greenthumblonde

Okay Meander1, if you can do it so can I. I start fee guilty when I see a unique garden ornament because I know at this point I'm sneaking it into the garden. I know I need to control myself. I had to hide my 2 1/2 foot tall concrete bunny behind some bushes because my family made fun of me. But he's coming out for all to see. I really enjoy all your garden characters. Though every one is pretty classy. Especially your horse.

Oops sorry for the double post

This is the first garden in a while that jump starts my creativity. I am going to sit on the patio in the sun today and come up with some new ideas. Love all the spaces in your garden. I went back in time and looked at your older contributions. Thanks!

This is the first garden in a while that jump starts my creativity. I am going to sit on the patio in the sun today and come up with some new ideas. Love all the spaces in your garden. I went back in time and looked at your older contributions. Thanks!

Phenomenal! And what a beautiful home to wrap a garden around. Can't wait till Monday.

These photos made me feel as happy as if they were in my own back yard. Delightful!

That was a lot of work. Nice job. Welcome back Michelle.

We miss you. Pinterest it is. Take it easy and get better soon.

Just beautiful! I think if I had to move all those rocks I'd make something out of them. How about a dry stack stone wall? Awesome property. Beautiful garden.

Okay I went on line to buy that black foliage dahlia with the pink blossom and it is NOT 'Juiet'. 'Juliet' lacks the dark magenta center and yellow stamens. So with some google sleuthing I found it. It is called Black leaved dahlia ‘happy wink’. Now I'm going to buy one.

GarPho, just beautiful! Your garden is getting me in the mood for planting. I hope you are up and healthy soon. I did what tntreenman suggested and went back and forth from your spring garden to the fall garden. So fun. I know you have to go through your house with everything, so I was wondering what you do with your blue ceramic pots in the winter? Cover them? Empty the dirt? Turn upside down? I'm always curious because I tackle this in different ways. But hauling pots inside is something I don't do anymore. Too many pots.

tractor1, I do not have a vegetable garden. Not allowed on my lot. But if I grow a tomato plant and basil in a pot I think that still makes me a gardner. I hope you concur ;) Oh, and I have an apple tree. But the family farms and roadside stands in my community grow better vegetables than I could ever hope to. So, for now at least I have to be just a flower gardener.

I think it's awesome that you have your kids out there. Suck them in while they're young. I had my son planting annuals at 5. He's 23 and I don't think the gardening bug stuck with him but you never know. A little piece of yard has a way of transforming people. I just wrote about that very thing on my blog. I love all your ornaments you've collected and your garden is a beautiful reflection of you. It's a gift that you can design for others too.

Some gardens make me long for spring. This garden inspires me to be a better garden designer. Phenomenal use of evergreen exclamation points.

Meander1, thanks for your kind words and for stopping by my blog. Every morning you take the time to offer kind words and observations here at Fine Gardening's morning dose of sunshine. That skill of brightening someone's day is as effective as the flowers.

There are a some more photos on my blog jmeissner.com. I took so many photos it was hard to narrow them down. While I try to visit gardens wherever I travel I can not take credit for the visit to Ecuador in the links provided above. I wish!

What a fun post. Nature with a sense of humor.

I just love this property. Special.

Nice work Bill. I too am from Ohio and every year I plant a banana. I've been using a variety with a black spotted leaf. I never thought I could actually get it to live through winter though. This spring when I plant my annual banana I'm going to look at it differently. I will consider it a perennial. And the following spring when it miraculously lives, I will think of Bill from Ohio who miraculously lived. Happy New Year.

That is a really cool plant. And thanks for the info cwheat000. And to the parents and lovely people of Newtown you have my heavy hearted condolences.

I love how really natural the dry creek bed looks. So well done.

Thank you all. Vespasia, that is an extra large 8 foot spa. It gets us out in the cool evenings. The wine stays chilled on the edge while we stay toasty warm. Two houses would never been something I would have considered but my father-in-law needed a home to live in. We were fortunate to be able to help him out in this way. Then our son decided he'd like to attend the University of South Florida, and he too now lives in the home. We fly back and forth every two weeks or so. So home for two, shovel snow, back to warm up. Having a second garden has been a joy. My lack of zone 9 knowledge has humbled me.

