mainer59

I think the euphorbia may be myrsinites. I bought it just last week after admiring it for a season at a container in downtown Norway, ME. It's leaves are so interesting and continue after any flowers have faded. Not knowing all the names of the plants doesn't seem to matter since you really know how to use them to best advantage.

It's a work of art, both literally and figuratively. I knew you were a great gardener from your insightful daily comments, but this shows that you are an artist, too. Choosing the sculpture, its setting, and its clematis companion are proof of your artistic talent.

I love it. I also like seeing the garden behind a daily commentator. Do you know what wildflowers grow in front of that old tree? It's a "spring garden" in the British tradition. No need to apologize for not mowing; mowing would ruin the lovely effect there.

Thank you all for your kind words. Happy spring to all of you!

Thank you for your comments. The photos were taken last Thursday morning. We finally had rain after days of gorgeous weather that were great for the gardener but not so good for the plants. It is hard to photograph when the sun is out. Things really perked up after a few days of showers. Now the daffodils are fading and the forscythia is dropping its petals. The before pictures were posted April 12, 2012. You can click on the search by state and scroll through Maine (there aren't that many) until you get to my before pictures.

If it weren't for the photo showing the street below it would be hard to believe that this is an in town garden on a busy street. You have created a sanctuary. I marvel at the salvia. In Maine we grow it as an annual (although it really is a tender perennial). Not every garden center has it so it is something I seek out, but for fall color. Does it bloom for you all season long?

What a wonderful solution to a potential eyesore and a chance to expand gardening opportunities. I heard a talk on gardening among rocks recently and every slide was stunning artistically. Halls Pond Nursery is a small place in Maine, but do look at the photos if you are interested in this kind of thing. http://hallspondgardens.blogspot.com/ It is in a completely different climate than Utah and shows that this kind of planting works in other settings.

I have read about British hazel stakes. I am surrounded by the great north woods in New England, but our trees aren't hazel. What else works? Do you cut off lower branches, or do hazels sucker and you cut suckers? Would alder work? I am all for free stakes, and natural ones, too, but I don't know what to use and how to do it.

Thank you for sharing more with us. I join others in wishing you a speedy recovery from the hurricane. If things are lost, I hope it creates new opportunity. Here's my question: I see from one of your photos that you grow hosta and daylilies together. I have recently put in a hosta area, but it does get afternoon sun. I have been researching and buying ones that can take sun, but perhaps you have recommendations from your experience.

I am amazed at your artistry. Different photos of different places in the garden reveal completely different styles. Each is done to perfection. You know your plants (thank you for the names) and you know how to put them together. Do send more photos. I'd love to see your June memory garden in its summer colors, and any other dramatic changes you have as the season progresses in the very same space.

What lovely winter pictures and description! How apt to see it today when it is snowing yet again. I am so glad you included a picture of your summer color, too. A lot can be said for the changes we have with 4 seasons. Where in Maine are you located?

An amazing thing about a well planned garden, like yours, is that it looks full and lush in several seasons. When it seems a garden is gorgeous and there will be nothing to see in a month or so, a new cast of plants emerge to take the place of fading members. I loved looking back and forth between your 2 posts. The top picture in this post is especially fun because you took a picture from the same vantage point in the spring collection. Thank you for sharing another season with us.

The first photo looks like a serene painting. Thank you for the captions with the names of the flowers. I like the glass garden in a green setting. Are they made of several pieces stacked and glued? Are guineas truly garden friendly? I had free range chickens but had to pen them after they did a lot of damage to my gardens.

I love your structures! Did you design them yourself, or are their plans available? Are they held together with twine? They make a veg garden look so much prettier. My pole bean structure collapsed this summer, and not only did it now look ugly, but damage to the plants' roots severely affected my harvest. I need tips to make mine sturdy and beautiful, like yours are.

It's a lovely space and I am sure it is a refuge in the middle of a city. It is interesting that the plants you listed also grow here in Maine. Trashy woman, I posted the name of the plant you asked about this morning on the link to those pictures.

