Garden Photo of the Day

One view, four seasons in Lori’s Colorado garden (4 photos)

--SUMMER-- Photo/Illustration: All photos courtesy of Lori Fairbanks

Today’s photos are from Lori Fairbanks. We’ve visited her garden twice before (HERE and HERE). Today she says, “I garden at about 6,000 feet in Glenwood Springs in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. These four shots of the same garden in the four different seasons, and think it’s kind of interesting to see the progression! I took the shots from inside my house looking out my bedroom window.

–FALL–

“This is a small garden, sitting up against the mountain, in partial shade. Because of the shade I can grow Japanese maples with moderate success here, and other than the maples, the garden consists of several dwarf conifers and pines, ornamental grasses, bee balm, clematis, perennial geranium, and a few annuals to fill in bare spots as they occur.”

–WINTER–

It’s so fascinating to see a garden in all four seasons like this, Lori. What a great view from your bedroom! Thanks so much for sharing.

**** The push is still on–get outside and take some last minute shots, or compile a few you took earlier in the season. I’ll be eternally grateful…. Email them to [email protected]. Thanks! ****

–SPRING–

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Comments

  1. dirtgirl1949 10/24/2013

    Lori, what beautiful 'all seasons' pics of your garden. Particularly love the one with the snow, as I know I will never see snow in my garden, but can certainly enjoy the beauty of it in someone elses garden.

  2. flowerladydi 10/24/2013

    It's charming Lori!,,,a garden does not have to be big to be great,,, and with your mountain, that is a challenge,, but you have done it well! Love the stones!,,love the shape and the smoothness of them.,,, and do especially love seeing all the snow! It is beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

  3. tractor1 10/24/2013

    Dwarf conifers are one of my favorites, and they add special interest under a blanket of snow. I love a garden like this, one that conveys individual personalty rather than the text book perfection pretending to have been created by the so-called professionals. Thank you,Lori

  4. wGardens 10/24/2013

    What a nice view from your bedroom all year around! Good variety of plants, too. What is planted in the pot on the near right... and do you leave it there all winter?

  5. user-1020932 10/24/2013

    as always your place looks great, Lori. changing seasons give us different gardens in the same place. i like seeing water hoses in photos,,,,,,,let's me know that you've been working! i so take them for granted at my place that i don't notice them. don't roll them up as i'll be using them again so often. you have achieved a great look and view

  6. User avater
    meander_michaele 10/24/2013

    This was an interesting vantage point for the series of pictures since it's probably the first thing you see each morning...open those shades and say hello to the day and your garden! What a great way to get the blood flowing and the mind thinking.
    Now, what I found fascinating in my own viewing of the photos is how I didn't fully grasp the existence of the charming statue (of St Francis of Assisi?) until the snow scene. Then he stood out in an especially beautiful way.
    How is your weather right now? Any snow yet?

  7. Quiltingmamma 10/24/2013

    Really lovely views to start the day with. I caught St. Francis right away. I really like to pick out the garden ornamentation first and then I can focus on the plant materials and bones. I have certainly learned since subscribing to this daily blog, that 'bones' really ground (no pun intended) the garden - for all seasons. Thanks for sharine

  8. CCCDDD 10/24/2013

    Tractor,
    Please send photos of your dwarf evergreens. I just removed a large Manitoba maple from my back yard & now have room for a new garden.
    Would love to include some dwarf evergreens.
    Loved Lori's 4season view. Thanks for sharing.

  9. tractor1 10/24/2013

    CCCDDD: I post photos of my conifers all the time, many types and sizes, there's one today, an unnamed spruce I bought as an 18" potted seedling at my favorite nursery six years ago for $5, now about 7'... has a very interesting contorted branching habit for a sspruce and magnificent color... for a larger view click on my name. If you need a good place to pick, choose, and refuse look here:
    http://www.iselinursery.com/
    What's a "Manitoba maple"?

  10. wildthyme 10/24/2013

    Lori, I really enjoyed the 4-season perspective. It's something I keep meaning to do, and I always seem to get distracted with some other garden chore! You've inspired me to try again, and I'm going out right now to document "fall!"

  11. GrannyMay 10/24/2013

    Lori I went back and looked at your previous posts - such a lovely garden in such a challenging area! This little corner of it must be lovely to see first thing in the morning, a hint of the what awaits you in the rest. How perfect!

    Love Japanese maples - I grew some quite successfully from seed (i.e. from keys) and kept them in containers for years. Some I planted directly into the ground. Of course you have no idea what they will turn out to be this way, but have lost nothing but your time and effort.

  12. wildthyme 10/24/2013

    Lori,I meant to also ask the cultivar name of the monarda in the "spring" photo? I have one here in my zone 4 garden, and it does very well but I'm not crazy about the color.

  13. annek 10/24/2013

    Loverly! Such pretty views. Colorado is my home state and your photos made me a bit nostalgic. Your garden is wonderful.

  14. sheila_schultz 10/24/2013

    Love the 4 season shots, Lori. What a wonderful sight to see looking out your window! I'm so fond of Japanese Maples, I may have to dream up a spot for one over the winter... I hope your fall was glorious!

  15. PamWittenberg 10/24/2013

    That spring sunshine is something else...and the summer lovelies...and the fall color...and then there's the blanket of snow...I can just hear the quiet of the winterscape even though I get no snow in my garden. Beautiful...

  16. pattyspencer 10/24/2013

    Love seeing all 4 seasons like that - really gives an insight to the way your garden evolved over the season

  17. tractor1 10/24/2013

    CCCDDD: "Manitoba Maple" goes under several aliases I'm not familiar with... doesn't seem to be a desireable tree. There are many other maple trees I'd prefer.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo

  18. 7lfair 10/24/2013

    When my husband and I got married 15 years ago, this was the first garden in our acre of property to get a makeover. It is the garden we see the most often, and he had nothing but weeds and old corn cobs laying in this wonderful "gardening opportunity," so I got to work. I have redesigned it may times over the last 15 years, and though I am never totally happy with my designs, its getting better.
    The plant on the right is an Orangeola Japanese Maple. I move it into my garage for the winter, and water it 2 or 3 times before moving it back out to the yard in the spring. But my Japanese maples in the ground survive the winters outside quite willingly.
    I was wondering when someone was going to mention the hoses that always seem to be present in my photos! I do notice that other contributors to GPOD seem to be able to hide their hoses! But I feel lucky if I get it together to snap the photo, let alone move the hoses first : )
    I love dwarf conifers as well. I love to use conifers in garden design, but the old fashioned cultivars just out grow most gardens too quickly. I have a couple of dozen dwarfs, and some unique ones, with weeping and odd growing habits and lovely showy pine cones. We love unique conifers, in fact, some of the ones we grow are so different that people question why we would have such strange trees : )
    I will try to find the name of the monarda in the summer pic and post it later.

  19. user-1020932 10/24/2013

    ok, Lori, now i need to know which conifer varieties people question. i have many many dwarf conifers here and the "weird" ones are always my favorites both in the earth and in containers. you picked a winner with Orangeola, great all season color and habit.

  20. cwheat000 10/24/2013

    Quite lovely! I am enjoying the same garden in different season photos, some recent contributors have posted. All have really had a lot to offer in all seasons. Lori, I like your honesty. I am right with you about the hoses and barely getting the pictures taken. Your monarda is beautiful. I have a smaller clump with what looks like the same color. My variety is 'Claire Grace'; not sure if yours is the same.

  21. janeeliz 10/25/2013

    What a wonderful garden to awaken to each morning. It's very unique and personal in every season. Great structure, depth, height , color-you've got it all, Lori.

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