Thank you all. Plant lady 55, yes it has irrigation. Learning the environment and special challenges of The Tampa climate has been interesting. On the one hand there was a drought this spring and summer which led to water rationing. Followed by record flooding and rainfall in late summer. If the poor plants aren't dying of thirst they 're drowning. I do a lot of reading but I tend to learn the most by failure. When you move, feel free to contact me if you want to chat. I'm starting to understand the bug seasons better too. Jmeissner.com

Thank you all. Plant lady 55, yes it has irrigation. Learning the environment and special challenges of The Tampa climate has been interesting. On the one hand there was a drought this spring and summer which led to water rationing. Followed by record flooding and rainfall in late summer. If the poor plants aren't dying of thirst they 're drowning. I do a lot of reading but I tend to learn the most by failure. When you move, feel free to contact me if you want to chat. I'm starting to understand the bug seasons better too. Jmeissner.com

I love it. Really well executed. I'm working toward the same concept in my Florida home.

Great water feature! Well done.

Your garden reminds me of the gardens of Piet Oudolf. Really really lovely. I would love to see your grasses in winter.

tractor1, thanks for the pineapple explanation. Seems like the same process of ripening is true for many fruits, whether it's the apples picked fresh from my little tree in Ohio or the kumquats from my Tampa garden, you just can't beat fresh picked. I can't wait to plant another pineapple next year. Although I have to say after I ate it I really missed it as my pot centerpiece.

Oh, the stone face girl I got at a nursery called Daisy Hill on the east side of Cleveland a few years ago. The glazed pot was from Smith and Hawken, who's demise was like losing a good friend.

Thank you all. Plant_Paradise, after seeing all your space I can see why pots would not be your thing. You are blessed with so much room. And you grow things from scratch! I realize the reason I need pots in my life is I'm always wanting something different from the year before, but I'm out of room. I have to take home something from the nursery in the spring or it doesn't seem like spring.

Dear Michelle,

When I comment on a daily garden photo, I wish I could follow the conversation more easily. I wish there was an option (a button in the comment box) that allowed all the comments from the person's garden which was shared, to be forwarded by email.

For instance, when another reader asks a question that I too am interested in the answer to, the owner of the garden's responses are all forwarded. So if I take the time to comment, every comment from the owner would go to my email. I would see answers to other questions or comments readers had and it would reward my comment and interaction. Even the gardener's note of thanks and appreciation would find it's way to my mailbox. I don't need to see every comment from everyone. Just the featured gardener's responses.

What do you think?

Jan Meissner
Green Thumb Blonde

Is it possible to have 24 acres of just delphiniums? What a dream. At least I think so. Do you have help with weeding, maintenance, etc. on such a large property? How much is natural and how much is maintained? I just got about 1/2 way through fall clean up on my quarter acre and my back was just curious.

Syd, your crape myrtle is beautiful. Is that a protected area you have it in? A micro climate? I've always wanted one but I'm on the edge here. 6 minutes south of Lake Erie, just not quite close enough to support one through winter. 6b? 7a? Ahh so close and yet so far. I'm 6a-ish. Beautiful work. I too am an artist. Similar philosophies. :)

This has to be one of my favorite posts of all time. And I read every one, every day. You have a beautiful garden and an attitude to match. And I see some un-nibbled hostas. I think the deer have perhaps restrained themselves just a little bit, in honor of your positive approach.

Really great textures. Love the house too!

I have to go here! As I see so many small local nurseries go out of business around me, it's great to see one so spectacular thriving. It's the kind of nursery that inspires a next generation of gardeners. Wow.

I love the way you kept continuity throughout the whole property. Well conceived. You have me wishing for a waterfall. I just dread shutting down a simple fountain in the winter so I've resisted the urge to make such a majestic water feature commitment. Ah... your property is a bad influence. ;-)

That's what is right outside? Stunning combinations. I think looking at beauty has healing power so you should be better by tomorrow. ;)

I really love seeing the mix of professionally designed gardens and the home spun gardens. The daily posts have had such a great variety of styles. I'm loving my morning dose of green.

This was a fun post because we not only got to see before and after, but "during". Labor of love, clearly.

Berkeley, that looks like sedum acre, golden carpet, but the owner of that sensational garden could probably say for sure. If so, it's a great ground ground cover for sunny areas. Once it's established around the stones it will cover them soon enough so be prepared to cut I with a pair of scissors and lay it anywhere you want to hid mulch in the sun. That ground cover gets more comments than any other plant in my garden.

What a fantastic retreat that is.

Okay the mountains are amazing but the butterfly with the dog in the background just pulls me right into the garden. Wonderful images.

