My patience has been rewarded. The days of staring at mostly-bare-dirt beds with puny divisions of shrubs and perennials are over. The beds that I created the soonest after we moved in have now filled in. Granted, there are a lot of self-sowers filling in the gaps, but give me a viola over a dandelion in a garden bed any day. Here’s what the Front Walk North bed looked like in September 2012:
The front walk had not yet been installed when this bed was created in fall 2012
What a difference two years makes! This is the same bed viewed from the front walk.
Lots of bare dirt in Fall 2012.
That rose from the first picture has died, but the rest of the bed has done well.
More Highlights From My Cold Climate Garden
Serendipity: These pansies just happened to bloom in front of ‘Dark Towers’ penstemon, whose foliage echoes the purple tones of the pansies.
Two deciduous azaleas, already here when we moved in, anchor the parking pad bed.
Siberian iris and self-sown lupines in the Slope Garden, viewed from the driveway.
Those same flowers viewed from the bottom of the slope. You can see a few ‘Bengal Tiger’ iris as well.
I’m pretty sure this peony is ‘Chestine Gowdy.’ There is a row of peonies at the bottom of the Slope Garden.
Black Cherry Supertunias and Renegade cordyline make a dynamic duo.
‘Looking Glass’ brunnera echoes the lamium in color and leaf shape. The variegated bulbous oat grass and Solomon’s shield provide contrast in color and texture in this small shade garden.
This David Austin rose, ‘Sophy’s Choice,’ is hardy when grown on its own roots (not grafted).
I don’t know why Siberian iris ‘Jay Bird’ isn’t more widely grown. What a gorgeous blue!
Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens, and leave a link in Mr. Linky and the comments of May Dreams Gardens. Note: the Black Cherry supertunias were received free of charge to trial in my garden.
what colors do you have?
Very nice selection of flowers ! And great improvement over the last 2 years. Great job !
I love visiting your garden and seeing so many flowers in bloom. Ah, to have flowers everywhere you turn. Nice blog.
Wow! What a transformation. I love the pops of color. Those Jay Birds are gorgeous!! Cheers!
One time at our garden club’s “Spouse Picnic” in August there were 5 prizes awarded at drawings. One by one the prizes were chosen. I got the last number drawn and there was a strange bulb that hadn’t been chosen. My introduction to Colchicums. Just last week I trimmed off the huge patch of deterioriated foliage and now we wait for the huge autumn surprise! It’s been about 15 years of regular increasing bloom!
What a great story, Chris! You can probably divide that clump and spread it around if you want.
Just beautiful! We just cleared our a ton of our beds this year, and I’m looking forward to trying some new flowers maybe next year! What do you suggest? Your gardens are so stunning!
Just beautiful! We just cleared our a ton of our beds this year, and I’m looking forward to trying some new flowers maybe next year! What do you suggest? Your gardens are so stunning!
fashionflowersandfood.blogspot.com
Kathy I can see why you are doing a happy dance as those beds are beautiful…and I love that blue iris…I will have to look for it.
drats… somehow I managed to delete my comment!
Things really look great in the new beds, it’s amazing how things can move ahead so quickly and I love the before and after photos. You’re right about the selfsowers. I judge my progress by what goes into the compost pile, just a few years ago it was all dandelions and thistle, now I’m starting to see a few daisies, lambsears, nicotinas…. it’s nice to have too much of a good thing every now and then!
Great combos, the pot is a great match and I never would have thought of the lamium with the brunnera, too close is what I thought but the different foliage sizes really make it a cool combo.
The picture of the pansies and penstemon is perfect.
Wow! What a difference in such a short time, I really love before and afters 🙂
The combo of petunia and cordyline is perfect, I should do the same with mine and maybe try a few red coleus since the pertunia isn’t out yet. The picture of the violas and penstemon is also a great combo, and I would have never tried the lamium with the brunnera…. so much to think about!
I see a lot of poppy seedlings. I’m going to have to go back in your archives and see what I did wrong with my seed this winter. Not a single seedling…
Just wow! Make that a just WOW!
Oh my! They are all so beautiful. I agree, the “Jay Bird” should be grown more, because it’s my favorite of all of them.
Gorgeous, Kathy. You must be so pleased.
So nice to see the progression from years past! I love that blue iris! We have a huge strip long our driveway in three different colors. It is my WW today at suchamama.com
Wow! Folks, check out Ann’s iris–what a picture!
Wow! I sure appreciate how quickly a garden fills in … You must feel so proud (and you should)! Those Jays are sweet little Siberian iris. Such wonderful color throughout your gardens and thanks for the preview of Supertunia Black Cherry – a beauty.
Thank you, Kathy. You have quite a garden yourself.
Wow, your garden is so lush and so beautiful. That short walk through the garden each morning must take a bit of time.
Yes, Charlie, it is a pretty big garden. I guess “short” is relative.
It’s amazing how just a few seasons and the careful attentions of the gardener can transform a patch of land.
Kathy, those look splendid. I’ll take a viola over a dandelion any day too. ~~Dee
I will attest to the fact that the garden looks great! I would guess “Festiva Maxima” for the whitish peony with the red flecks.
I don’t think so, Ro, because ‘Festiva Maxima’ doesn’t have the pink guard petals in any picture I’ve seen. They aren’t listing it this year, but when Old House Gardens sold ‘Chestine Gowdy’ a few years ago, it was a dead ringer for mine.
It is really looking so nice, Kathy. Your patience is definitely rewarded. And I love those petunias – really pretty color!