Continuation of Cottage Gardens....

Murmur~ very pretty, thanks for gorgeous flowers! ;0)

billyporter I think anything you want to plant in a cottage garden qualifies!

carolvan

murmur, so pretty (and cottagy).

Jude, great wall! That will look nice with flowers in front of it.

Murmur, your flowers are beautiful! I'll never forget that pic of your Shastas, do you still have that one? They were unbelievable!

I agree.....Fancyvan....you will win for sure!

I think Monkshood is cottagey.....and Phlox, Dianthus, HH, Alyssum, Foxglove, Delphinium, Roses, Iris, Lobelia, Rudbeckia, Salvia, verbascum, Veronica, Violets...did I leave any out? lol...there's so many to pick from.

Beautiful Murmer! I love the mushroom statue with the cherub!

What is the name of the blue Phlox?

And Roses! Cabbage, sweet smelling Roses!

I have one perennial Delphinium. It's a beautiful blue, it' been there so long I can't remember the name. It bloomed early this spring, but was not as nice as other years, so one day when mowing the lawn, I just mowed it down. It grew back, leaving the weeds & grass behind. It started blooming again in August & is the only flower here that still is bright colored. We have had lots of freezing nights, one was down to 9º. Must be real hardy.
Sorry no pic.
Bernie

I am loving this thread!!! The photo's posted are fantastic and so inspirational. I have a cottage complete with white picket fence and I've convinced my DH to let me dig up some of his precious lawn and create some new beds, and my winter will be spent planning it out, researching plants, growing some from seed and just generally daydreaming about how I want it to look.

Grampapa - do you know the name of the Daylily dated 7/19 in the collage you posted? Such a beautiful color!

Bernie, I always cut mine back after they bloom. I get a smaller flush of blooms too.

Wgnkiwi, I took over the mowing, so now it's my yard to dig as I please. I do do most of the digging when DH is at work tho. : ) I'll bet the picket fence looks nice!

My favorite pale blue and pink one.

This message was edited Nov 6, 2006 10:04 PM

hey jude...love the name change. You never did strike me as a pweelee. And what a great blank slate you have. I just know we will be oooohing and ahhhing over all the beautiful changes to come.

Ditto on all the compliments over your spectacular gardens fancyvan. You do indeed deserve all the recognition you've received. I am pulling out my crystal ball, borrowed ages ago from pweelee who seems to have disappeared. As the mist clears, I see many more gardening awards in your future.
carol

Fly, I think this is the photo you are thinking of.

BillyP, the blue phlox if Paradise Blue or Blue Paradise, can't remember which. I bought a flat of them in 2005 and put several in every garden to give a touch of continuity. They have multiplied nicely and I love them!!

Wgnkiwi, you will have sooooooo much fun!!!!!!

One last pic tonight - this was taken about three weeks after we moved into our house. It was on my birthday and dh had just given me this rototiller the night before (some people were horrified that he would give me something like that and he was a little nervous, but as you can imagine, I was thrilled beyond words!). This was four years ago - 9/29/2002.

What a beautiful place to sit! I love the birdbath tucked in there.

I'm definately going to look for the blue phlox next year. I try to plant a lot of blue flowers.

Another favorite is Balloon Flower. Platycodon Komach. It stays in a balloon. Maresii opens.

Murmur - Oh yeah, I'm already a little overexcited. LOL The photo of your garden with the seat just sums up what I want perfectly. I love the lushness and tranquility of it.

Billyporter - Good advice. My DH just bought his very first lawnmower so he's out there every weekend having the time of his life. I'm sure that it will wear pretty thin when the weather turns nasty so I'll time my move for then. :p

BillyP, that balloon flower is gorgeous - for whatever reason I don't have any blue ones (I just recently bought some white ones, though). Need to remedy that next spring!

Allyour photos are soooooooo green, lush and inviting. I'm enjoying them all and dreaming of taking bits and pieces ffrom them here. You all have so much to choose from in your zones, unfortunately a lot of it would burn up here, so I have to consider carefully.

The wall surrounds the entire rear yard. I didn't take pics of the other side, where I put in a laundry line, I liv ein nature's dryer, so why not. It's kind of quaint actually, in a sort of odd way. I'll have morning glories and gourds all over the walls I hope and freeform beds in the midst of bermuda. I grew up in the midwest and foundation plantings were the order of the day. I may add some, but mostly I want freeform/freestanding beds.

