Pennfeather...your gardens are beautiful. I need to take your advice and try to make my flowerbeds look more organized next year, instead of a hodgepodge look that I have now. When all the WS successes had to be planted, I just stuck them anywhere I could find a bare spot of soil. Daffs and Iris took up a lot of space. I think maybe you have the right idea, keep it simple and then it looks more organized. Now if I can remember to do that next Spring. Planning ahead with just certain flowers and colors and sticking to that plan. Too many different types of flowers tends to make it look like hodgepodge. Husband doesn't like the look of our flowerbeds this year. He wants begonias, planted all in a row. No way!
More Cottage Garden Flowers
gloriag ~ I am with you on the growing from seeds instead of plants...only I did not know it would be so time-consuming...I have the Old Court on order from Bluestone Perennials...much cheaper than other places...
newyorkrita ~ I wish I had your plant budget as well as energy to plant all that you do. Do you have any help, or do you do it all yourself? If so, you must be young...
Evelyn, I do have help in Cheri and Brad who are my neighbors. The do
a wonderful job; but this is just a part time job for them so this is catch as catch can. With my age (68) and my recent sepsis and stroke and
subsequent infection, I have been effectively sidelined from most garden work. I can tend to the seedlings in cups inside and in flats outside though. So I will lose some due to insects or benign neglect? That is all right if you have a hundred Olympic verbascum seedlings, you still beat the prices at box stores and nurseries.
Right now, I am holding my breath for campanula Telham Beauty and Canterbury Bells to
germinate. I have my fingers crossed on those, and I want scads of them so badly to plant separately and in drifts if possible.
only need a very small number and make a very big impact with them.
I also need some mollis and have some seeds somewhere in the great
land of boxes and bags of seeds. It looks so good in the photos and is a great, neutral filler. I order things as well. I hope that process is almost over. I almost have to order the big perennials like peonies, iris, and a couple of others. As I said, this is late spring of year number 3 here and I am still pretty much on schedule.
After winter sowing in December and the resulting seedlings in the spring, I should be able to stop (if this plant collecting is not too far
advanced.)
I will just have to handle the hodgepodge after it is all done. Cheri keeps finding new places for beds, and with her strong back they are
possible (given an endless supply of compost and mulch!) I have two friends (Cheri and another) who have become flower converts. That makes me real happy because it is so healthy and such a depression
medicine even in the winter (with books, inside and outside sowing,
paper and pencil to plan, and dozens of books to consult.)
Sorry for having gone on and on, but I am obsessed with plants.
gloriag ~ Yes, I understand your plant addiction...I, too, and 68, but alas, with no help...sometime Steve will help me like with planting trees or something big and heavy. He has his own prjects during spring and fall, as we like to work outdoors during that time as winter is too colld most of the time and summer is too hot. I also, have a large quantity of seeds...but I tend to let the seedlings dry out. Still over all, I get enough to plant, so it is less expensive, if you don't count all the amendments and other supplies. Still, I would get most of that for the plants anyway. Have you read any books by Ruth Stout? If not, check your library, as the books are writtten in the 50's, but definetely apply to people of our age...LOL!! ☺
newyorkrita ~ waiting for your reply...your gardens are beautiful!
pennfeather ~ ditto!
Pippi21 ~ Yes, I am a bit like you...not so symmetrical in the design department.
This is in front of the house. No flowers yet in the ground, so I keep shrubs there as it went from winter to summer, since we had snowfalls until May!
Hi Evelyn-
I work at home on the computer so I can look at my garden most of the day. I don't go on vacations and am not a clothes horse or crazy about shoes so spend money on my garden. When I do the hardscape projects I only design and supervise, I have a guy and crew that does my hardscape for me. He also comes and cuts the grass every two weeks. Not that there is a lot of grass but there is a lot of string trimming so he makes it all look nice and neat. I would rather pay than do the grass myself.
Other than that I do most everything myself. The weeding, mulching, planting and whatever else needs doing. I am 63 so no spring chicken. But I love to garden and I love my garden a lot!