Trashy Woman, I asked the garden owner the identity of that [erennial with the yellow flowers. It's helianthus "lemon queen". She said it's indestructible and easily divided. Bees love it. It's an improved variety of "Jerusalem artichoke".

meander1, you are correct in that identification. That photo is from the largest garden on the tour. tractor1, Perhaps I will be able to share more photos of it, with the owner's permission. Every garden pictured was designed and tended by the owner. We have amazing amateurs in western Maine.

What stunning plant combinations! The few photos you sent showing more of your garden are also lovely. I like the white of Hosta Patriot lightening that part of the boarder. Please post more photos another time showing the combinations and how they work in your overall scheme. It looks like your garden is pretty big and uses all colors from cool to hot.

Kate, I also double dig a new bed by hand (unless I am digging sand fill out by hand). Maybe your topsoil is thin like mine, and a rototiller can only work the top and not get into the glacial till below, There are also rocks to remove by hand. Once a bed is done, it never has to be done again. Top mulching and compost additions into holes when new plants are put in is all that is needed. Your flowers look healthy and vibrant, clearly enjoying where they are.

Your garden is lovely, shown to perfection with your stunning photography. The light is perfect. It is hard to express the effect, dreamy, impressionistic, romantic...

You have done well creating a personal space with room for outdoor activities while honoring your extraordinary view. I assume the gazebo is a lookout point. Thank you for showing the carport, house, terracing and all to get a better idea of how you have carved a beautiful spot out of a mountainside. The boulders here and there link to the natural state while the lush plantings in other places tame the wild landscape.

There's not much left to say after yesterday's comments. I think "WOW", said by many, sums it up. I like the way a vegetable garden is part of the cultivated area.

I love your garden design! You show how effective it can be to use a lot of the same plant. Your maintenance is perfect, especially impressive since you work full time. I second the sentiment in hoping that you and your garden were spared the worst that Sandy had to offer. Since you work in NYC, know that the whole country is sending thoughts for a speedy recovery.

What wonderful photography of a gorgeous garden. The second photo down on the right column looks like a painting. How do you find the time to put your feet up? Your garden looks so well cared for. Some of us are letting ours go by now, but with yours everything still looks perfect. I, too, love the late blooming blue monkshood (carmichaeli) and look forward to mine becoming a larger plant like yours is.

I love color and I love your garden! What is that blue flower carpeting the area in the photo with the wooden steps and railing? Do comment on a previous person's question on what potting mix/ fertilizer you use in your containers.

What kind of rose do you have on that arbor? I love it! I can't get my roses or clematis to make it all the way to the top of mine.

What an interesting garden! I was surprised to hear that coyotes are such a problem. This web site from Mass. gives the low down on coyotes: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_coyotes.htm. I think they could be removed since they really are a threat, but I think the fence must be a neceesity against deer, too. Clever idea on how to hide the fence.

It is lovely! How much loam did you put over the gravel (not tons, but inches). Do you have a watering issue, or is your soil well improved? If improved, do you add compost yearly?

Thank you, everyone. Yes, it took a lot of fill. Most is sand, so with holes punched in the bottom of the pool liner I have perfect drainage. The top 2 feet are loam and compost. As for a deer issue, there is a fence around it. It is low enough that deer could jump over it but I think they don't come into small enclosed spaces. However, they never touch the daylilies by the road that are unprotected. Maybe this is because we are rural: there is a lot of feed out there in the woods and fields. My deer issue is on woody plants like lilacs, and that damage is in the winter and early spring. I now cage them in the fall, removing the cages in the spring.

I saw a lot of Russian sage in the Montreal area a few years ago (especially at the Flora exposition) so it must be a lot hardier than zone 6. I grow it here in Maine (zone 5), but I find it is slow to establish. It looks better other places around here than it does at my house, so it may be one of those plants that prefers a particular habitat over others.