1 writes: Is that foxglove in the 5th picture down on the right?

I sure wish the Log On would remember me. :-( Posted: 3:52 pm on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: janetsfolly: start the lupine seed directly outdoor in the early summer in the spot that you want them in. Do not thin them and do not move the seedlings once they show-up. Lupines do not like to be moved I gathered. Make sure you amend your soil with sand and organic compost to have good drainage and watch for slugs. Second year apply a slow release fertilizer to promote large blooms.
good luck!
Posted: 3:21 pm on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: shineday: Thank you for your interest in my garden. I also take a lot of notes these days as I read blogs and conversations on garden blogs. I have an excel file where I log plants that I have and a tab for plants that I want with any information that I collected about them.
I should have mentioned what the orange beauty is: It is an azalea shrub (or deciduous rhododendron) that I bought many years ago at a local nursery and I lost the tag. It may be the variety "Flame" but I am not sure.
The pink flowers above the yellow light green Hosta foliage are foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea "Camelot mix"). Most of my walkway beds are in part shade with semi-moist and organic soil and foxglove thrive in that. They also drop seeds and multiply year after year.
Daniela Posted: 3:10 pm on February 26th

janetsfolly writes: Thank you, Daniela! There is so much to see here and everything is so beautiful, I'll be keeping this up for a while to revisit. The primulas remind me of an extensive planting of same in New Zealand's south island, the first time I encountered them. Now I know I can start them from seed...the trick will be not to kill them once planted! I also live in Ohio and struggle with clay/poor drainage issues. BUT, nothing ventured... So I will be ordering lupine seed as well and hoping for the re-seeding miracle! Thank you again for all the good info and inspiration! Posted: 2:42 pm on February 26th

Daisy8 writes: Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden and delphinium success story. I live in a similar climate (Indiana) & have also had delphiniums die over the winter. Do you do any special maintenance before, during & after the flowering period (ex. applying a special type of fertilizer at certain times, cutting back to an inch or so before winter, covering crowns with coarse sand to deter slugs, etc.) to help them flourish & return for four years? I love blue delphiniums & have heard that delphinium elatum might be a good choice for our area. I'm going to purchase some this spring & give them another try. What species do you grow in Ohio? Posted: 1:09 pm on February 26th

NevadaSue writes: Daniela, Lush and beautiful is for sure. I love those trees as well. Oh for trees like that here in Nevada...... What a feast for the eyes. I just want to look at it all day. You have done a beautiful job of making your spot of land inviting and nurturing. I see that hamock in the trees, what an inviting spot to relax and soak in the beauty. Thank you for sharing. Posted: 1:08 pm on February 26th

tractor1 writes: Lovely plantings, and I like how it's all highlighted by the wooded back drop with all those mature trees. Daniella, be sure your vegetable garden deer fence is also rabbit proof, bunnies can go right through small openings. I use 6' high turkey wire with 2" x 4" openings, but rabbits can pass right through so I cover the bottom two feet with chicken wire. And some critters will dig under the fence, so I sink in a 16" strip of aluminum roof flashing. It pays to go all out on making your vegetable garden as critter proof as possible otherwise why bother. One year I even built a net roof over my strawberry and blueberry patches to keep the birds out but I should have removed it for winter as the weight of the first snow collapsed it all... I gambled that the flakes would pass through... trials and tribulations. Posted: 12:51 pm on February 26th

shineeday writes: I found what I was searching for after re-reading the flowers listed in the introduction. Japanese candelabra (primrose)and woodland poppy are the flowers pictured I hope.

Posted: 12:44 pm on February 26th

shineeday writes: Daniela or anyone,
Will you please identify the orange flowers shown in the 2nd and 4th pic on the left as well as the pink flowers with the low, green foliage in the front of the 5th pic on the left. I googled imaged all the flowers listed and what I found looks nothing like what's pictured here. Thanks Posted: 12:11 pm on February 26th

shineeday writes: Oh Daniela, I adore your garden. In fact, this is what I would love my garden to grow into one day in the future.

I am taking notes as I read through the post (which is now customary for me) because I learn so many new things. Not only do I familiarize myself with the featured flowers, I learn things like (re-occurring annuals or annuals that re-seed themselves) I also take notes to log the tips ( using annuals to fill in gaps) I receive via the general conversations taking place here.

I will look differently at annuals now that I know some of them re-seed. I have a refrigerator drawer full of annual seed packs that I will consider making apart of my previously "no annuals allowed" perennial garden, whether they re-seed themselves or not.

Thank you for sharing the knowledge as well as the beauty.