I love the look of your plantings against the clapboard and all the potential shade. I'll post changes as they take place, hopefully the hibiscus will bloombefore temps drop too much. We're still 80 during the day although in the 50's at night now.

You are all great gardeners in my book and should all get awards for your creations.

J

Laughing. I love to mow. I push the whole thing. Takes me 1 1/2 hours. DH was glad to let me take over. I make a lot of beds and they seem to get a little bigger each year. My biggest bed was 84' by 8'. I transplanted all the good grass when I was making it. Now it's 84' by 16'. I moved most of my iris to the back. Next is 84' of blue flax, but it's dying out in spots and may be moved elsewhere. Then 84' of yellow daffodils. The rest is odds and ends, but needs revamping bad! DH is good at hardscaping, so that's his job!

Right now it's my bed of shame.

Well, I have to say that for a forum, that doesn't exist, yet, this thread is running rampant!, lol...every time I get on here, I've got to go back about 10 posts.

Billyporter-I think your favorite delphinium is the same one I had...I think it was called pacific mix, or something...some were dark, some light, but the very best ones were the ones we both like best...perfect baby blue w/ touch of pink. I sure wish they were perennial here...I'd have tons of them.

That is no bed of shame!...now that dandelion patch of your neighbors, well...

wgnkiwi-how wonderful for you to have such a fun project for the winter...ah, the fun of a blank clean slate! Why don't you post a "before" picture, like Jude? We can all help suggest things to the both of you, lol...

Murmur-how did you get your grass line so perfect? I don't see any edging, but the line between your beds and grass is impeccable!

I'm right there with you on the tiller!! I've not gotten one of those, yet, but one year on Valentine's Day hubby got me the mantis double bin composter. The following year he got me a cloner. Everyone thought he was nuts for getting them for a "gift", and then that I was nuts for actually liking them!, lol...I'll bet you had a blast that day!!

Seed, I'm with you....Murmur that tiller would be the best present ever! And nursery gift certificates!
That's the picture...love those Shastas, they just rot here.

Billy, that bed is very nice...no shame in that one!

Seedpicker, I am obsessive-compulsive and when my garden edges start looking messy, I can't stand it. I have the world's best half-moon tool (another birthday gift from dh that is remarkable) and use it religiously! And grass shears. The edges do get out of hand lots of times, though, believe me. Like right now!

BillyP, I see no shame in that garden either!!! I have one I call the Elm St. Garden . . . as in Nightmare On . . . that is indeed shameful. I'm afraid I am going to have to give in and hire someone to help me with it - between lack of time and lack of strength, I don't feel I can do it. It got away from me the summer my mom broke her hip and I was back and forth to the folks' place and not in my gardens. After that I would look at it and decide to start some other project rather than tackle it! It is now totally out of control and nothing but weeds, especially sorrel, blackberry vines, grass clumps that are cemented in (who sent that cement here anyway???!!!).

Murmur-
Well, the edges look great in the photos! I like the look, but just seems like a lot of work. Have you ever thought about that thin metal edging, to help out? I don't think you'd even see it, if you hammered it in deep enough...
-T

Seedpicker: Re edges. I have nice edges in the backyard too but I attribute that to the original designers who set them up. Dont know how they did it but the best thing to start is to lay out a garden hose along the line you want and then take an edger(murmers half moon tool) and slice straight down all the way along and also create a bit of a ditch between the edge and the flower bed.That way the grass does not grow into the flower bed. For some years I looked after the edging myself - I dont like noisy tools so I had two edge trimmers , one side the other top for triming the grass and once a year I took my half moon edger and sliced a tiny bit all the way round. Now I have to have somebody cut the lawn and they use an electric( or gas) edger but I still check on it and trim it up once in a while.

Billyp :that is a nice Platycodon. Trouble growing them here although I broke down and put in a couple two years ago. They are the last thing to come up (I keep a bottle over the spot in the winter so I dont dig it up in spring) and this year they only came up maybe 8-10 inches and never flowered. Our frostfree growing season is probably too short And your blue flax wont last forever! I love it and have it in the front yard - I let it self seed and pull it where I dont want it but after a few years it dies off. I found some yellow flax last year - quite different looking and this year found seed for red flax which is an annual here and looks similar,

carolvan

Seedpicker, I have indeed considered the edging stuff - hope to do it one of these days. I admit to getting great satisfaction, though, out of doing it all by hand - and love using the half moon, watching the shape return (or the bed widen!). DH also gave me some grass shears that one can use standing up, but I've never mastered it and guess I just enjoy sitting on my little blankey, moving along with my hand shears! A need to torture myself, maybe? LOL.