@Vojt Yes that stone structure is a gate. A landscape designer I know and admire designed the structure for a Cleveland Home and Garden show feature garden. The metal portion is steel and was bent and fabricated in their shop. Shorter pieces of steel were inserted into drilled holes in the stone and "glued" into the stone with cement that is used in underwater applications. The gate swings on a simple pin type hinge and latches in a style similar to a keychain ring that opens. The steel was originally painted a beautiful hydrangea blue. It appears to pass through the stone and emerges out the other side. In it's original installation the metal continued throughout the garden undulating through trees, disappearing into the ground and emerging a few feet away. It was quite beautiful. After the home and garden show, I painted the steel with copper paint for a more subtle effect in my garden. The large stones are planted about 2 1/2 feet in the ground. The gate is one of my favorite finds. I'm glad you enjoyed it too.

That's a beautiful water feature. I love the way the water drops so far forward from the back. It's like a little cave behind the fall.

What colorful combinations. And admirable that you spend the time to dig out and overwinter the oxalis.

@Roho, glad you made it to to site. I find Ms. Gervais' daily pics like a little daily vitamin for my gardeners soul. I hope you find it equally satisfying. Welcome!

This is so serene. I wish I could wander through this garden.

The land you've transformed is a work of art.

I love all the hard scape elements you've created. They really show off the conifers. I love to garden in a space as large as yours. Serene. Deer have found my garden so I'm going to try your conifer strategy.

Mmmm. All I need is a hot cup of tea.

I love the sharp square angles juxtaposed to the almost watery texture of the grasses. Maybe it's fall clean-up looming, but for some reason I keep thinking of the poor person who will be cutting down all the tall miscanthus come spring.

I've had problems finding outdoor mirrors. Anyone have luck with that?

Michelle, I wish I had your job. Getting paid to share beauty like this. Not a bad gig.

that's hysterical

Awesome. Thank you.

I can't grow spanish moss in my zone but I could try to get the same effect with dichondra silver falls hanging in hidden pots from a big ash in my back yard. Oooh. Thanks for the idea. Watering is going to be a challenge.

The prettiest garden ornament there is.

Since this specimen is on a standard, the only hard part about growing it is that it has had to remain staked. The head gets so large that I'm afraid it is too top weighted for it's own good. I prune the head (keeping it fluffy of course) to keep it within reason. Otherwise, yes, it is very easy.

I purchased the plant at a local garden center. I frequent about 7 different garden centers as well as a huge midwest grower looking for new cool things I haven't tried yet. I saw it only once about 3 or 4 years ago and have not seen it anywhere since. I scooped it up right away. It was rather pricey and a man buying tomato plants asked what it was. He thought it was as silly as its price tag and said he was going to stick to tomatoes. So far, deer have not found it all that desireable either.

ncgardener, thanks for your comment on neat borders. I obsess over borders. I cut them back with a straight edge three times a year and my lawn service holds the weed whacker vertical and hits the edges weekly. They also whack all the hosta leaves unfortunately. Which means I have to go back and remove the damaged leaves. But I don't mind. I'm happy the grass is cut so I can focus on the fun stuff.

I forgot to mention, because a bird cage is so airy and open on all sides, I did not use a cactus soil mix. Traditional potting soil drains and dries out very fast because there are no sides to hold moisture in. After winter I just snip off the little chicks that are dangling. If the bird cage you use has a deep bottom, punch a few holes so water is not sitting in it.

HOW TO: For most bird cages the bottom slides out or comes off. Turn the birdcage upside down and line the bars with large sheets of moss. Fill with potting soil (I used Miracle Grow with the slow release fertilizer) as you work your way up the cage. If you are filling a large cage, be sure to give a little structural integrity to the interior of the cage by laying cut wire from coat hangers across the interior, resting the ends on the wire cage. This will help keep the whole thing from squishing or settling over time. When your cage is packed tight with dirt, water it while it's upside down to be sure the soil is moist and the cage is very full of top soil. Put the bottom back on and flip it over.
The next step is to punch holes in the moss with a screwdriver and wiggle it around to make a planting hole. Take your little succulents, and stuff their stems or roots into the holes. It's painstaking, but so is weeding, and this is the opposite action. Space the larger plants evenly around, or near the top. Fill in the sides with the little chicks. When you are done stuffing, give the whole cage a light watering to make sure the plants have good contact with the soil. Have fun!

To soilgoil and your problematic weed infestation of your wooly thyme: My thyme would be infested also but I have to pull pull pull. Wait until you have a crazy heavy downpour so your soil is supersaturated. Then, pour a glass of wine. (You'll need it). Put a knee pad under your butt. Sit down and grab every one of the hundreds of invaders by the very base and pull straight up. It is tedious. You may need multiple rains to get them all. Persistence pays off. And the wine makes it possible :)

Weeds and grass are the high maintenance drawback of every ground cover.

I have a De Groot's Spire Arborvitae that looks like yours. Does that name ring a bell?