Garden Photo of the Day

Hannah’s Flower Garden

A flower hobby alongside a vegetable job

Hannah's Flower Garden

Today’s photos come from Hannah Miller.

Hi GPOD people! I am an organic vegetable farmer alongside my husband and four kids in southeastern Minnesota, near Rochester. My passion is my flower beds near our home, which we built four years ago from a total blank slate when it came to landscaping. I love to start perennials from seed to save money, and I also start lots of annuals each year for continuous color. Our winters are long, but the summers make up for it. Some of my new favorite annuals include the Zinnia Profusion Series, which you will see bordering many of my beds, as well as Victoria blue salvia.

white hydrangeaA dramatic white hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 3–8) complements some Victoria blue salvia (Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’, Zones 8–10 or as an annual).

bright colorful flowersPlantings in bright, primary colors, with the backdrop of farm fields beyond.

The low-growing zinnias from the Zinnia Profusion Series (Zinnia × marylandica, annual) edging this bed are shorter and more disease resistant than the old-fashioned zinnias (Zinnia elegans, annual) growing behind them.

Heuchera sanguinea red flowersThough we most often think of heuchera as plants grown for colorful foliage, the species Heuchera sanguinea (Zones 3–8) has spikes of showy bright red flowers in summer. Here they form the edge of the bed, backed up by a mass of taller perennials blooming their heads off.

pink and white hollyhocksHollyhocks (Alcea rosea, Zones 2–10) are old-fashioned flowers that look great in any garden. The plants are biennial or short-lived perennials, but they often self-sow year after year. They can be prone to a disease called rust, especially in humid climates, but when happy they are one of the most beautiful flowers out there.

child next to flowersOne of Hannah’s children is dwarfed by tall, flowering perennials.

big mass of purple coneflowersA big mass of purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3–8).

Soft yellow asiatic liliesSoft yellow Asiatic lilies (Lilium hybrid, Asiatic group, Zones 4–9), with spikes of blazing star (Liatris spicata, Zones 3–9) just coming into bloom in front.

garden with farm in the backgroundA view of the garden looking out onto the farmland beyond.

Hannah Miller in her gardenThe gardener in her natural habitat.

If you want to see more of Hannah’s beautiful garden, check out her instagram: @hannahs_garden_journal

 

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Comments

  1. garden1953 02/22/2021

    WOW! What gorgeous gardens! I love them.
    Thanks so much for sharing your photos of them!

  2. User avater
    vanhatalosuomi 02/22/2021

    Very vivid coloring - great photos. Thanks for sharing

  3. cathyshoe 02/22/2021

    Lovely and inspiring!

  4. User avater
    treasuresmom 02/22/2021

    My, my, my, how very lovely! Does your family farm as well?

  5. daisy8 02/22/2021

    I love your vivid, contrasting colors in your beautiful beds. Including a picture with your daughter in the garden & a picture of you makes me feel like I have met the gardeners. I will have to try the low growing Zinnia Profusion Series in my gardens this year. Thanks for sharing!

  6. sumhillgardener 02/22/2021

    What a gorgeous garden and so impressive that it thrives in a climate which must be quite cold. Fabulous colorful flowers and flower combinations. Lovely to see the fields beyond and your cute daughter! Do you sell cut flowers ? Great job !

    1. hannahm 02/22/2021

      I used to sell cut flowers and maybe one day I will again!

  7. lilholloway 02/22/2021

    I am so impressed with your method of planting in such a way as to deter weeds. One of my issues, not planting close enough. Beautiful, beautiful colors. Your work and photos are magazine quality. I want to just wander and enjoy the beauty,

  8. sheila_schultz 02/22/2021

    Hannah, your gardens are smile inspiring! They are vivid and lush... simply perfection!

  9. carolineyoungwilliams 02/22/2021

    Hannah, your garden is absolutely gorgeous. I love your bold mix of colors, your plant selection and your color combination. I love everything that you have done in your garden. Thank you for sharing your beautiful handiwork. Perfect way to start the day...especially after a week of snow.

    1. User avater
      cynthia2020 02/22/2021

      What Caroline said!

      Oh, Hannah - it was lovely to see something of your gardens and family!

  10. coastalgardener 02/22/2021

    Wow...double wow! Such a beautiful array of colors, and how lucky you are to have such amazing views from your garden. I'd forgotten how lovely hollyhocks can be. I must try growing a few this summer.

  11. SueMccreary 02/22/2021

    Your garden is gorgeous! I'm in awe that you grow most of your flowers from seed. You have a great eye for planning the color combinations as well. THank you for sharing your garden.

  12. User avater
    simplesue 02/22/2021

    I'm so impressed with your flowers beds!

    Are your purple coneflowers just basic ones or do they have some fancy name too? I'm having such a hard time finding" regular basic Purple Cone flowers" through online nurseries, as plants, not seeds. What ever kind you have in your photo is just what I would love to find.

    Amazing Hollyhocks!!!!!!!

    And so nice to "meet" the gardener- you- that we are all talking to and vision virtually.

    1. User avater
      simplesue 02/22/2021

      oops should have not let spell check switch up my typing errors- that was supposed to say "visiting" virtually.

    2. hannahm 02/22/2021

      These came from Geo seeds and they are listed simply as “echinacea purpurea.” I believe they are the basic, native ones and they do great for me!

  13. blondie3 02/22/2021

    Wow, very lush gardens, how long is your growing season, in Minnesota?

    1. hannahm 02/22/2021

      Last frost date in the spring is May 15th and we go till about October 1

  14. blondie3 02/22/2021

    very lush gardens, how long is your growing season, in Minnesota?

  15. schatzi 02/22/2021

    Everything is beautiful, including the little 'gardener'.
    Also LOVE the huge rock!

  16. Sunshine111 02/22/2021

    Stunning! Your combinations are fantastic!

  17. User avater
    bdowen 02/22/2021

    Love the color combinations. Glad to see I'm not the only one in the country who still uses a "solar clothes dryer"!
    Thank you for sharing what you have created.

  18. btucker9675 02/22/2021

    Oh, those hollyhocks! So jealous since I've had very little luck with them no matter what I do... The colors of your gardens remind me of beautiful stained glass windows.

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