Plant combos

Those folks have a nice plant selection to choose from>

Hi Jim! Your photos are lovely. I see you like contrasting colors and they're all wonderful.

Dale - wonderful photos as always. I love the one with the red (Phormium?) and the very next one with the Hakone grass and purple flowers. I like the flat grasses (like Hakone) much more than the huge tall clumps that are seldom done well.

Looks like that motel owner loves his property and takes good care of it. Nice to see.

I can't take credit Pirl. Jo does the deciding about what to plant. I'll think this is gonna look like crap and then it will bloom and be beautiful. Don't know if she's lucky or good. Maybe a combination of both. Loved your photos. Us old folks still got something on the ball.

When in doubt credit Jo's talent.

Yes, we geezers do have fun!

I am not old....I am just enjoying my fossil status.

More wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing. I like contrasts too. They're sort of child-like I think. The blue Salvias and yellow daisies ( Coreopsis possibly?) in one of your photos Jim is great. Credit to the Mrs I guess.
The motel is amasing.Perhaps you can let me know what the purple flowers are in the 'guess where' pic and the the ones in front of the Heleniums? in the one below.

'Guess where' plant is Salvia leucantha http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1837/
With helenium, small bell flowers is Abutilon megapotamicum http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/64127/

Thanks for that Dale. I've seen that Abutilon trained over arches and things but I guess in that picture its trailing over the ground?

This is a pic I took just the other day behind the building where I work. Keeps the blue and yellow and Hakon grass theme going.

Those are the largest, healthiest Liriope flowers I have ever seen.

Blue, gold and green is a great combo.

What is going on there. Is it some sort of Verbena creeping through golden marjorum? Looks great anyway and I love it when plants intermingle like that.

This ones nice and simple for Spring cheer. Muscari at the other end of the name and the other end of the season.

Got to remember that fossil status statement, Dale. That's a good one.

I agree. Got to start using that one !

I have seen bright blue and yellow many times, this photo is from 1990 at Floriade in Holland>

I guess you're referring to the Muscari statement but what's 'fossil status'. Is that American for 'sounds a bit cheesey but I'm going to say it anyway'.

This here is the most reliable blue and yellow we have in England. But its a good cottagey look.

Love that look, Mr. C.

The "fossil" reference was made in reference to age.

Fossil - set in my ways.

We have a very hard time making a respectable cottage garden here. Our plant palette is very limited.

Most tropicals tend to get very large or are very small.

We can make a passable attempt with our winter plants.

Lovely, Dale.

ditto !

Gardening is plesant work.

1. When you clean a house it starts to get dusty and dirty immediately.

2. If you stay in the garden you can't make a mess of the house.

I'll take gardening over housework any time. It's so much more rewarding.

AMEN to THAT !

I'm not good with housework either. Just get in the way. Much better out in the garden and less grumpy.
I love the prairie daisies and Salvia ( I think) picture but is that really in Northern hemisphere winter Dale?

Back to English early summer perennials. This for moister soil

Mr Canthus,

The photo is from 3 weeks ago in Northern California.

This one too>

That could almost be here in England Dale. Fuchsias and Pelargoniums two ever-popular plants and the weatther has stayed fine enough to keep them going well. Brazilian verbena has become popular more recently and haven't heard of anyone getting upset with it yet. Most of the colour in my garden now comes from that and this Helianthus which I love.
I think our climate is equivalent to hardiness zone 8b.

Thanks Pirl, Jasperdale, Dale , Smileymom, Flowerjen, Dathen, Seray and Jim for sharing your thoughts experiences and knowledge on this thread. I'm a long time gardener but a very short time daves gardener and I really value the world wide network of gardening friends that DG is. Seems like its one of the really good things thats happeming in the world. I look forward to sharing other stuff with you somewhere else in the garden.
Best regards, Mr C

Nice meeting you, Mr. C.

Enjoyed your photos very much! Don't be a stranger Mr. C.

Yes...keep posting those pictures !