janetsfolly

Thank you, Beth, for sharing your luxuriant, exuberant gardens and the attendant critters! Ive really appreciated your plant info and thoughtful replies to all. And thank you, Michelle, for this excellent spot to learn and enjoy all things 'garden'! I'm going to use these last 4days to inspire my niece, who has a new home with much shade and is feeling a little lost in Ohio's climate...poor thing grew up in St. Croix, USVI!

No offense taken, Tractor1! You are quite knowledgable and all tips are much appreciated.

Yep, I agree with everyone! That's a gorgeous specimen of spiderwort in the 4th pic and I LOVE the blue container in a pool of Stellas. Using cool blues as contrast works well...I plan to copy several fo your container combos!
Tractor1, I've committed that shade-shot boo-boo too many times myself. When one is standing in the shade, the sunny area looks so lovely, but the camera just doesn't see it the same way our eyes and brain do!
Michelle, I've been catching up this AM and I must say, this was a week of exceptional posts! Thank you for bringing so much beauty and joy to us all!

Beautiful garden, Kim! Love the conifers, the scattered fountains, the glass whimsies, such fun! But the first pic with the magically floating pink 'clouds' brought a big smile to my face. This fellow bean counter (retired) kept thinking, ah yes, balance, balance. You've done a great job! Thanks for sharing. :-)

Love it, love it, love it! The contrast of textures, stone and foliage, keeps the eye moving and delighting in the subtle plays of color. Everything looks so healthy and lush, these must be some very happy clients. Thanks for sharing!

Mmmmm, Summertime! This is just the perfect counterpoint to the view outside my window this morning. 4-5 inches of snow, robins hopping around in confusion...pretty but I sure hope this is the end. And at least it's not 14.5"!!! Yikes! Anyway, Katie, you and your husband have done something wonderful. I love the cool, green oasis for sitting and potting, the charming veggie garden and the clematis! They are obviously very happy in your care. Great job! Looking forward to more photos, please!

Oh, Tricia, thank you for the delightful surprise! Just as I'm drooling over the waterfall pics, I discover that swing! Love it! I would happily pitch a tent in a quiet corner there and pull weeds daily to be able to experience your wonderful creation as a whole. ;-)
Michelle, thank you for bringing all this beauty and inspiration to my fingertips. Seeing and hearing what others have done (and recognizing the time and effort represented!) keeps me dreaming and doing in my own garden.

I have to chuckle at the Eight... While I think Canada geese are quite handsome, we do everything we can to discourage them from nesting on our pond in hopes the little wood ducks that visit every spring will take up residence. They come, they look, but the females always find our nest boxes wanting, for some reason. Maybe this year!

Oh, boy. What a thing of beauty you have created, Tricia! Elegant, playful, inviting in every way. I can't decide which lovely spot I would wish to occupy first! Perhaps a 'Mad Hatter' approach to try them all? Thank you so much for sharing your little piece of paradise, Tricia!

What wonderful pics! Waxwings are some of my favorite birds, I've been planting for them (and other wildlife) for several years. Like greenthumbblonde, your photos lifted my spirits as if they were in my own yard! Thanks! And I too am hoping for info on that birdbath, so appealing in it's simplicity.
Tractor1, I'm with you that birds are the jeweled adornments to my gardens, along with butterflies and dragonflies. These bring the unexpected joy to a day in the garden. When they visit I'm sure I must be doing something right!

I guess for one thing, Steve, one must love white flowers, and I know there are some folks who just don't. But yes, they are the earliest spring bulbs and always thrill my heart with their message of Spring. But a snowdrop WOOD! That is much more my thing than kneeling in the damp with a magnifying glass!

Nancy, what a treat! Every pic is so welcome, all 'heart's ease' for me! I ran out and looked...my hellebore is showing buds! Sunshine again tomorrow should nudge them open. :-) Garrya is something new for me, really special to see a native used in the landscape. All your plants look so healthy and happy.
Oh yes, hooray for Spring!!!

Wow, you guys have created a beautiful property! I am so impressed that you started all those trees and shrubs from seeds and cuttings...ah, the patience of a gardener.
I solved my vole and chipmunk problem with a kitty. She will sit by their holes for HOURS and has pretty much eliminated what was a pretty serious infestation. Of course, cats are unpredictable and you sure can't train 'em! I found the mole stakes to be pretty good but need to get more to really solve the problem.

First of all, Christine your gardens are stunning (LOVE that yew!) and thank you for the plant IDs...can't wait for tomorrow's continuation!
Second, Michelle I love your idea for a special FG edition. Don't know that I have tntreeman's powers of persuasion but would be happy to chime in if you just say the word! That would be one 'keeper' issue!

Yes, Jane, you are an artist, in word and in light. I love the top right photo, would title that 'Deep Winter'! Please send more photos of your play with color :-). I, too, enjoyed the stories of your kids' gardening gifts. Gives me a good idea for coming Mothers' Day, thanks!

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!

Wow, and wow again! What a beautiful veggie garden. I have to agree with meander1 on the soil envy as I also do my best with clay. And then you tell us, Sheila, that you have seaweed and peat for the taking! Aaaaagh! Still, there would be only rocks and trees without the hard work of the gardener. I love the photo of your two prize potatoes. Great work!

Ah, Sheila, I'm charmed! Truly the edge of Eden. I was taking another look at your woodpecker and noticed a 'stairway to heaven' beyond him?!? You have a soul-soothing retreat to look forward to.
And Michelle, this tour/gathering sounds better and better! And I love potato salad ;-)!

