Last year, I posted about my gardening efforts often. This year I haven’t found the time. I’ve gardened, though, and I’ve taken pictures. And as fall approached I thought it would be fun to show you the progress I’ve made this year.
Here’s what the area that I refer to as the “cool” garden looked like in March. My plan, if you can call it that, is to expand this part of the garden by a couple of feet every year until our front yard is all garden and no grass. The neighbors with their manicured shrubbery and polite rows of liriope no doubt think I’m some kind of loon, but I don’t care.
You can see where I dug out the newest part. Just look at all that rocky red clay! I have so much to work with! After I dug it up, I just started by sticking the early spring annuals (pansies and violas) in there until it was time to buy perennials. I’ve been at this for two years now so I expected the perennials in the rest of the garden to pretty much fill all the available space.
Within a week or two the phlox and dianthus started to pop, along with (I think) the blue lobelia:
Here you can see the echinacea (purple coneflower) coming up, along with that purple stuff which I love but cannot remember the name of:
Next the azaleas (I have three so far):
The salvia is just amazing! I have little baby ones this year that I have planted all over the place:
I am a terrible gardener–I can’t remember what those blue things, which were new last year, are called–but they went crazy this year (just starting in this picture):
In all, quite a change from the first picture above:
Meanwhile, on the other side, this is some of what was starting to happen in the “hot” garden. It’s constrained in size by the walkway, so I’m contemplating making another bed just across from it.
Here are lilies, a gift from the neighbors across the street, starting to come up although they don’t bloom until late summer:
Candytuft:
Gazanias:
And when the roses start blooming over there, WOW.
Here’s where things really started to fill out on the other side:
Back on the hot side, the daisies below got WAY bigger than I thought they would:
I cannot even remember what most of this is or whether it is perennial or annual! We will have to see what happens next year!
The flowers I have enjoyed the most this summer are zinnias that I sowed from last year’s seed. And when I say sowed, I mean I just kind of threw seed wherever. I didn’t bury them or anything. Just look what happened:
The purple coneflowers are also spreading by seed, although none of the “babies” are blooming yet:
A few final shots of the cool side of the garden:
The real gardeners among you will surely have noticed the crowding and lack of proper spacing above. The plan is for a lot of transplanting to take place this fall. I’m going to dig out a couple more rows in front and then separate and rearrange almost everything. I did a little of that last year and most things handled it find although they did not grow as big as they had the year before. I’ll come back next year and let you know how it all worked out. For now, here’s the transition from beginning to middle to end of six months in the garden:
I love to see the progression of a garden. It is amazing how fast it fills in. I have always loved flowered in lieu of grass!
I meant flowers!
Just beautiful…..thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you for the kind words!
very nice. I have had almost no luck with growing things lately.
Thanks, Mike. Honestly, this has not been my best year. Sometimes things just don’t do right and there doesn’t seem to be a reason. (Or at least I don’t know what it is!)
Your garden is beautiful. Where do you live?
Thanks, Tina! I am in Knoxville, Tennessee.
It’s absolutely beautiful! I wish I could spend more time outside gardening, but my allergies are keeping me inside this year 🙁 We have a lot of veggie beds, but my husband has to take care of ’em mostly this year.
Oh, that’s no fun! I have allergies too, but luckily mostly to grass. Thank you for the kind words.
Lovely! You’re making me really itch to figure out my gardens! We moved into a house with a large yard and gardens three years ago, but up until now, we’ve been more concerned with the bones of the house (not to mention our three small boys!) to bother much with landscaping. But I’m so, so tired of our gardens looking like jungle! One of my goals for the winter is to make a plan of what I like, when it’s to be planted, and what needs to be done to it. So maybe next year we can start with a few things and then work our way through it over time. Several of the plants in your gardens are slated for my “like” list. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Julie! Just start slow–that was the key for me after several years of not gardening. I would buy a lot of plants and then let them die because I wouldn’t have time. So now I just do a little at a time and every year it grows more!
Good tip! Because I can definitely see myself doing that!
Your gardening efforts have certainly produced great beauty! I am happy it gives you so much joy!!
Thank you!
Beautiful! It’s amazing what a transformation gardens make from early spring to summer! New life where it seemed so dead from winter is truly a miracle!
I kept trying to make myself garden because I thought I should. I finally accepted that I hate it and I am not good at it and just quit! i let my kids plant random flowers in front of the house. Luckily, we live where almost no one ever sees our yard unless they are specifically invited, so it works out!
Wow, Leslie! Your garden is gorgeous let the neighbors think you’re a loon. I bet they are jealous seeing all those beautiful butterflies flittering around your lovely garden. The flowers are so pretty and bright I love the transformation I bet it’s nice to sit outside on the porch and look at all of your hard work and the beauty you have created!!!
Beautiful! I have to do my front yard, so it was inspiring to see all you beautiful colors.
Love all the gorgeous colours in your garden! It’s fall here and the weather is starting to turn nasty. All my pretty flowers are starting to die 🙁 You have inspired me to start thinking about next years garden. Can’t wait to plant again!
We still have a bit of blooming season left. I’m excited about fall gardening though–I’m going to be doing a lot of digging to get ready for next year.
I love the roses! I also love the variety of flowers you chose and well as the spacing. My son would be over the moon for the monarch butterfly caterpillar (:
Hi! Funny I just wrote a piece about how I’m learning to garden without much knowledge apart from removing rocks and watering often. I like how you are taking over the grass with flowers. I don’t even have grass! I loved seeing the progression.
Our grass isn’t worth keeping! Seriously, I don’t think gardening is half as hard as people think it is. Good luck with yours!
Your flowers are just beautiful. Here in California with the drought our flowers are few, so I love seeing yours.
Beautiful! I can NOT garden to save my life. I love seeing yours!
Very beautiful – and I like the overcrowded look as it makes your garden look rich and full. Thanks for sharing this work in progress !!!
Wow your garden looks amazing Leslie. I love the mixture of vibrant colors from the different flowers. The statues are also a nice touch. Growing up I always wanted a colorful garden with a coy? pond and a fountain. You’ve inspired me to turn this dream into a reality…one day 🙂
That is beautiful!! I know the hummingbirds that visit me would love that place! 🙂