Posted: 11:39 am on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: Do we have deer? Oh yes we do have deer, rabbits, groundhogs, raccoon and squirrel. Seven years ago we installed a 5 foot invisible fence through the woods and sides that has helped a lot with the deer damage. I also spray with Liquid fence as often as I remember. A lot of the plants that we added over the last few years are not liked by the deer but the tulips, hostas, daylilies and my vegetable garden are under constant attack. This year we are planning to add a taller fence around the vegetable beds because this is the year I will not share my tomatoes and peppers with the deer! Posted: 10:50 am on February 26th

Happily_Gardening writes: How lush and beautiful, an absolute treat for the eyes. You have created a heavenly oasis! Goodness the sitting area is so inviting...may I bring the sparkling cranberry juice? Posted: 10:41 am on February 26th

Annek writes: The last photo on the left is so unbelievably lush and intense. Well...actually your entire garden is lush and intense! Thanks for sharing! Posted: 10:40 am on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: Thank you everyone for your much-appreciated comments!
To respond to meander1: yes those are lupines and yes this plants are very short lived and difficult to grow in Ohio. I will probably surprise you again sharing that these were started from seed as well and bloomed like that the second year. All the lupines and delphiniums that I bought over the years, I killed. I took a break for a few years and then tried again. The success came after we installed the roses bed. It is a RAISED bed with lots of sand and organic compost added to the soil and it is the bed where I can grow anything... for a while. I lost some of the lupines but more re-seed every year so we have a fresh supply every year. The delphinium you see in the picture is now 4 years old. We will see how long it will last. Posted: 10:39 am on February 26th

bee1nine writes: thevioletfern- I too, noticed the tree-lined border and
remember (about 10 yrs. ago) how we HAD a nice little woods
in our back yard, until developers came and cleared it out
to make room for more houses! Posted: 10:26 am on February 26th

DSBaloi writes: Bee1nine: Thank you for your comments. The path has no annuals filling out gaps because there are no more gaps (smile). The walkway plants you see are all perennials. The bright chartreuse color is provided by Creeping Jenny (Lysmachia nummularia), or small Hosta “friends” that had been multiplying easily. Golden edge sedge (Carex brunnea “Variegata”) , heuchera, hardy cranesbill ( Geranium canatbrigienese), blue carpet stonecrop and yellow corydalis we found that are ground covers for edge that provide foliage interest all season long. Some edgers that provide some nice blooms are balloon flowers and several varieties of bellflowers.
Most years, the only annuals we buy anymore are for the pots around the garden. Some of the re-occurring annuals that re-seed themselves are cleomes and nicotiana. We also winter thirty or so pots of frost sensitive plants in our sunroom and these provide flower or foliage interest all year long.
Posted: 10:26 am on February 26th

ambowers writes: This is a gardeners heaven. Beautiful. Would love to see pictures of the entire property. Great job!!!! Posted: 10:24 am on February 26th

Steepdrive writes: That is one lovely garden. I wish my lupines got that tall. Maybe my zone here in MD is too warm for them. Beautiful! Posted: 10:14 am on February 26th

SueLHommedieu writes: What a beautiful job you have done designing your garden. Thanks for sharing it Posted: 10:07 am on February 26th

thevioletfern writes: I said to myself, oh, to have such a beautiful tree-lined property such as yours ... I am in love with the primula! They are beautiful. Very impressed that you started those from seed. I'm going to plant another tree. Posted: 9:26 am on February 26th

pattyspencer writes: Really pretty - love all the planting. A surprise indeed to see all this beauty! Posted: 9:05 am on February 26th

bee1nine writes: WOW! Breathtaking..all so lovely and lush during your month
of May display! Let's see, top photo-right side, I assume
you fill in with some annuals along the walkway edge?
Thank you for sharing all this lavish beauty!:) Posted: 7:51 am on February 26th

Vojt writes: Idyllic! What a treat to see your colorful, Spring garden. The primrose and astrantia are especially nice. Posted: 7:33 am on February 26th

meander1 writes: Daniela, what a delightful stroll through your garden...it is sublime. Are the tall spikes of flowers behind your red and white roses some of your lupines? Whatever... that whole grouping is glorious. Our east TN heat and humidity always kills off lupines and delphiniums but this is how they look in my imagination when I ignore the hard lessons of experience and some if I see them offered for sale in the spring. I plant them with the hope they were flourish and give me majestic spikes like yours. Sigh...it never happens. Posted: 7:29 am on February 26th

tntreeman writes: beautiful ! the result of a lot of work and water (mostly sweat). what kind of mulch do you use and i saw no evidence of a fence,,, do you not have deer issues there? Posted: 5:48 am on February 26th

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