Thank you, Betsy, for a truly inspirational garden. If my view out the back door was anything like yours, I'd be out there every time my gaze wandered that way! And two particular thank you's: first, for naming the special plants in your lovely photos, so helpful. Second, I now know where my shrub plantings will 'migrate' to accent my vibernum collection, especially as 'cornus' offers the benefit of feeding birds. Do you have a particular supplier that specializes or were they happy discoveries?

Jenny, your garden is a joyful sight! And this is why most of us garden...to feel the joy and share it, with kids, friends, passers-by, etc.
Happily Gardening, you're on the right track! A few veggies, some scattered annuals, a pretty border around and no more mowing! Sounds great and if you share the bounty you may start a trend ;-).
And BTW, the posters here feel more like good neighbors than some in my 'real' neighborhood! I'm slowly working up the courage to submit my garden, creeeep, creeeep.

Camden has long been a favorite place to visit...I know where I'll be staying next time! These gardens make me wish I were a butterfly, just to REVEL in them! The idea of everyone meetin at Michelle's sounds great but I'm still thinking about that Halloween bash, tntreeman. Might be my favorite holiday, the season of the year, the masquerade, the opportunity to step outside our 'normal' persona...
Anyway, I'm so glad folks keep sending their photos. I've learned a ton! Thanks to one and all!

Thank you, Carol Jean for sharing your beautiful gardens and for resolving my burning question of what will be the next hydrangea to add to my collection! I will also be looking for a spot for Roguchi, hmmm. I sooo appreciate your inclusion of plant names; fellow gardeners' experience and recommendations are what I love about this site!

Oh, this is so lovely! Peonies and iris are a favorite pairing of mine, too, partly because they come at that 'sweet spot' between spring and full summer. You've done an artful job, Janet! (I only wish these pretty pictures were accompanied with plant IDs.)

Just stunning! I love everything about your gardens, in all seasons. Serene, inviting, just the right touches of excitement. My attempts at oak leaf hydrangeas have all become deer fodder, but your success makes me want to try again. Like meander1, I would love to hear your secrets to make them such 'belles'!
Thanks so much for sharing.

Well, tractor1, you have finally given me the 'tipping point' reason to buy a mantis! I have 26 little trees still to get planted this (rapidly vanishing) fall and this sounds like a real shoulder-and time-saver. Thank you!! Also, very interesting viewpoint on pros and cons of tilling - there's so much debate on this issue! More info is always helpful.

Ah, Kate, your cottage garden is just perfect...charming, unconstructed, joyous! Your hard work is truly rewarded and it certainly made me smile :). I also enjoyed your shrub garden and got some ideas there for my very large property, thank you! One question, what variety is the aesclepias in the last shot? It looks so healthy and I have to fight off hordes of aphids! What's your secret?

Teresa, I agree that your garden looks like it's been happily growing for years...just lovely! I would love to know what the taller blue flowers are near the arbor, as they seem to bloom summer into fall. Anything that spans the seasons is a winner in my book (especially blue)!
Thank you for sharing!

Those bluebirds are just further proof that I must plant sumac! Anyone have suggestions on obtaining plants or seeds?
Terie, your place is a lovely montage...thanks so much for the inspiration.

I'm not too crazy about the arbor...makes me feel unbalanced! But I LOVE Earth Code and the Web wall shot. The organic connections/reflections are perfect in their setting. And the vertical sculpture looks ready to shout for joy! I would love to visit your garden, Robert, and just get lost! Thanks so much for sharing.

This is amazing! What a beautiful playground for your bees...would love to see a photo of your bee yard :). I'm sure it's just as lovely and well tended as your gardens. And where do the chickens roam? You have created your own bit of heaven!

Wow again! Talk about lemons to lemonade...I have so many 'uneven areas' to mow and this is an outstanding solution! And that something so simple as reseeding impatiens could be so achingly lovely...yes, I am jealous! Michaele, you and your husband are truly inspired. Thank you!

Just one question, do you ever participate in garden tours? It would be worth a trp to NH to shake your hands! Just awesome, really.

This is so beautiful, rocks and water, art without artifice, and a talented photographer to share it all. I'm especially captivated by the contrasting textures, yummy! You've given me some great ideas, Lotta, thank you so much. Now I just need some big rocks ;-)!

I love your color theme, so soothing. I, also, would love to see more of what you've done! However, I would strongly suggest not moving that Bishop's Weed anywhere. It's aggressive, invasive and, though lovely at first look, can become SUCH a nuisance! Just dig it out and burn it or bag it for the landfill. My mother came to refer to it simply as 'that miserable stuff'; took her 4 years to completely eliminate it from a 3x8 bed! Ah, the joys of the garden...

What a lovely escape! I gardened in the Caribbean for 23 years and enjoyed many of these plants - Glory Bower was a mass under the stairs to our second level beach house (for the breeze!) but on St. Croix it was called Danish Banner. (The Danes owned the US Virgin Islands prior to selling them to us.)My 2 cents...paint the lamp posts brown/bronze. They'll blend with their background and the globes will seem to float in the foliage, especially at dusk/cocktail time. I wish you good luck and Godspeed with the bush and the bugs, dear! Dreams are for following.

Might be helpful to tell you that I'm in northern Ohio, zone 5.

This makes me soooo jealous! River birch are a native species and are very tough. I planted a whip, nurtured it for one season, all good. Next spring my "assistant" bush-hogged it off! No problem, this was the beginning of a lovely clump, later pruned to three and now thriving. Good idea to plant them away from areas you don't want to clear little leaves from.

retired99 is right...the government is US! I am a gardener & a farmer & all this stuff just makes me put my head in my hands. I'll buy this book & if I also win it I'll give to the library of the local high school.'Silent Spring' inspired my generation: young people are usually willing to hear all sides before they decide, even if only to be different from their parents! Can't wait for this book.