2017 Gardens

On the patio, the colours are mix and match and mostly simple flowers chosen by whim. Here - Lobelia, Verbena and Petunias

DSCF7810 LOBELIA VERBENA PETURIA ROYAL 800 MED.jpg


Old fashioned favourites ... Pansies. They are all over the place because the colours and open faces are just a treat.

DSCF7816 PANSY BASKET 800 MED.jpg


Reds for impact and lots of variety for fun in the entry garden ... New Guinea Impatiens, Salvia, Petunias, Cali and with begonias on the left.

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Early in the season, the first nest was attacked ... but just the other day I went to fill the water barrel and found the robin setting a new nest, same location. :)

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Taldesta, I like how you chose to have your perennials on the slope. Very good choice to minimize mowing and so forth. Lots of milkweeds.

I love pansies, but this time of the year it gets too hot here and they peter out. I have them most of the winter in containers. Years ago, I would plant an entire bed full of them, but that took too much effort and it restricted my normal growing season use of that bed. You know, it's hard to just tear things out when they are still growing well in May.
 
22-rimfire said:
Taldesta, I like how you chose to have your perennials on the slope. Very good choice to minimize mowing and so forth. Lots of milkweeds.

I love pansies, but this time of the year it gets too hot here and they peter out. I have them most of the winter in containers. Years ago, I would plant an entire bed full of them, but that took too much effort and it restricted my normal growing season use of that bed. You know, it's hard to just tear things out when they are still growing well in May.
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Ha ... happenstance more than planning with the slope ... but as you note I have been on a learning curve about minimizing the hard work and enjoying nature's solutions for sure.

Mostly, a kindly neighbour would come down the lane with an arm full of green leaves with roots attached ... clearly offering something I should cherish ... and I smiled and said thanks honestly.

My sense of it at first - plop them in water until I can figure where the heck I am going to plant them! For the sun lovers, the bottom of this south facing slope seemed best. The milkweed and the black eyed susans were just there, but being cut down with the quack grass ... the rest came unexpectedly but all became hugely valued over time. Invasives move uphill too, it seems. They do not bug you to be watered. They do not need dead-heading. Leave them alone and stand back, I don't know how big this thing gets :D!

OK I may give up my brag as "lazy gardener" to become the "accidental gardener" It sure fits. Both fit.

Yes, taking plants out before their time ... I agree. They do get very leggy here later in the season, but in planters, this is not such a problem. Better to plan and plant for your seasons as you say.

Those pansy faces are treasures ... one of my favourite pics on the wall here is of light blue ones. Somehow I could not capture with the camera a crimson with gold edging from last year's crop that would make a stunning print for the wall. Perhaps this year?
 
LEGION 12's beans might not be climbers for the fence ... but an early producing bush bean ... don't know myself. Hey LEGION 12 - please divulge the crop :) Hey, if you're eating it, you may know what it is ;)

Don't ask me anything about the stuff I grow, because I plant lot of stuff and only take credit for what comes up ... and that is often a mystery to me :D
 
taldesta said:
LEGION 12's beans might not be climbers for the fence ... but an early producing bush bean ... don't know myself. Hey LEGION 12 - please divulge the crop :) Hey, if you're eating it, you may know what it is ;)

Don't ask me anything about the stuff I grow, because I plant lot of stuff and only take credit for what comes up ... and that is often a mystery to me :D
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Yes they are bush beans already picked a bunch , I have banana peppers , 2 different kinds of tomatoes my herbs are on the other side of the house cilanto , chives, oregano and basil. This year is kind of a test run to see what grows well and where .
 
Rain more than sunshine here this spring has slowed the growth of the sunlovers like my scarlet runner pole beans. But, as they are putting up 'climbers', I pulled down the lattice from the windows for support. Last year the sun blast off the concrete and the dry weather stunted them. I plant them here to shade the window in full sun, and enjoy the beans ... but the pups love them and make this snack a part of our every morning walk. 6 AM bean walk - yikes!

DSCF7917 SCARLET RUNNER BEANS LATTICE 800 MED.jpg


Two Bums in the Berry Patch

OK - Daisy is the wild strawberry snacking champ here. This used to be a problem area managed by the trimmer, but with free mulch from hydro clearing crew, the high grass was discouraged and was naturally replaced by wild strawberry. I love nature's solutions. No credit to me - it just grew.

DSCF7951 DAISY DEZ STRAWBERRY TWO BUMS 800 MED.jpg
 
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Dog watering station ... keeps them off the river ... and emergency containers for when the patio plants flag from the dry heat in between watering. Daisy, though, prefers (not shown) one special watering can with a small opening for her drinks.

DSCF7940 REFLECTION DUCK WATER CAN 800 MED.jpg

No more Photobucket!
 
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A stepping stone that shades the outlets for the buried garden hose system from uv is warmed by the morning sun. Some seek the early morning warmth especially as their strength fades ... the hungry helicopter squad

DSCF7910 DRAGONFLY ON DRAGONFLY STONE 800 MED.jpg



Another terrace that used to need an electric trimmer to clear - now just needs pruning in the fall. A little pruning goes a long way in encouraging new growth it seems. I think this is honeysuckle. A few years ago, I cut the ground shoots from the lawn that were off the monster main planting and set them in a trench about halfway up this slope. Then I watered very well. Shortly they will be covered with berries that lure catbirds and cedar waxwings with their young to feed. A brief but noisy feast.
DSCF7970 HONEYSUCKLE TERRACE 800 MED.jpg


Often when I am settled in a chair on my porch, the hummingbirds will hover just off my face to check me out. Sweet. They are drawn to the patio garden. The whole plan came about in order to re-direct the dogs so that they would pee on the aggregate rather than on my precious few square inches of 'good' grass :eek:

DSCF7932 PORCH OASIS 800 MED.jpg

No Photobucket!
 
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gonebad395 said:
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Things are looking really good. The weed block appears to work nicely.

I keep adding stuff. Just the other day I was at the home center (Ace) and saw a nice determinate tomato variety I haven't tried before. Stuck it in a large planter and it seems to like it. Did the same thing with a banana pepper.

Pretty much covered up with ripe tomatoes now. My green peppers aren't doing so well. I suspect the tomatoes are shading them too much in my little garden.
 
Yes the weed block is working great. It lets moisture through very well. I'm also have been adding a few things some more reapers,ghosts and pumpkin also some watermelons. Peppers are weird I had 3 plants just up and die on me don't know why.
22-rimfire said:
Things are looking really good. The weed block appears to work nicely.

I keep adding stuff. Just the other day I was at the home center (Ace) and saw a nice determinate tomato variety I haven't tried before. Stuck it in a large planter and it seems to like it. Did the same thing with a banana pepper.

Pretty much covered up with ripe tomatoes now. My green peppers aren't doing so well. I suspect the tomatoes are shading them too much in my little garden.
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Just this morning Photobucket (free account) replaced all my images here with their 'upgrade' warning ... and I only have used about 2% of my storage with them ... but most of that is for posting on BF.

Sorry for the ugly ...

PHOTOBUCKET WANTS UPGRADE.JPG
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edited to add that a post in Tech by RayseM demonstrated how to get the full size image by uploading a file on BF ... and skip Photobucket. Since I already compress images to upload them from here on dialup to PB, I am able to save one step. Have replaced a few pics on this page only. The rest of my posts are all full of ugly, black circles, 0 zero Photobucket but that doesn't matter much :D
 
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Looks like they got gonebad395 this morning ... but as I was posting then editing about this his pic came back!

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