Fancyvan-I'm with you on the noisy tools part...I've wanted an old-fashioned push/blade mower for years...Can't stand the noise and pollution of mowers and strimmers(as Alan Titchmarsh calls them, lol...).
Murmur-

Finally found the Cottage Garden thread -- I get side tracked soooo easily, and was reading other things and then I lost the master thread with the link for this one. LOL!

Here is my BEFORE. June 2006. On the left is marigolds overplanting daffodils, daffodils and more daffodils. On the right is, or at least was when the picture was taken, a blank slate. I have some perennials in there -- with an underplanting of some liies. Annuals will fill in the blank spots if all goes according to plan in 2007.

Suzy

Here's the patio -- part of it -- also June 2006 before the impatiens and caladiums attained any size. The tree is a Acer griseum -- one of my favorites.

HELP me find a way to make that white fountain dark gray!!!

Suzy

Illoquin-
LOVE that first picture...an arbor would look divine in that narrow lawn space between the two beds...

I can just imagine one there with roses smothered all over it. (course that is just me...I love to put rose arbors everywhere, lol)

Last one, also the patio, well, not the patio, but the walkway from the patio which goes around the corner to the right. The camera in the same place as before, just rotated 180 degrees. Yes, the lilies are 'Silk Road' and the pinky thing is my favorite perennial -- Thalictrum aquilegiafolium 'Lavender Mist'. Blooms for at least 6 weeks, and if you deadhead, will re bloom. The true color is actually a true lavender, not pinkie like the pic, and it has bright yellow prominent stamens.

The patio plantings are never finished. It is all annuals (or ever-blooming perennials) and Oriental lilies. Smells really good here in Jun & July! I have 120 pansies planted now where the dahlias and caladiums were. I liked the white & maroon lilies so well because they show up at night (white) and also during the day (color), so I bought some dahlias to match, but they weren't in bloom when the pic was taken. The patio is very important because it's so visible from the house and we spend a lot of time out there.

Suzy

Seedpickr,

I would love an arbor. The place you suggest would work, but seems to be facing the wrong way for the space....Not 180 degrees wrong, but maybe 20 degrees? I have been over the curves a million times thinking, "Here or here?" It makes a difference because I'd probably just buy a wrought iron trellis and they are a certain size. One way (the wrong way by 45 degrees) it's 36" wide and where you suggest would be about 60 inches wide.

Oh, and guess what? Mr. Clean says I can DRILL HOLES IN THE HOUSE FOR ROSES! This is HUGE! I'm finally wearing him down! (After 27 years LOL!) You drill holes, put in some special glue, put in a certain kind of nail and let it dry. After say a couple days, you take special wire and wrap it around the nails so you can tie up climbing --or I guess non-climbing, too -- roses. Sounds like a lot of special stuff, but I didn't want somebody doing it and having the nails weep rusty water and stain their house and the glue to let loose and the holes let water in or anything.

Who-oo, because when all is said and done, it's the up and down of a cottage garden I like so well -- the _____ (insert your fave flower) climbing up pea stakes, the climbing roses and ramblers going up through the shrubs. I CAN'T WAIT FOR SPRING!

Suzy

I've seen really nice larger(wider) metal arbors for sale locally at flea markets. I think I also saw a few extra wide ones in the Jackson & Perkins catalog.

Jackson & perkins are 5' wide:
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BECProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10053&catalogId=10005&categoryId=10791&category=JSC18&productId=1034146&topCat=Garden+D%E9cor&subCat=View+All
and:
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BECProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10053&catalogId=10005&categoryId=10791&category=JSC18&productId=1033888&topCat=Garden+D%E9cor&subCat=View+All

Suzy, wonderful stuff you've got going!!!!! Glad you caught up with the thread . . . it is fast becoming one of my favorites. And here we are longing for SPRING when it's only November 7th!!

Seedpicker, guess what - I overwhelm myself so badly that I about come unglued! Can't seem to stop myself, though. I hope by next spring I can cut my workday down to three which would leave me with one complete day to myself for my gardening. I'm sure I will still have two with my folks in town and at least half a day at church and spending time with my stepson. Speaking of my stepson, here's a pic of him after he and I finished our project of changing a sandbox (inherited with the property - really solid!) into a flower bed of sorts (June 2003). A lot has changed in the backyard since then - there is a garden along the fence (the one with the Shasta daisies) and the picnic table has been moved over towards the deck. The little garden itself has evolved several times and I completely changed it last month as it was overgrown and I had put in some Hellenium which got way too tall for it. The fountain has quit working and I have to decide if I want to try to fix it, replace it, or just leave it as a statue (maybe with flowers growing in the basin?).

When I bought a big birdbath in Williamsburg Pottery....I had to wait for them to paint it with some black and green paint ...I'm sure you could do the same.....Jo

I need to edit that pic - I didn't notice dh's blankety blank ashtray sitting there! Yuk. (Can you tell it's a bit of an issue - lol?)

I've had my eye on this arbor with planters on the side....$70...but I have no idea where I'd put it. Might be too narrow if you are looking for 5 foot wide though.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44917

pic credit: Harbor Freight

Lol...didn't even see the ash tray, until you pointed it out.
-T

Oh, my, Justfur - I think you should just plain FIND a spot for that . . . wouldn't that be just too much fun????

Seedpicker, me and my big mouth!!

Murmer re your fountain:
I have a brass armillary sundial and wasn't sure how to deal with it - couldn't find a column I liked to put it on and one day at the garden centre they had some 'antiqued' bird baths on sale - they were not too fancy - and not too expensive ! - and I liked the color - sort of a grey blue - so got one. I sit the sundial in the middle and keep water in the bath and it is surrounded by a number of planters, usually full of petunias and when in full flower it looks great! In a good year the petunias hang right to the ground. Here is a pic taken a few years ago.

This message was edited Nov 7, 2006 11:14 AM

murmur, your 'gift' is nothing short of fantastic, what we all wouldn't give for a rototiller, I would use it to get rid of nearly all the bermuda and buy of the nursery. Your beds and lawn are so perfect, you must spend your life tending, what a way to go! wish I could. (still not seeing an ashtray, who cares)

justfurkids, you should buy the arbor or one that suits your measurements, I've been working out on paper how to construct something very similiar to the harbor freight one with the planters on the patio side, leading onto the pinestraw path into the yard. I want evergreen vines to grow all over it and to the sides as well on the fencing (not real fence, it's a baby crib I turned into a fence and gates).

billly, great yard and beds, you too must spend hours and hours maintaining.

this morning I spend 2 hours simply using the deep water tool Jo suggested, trying to dig out the first bed area. I didn't get too far tho, just about 4-6 inches down in a small area. It's exhausting. So I turned the water into an edger and marked off the edge of the bed atleast before packing it in. I have an outline now but who knows if I'll stay within it or try to turn the entire yard into beds. I'm going to check with local shops and see if they rent rototillers. That might be something I could get dear David back out here to do for me. Once the dirt is turned, then it would be sooo easy to shovel it up and cary it off before putting down the lasagna layers. I have a friend saving newspapers and corffee grounds for me to add into the mix, so hopefully there will be enough to do the jjob. Also, reading about composted manure and thinking that would be a good addition also. In FL I used chicken manure from a local farmer and there was nothing better, everything grew like Jack and the beanstalk, but I don't have a source for chicken manure here.

I'll check back in after classes today to see what's new here. Like stated above, this is turning out to be my fav forum at DG, even though it's just a thread at this point.

Jude

This message was edited Nov 7, 2006 4:44 PM

I'll try and get some photo's of my "before" garden taken this afternoon and start a new thread for it. I'm waiting on a man with a stump grinder to turn up and get rid some stumps of trees we just had removed.

One question I have for everyone is - how do you get your plants to grow so big and lush? Is it the soil? Do you use tons of fertilizer? Do you use a lot of water? That's more than one question, but I've been pondering this for a while. I know a lot of it has to do with the right plant in the right place. Maybe I've just answered my own questions. Up until now I've mainly been gardening in the back yard which only gets 1/2 a day of sun. Perhaps if I move some of those plants to the front (full sun) they'll do better. Hmmm .... more to think about.

Wgn, why don't you post pics here? I think it would be okay to do before and after, I would love to see them.

Most of my plants start small due to my budget, unfortunately. It doesn't take long for perennials to get big...a couple seasons usually. If you mix in fast growers with the slow growers, you'll have a fuller look quicker. Then later you can thin them out and relocate.

wgnkiwi-
Yes, please either post here, or give us a link to where you post.

I noticed you are zone 10a in CA!! You will not have problems growing anything! You have the most coveted climate in the country! lol...
-T