Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Two Years In...

It's hard to believe we've lived in our 'new' house for almost two years now.  The garden has come a long ways in two years!  A quick tour around to see how things are growing...


The July garden is looking nice and colorful.  The trusty Purple Coneflowers, some of our earliest additions, are blooming away along the front entrance.


The decorative fence and new beds we put in this year are coming along and slowly being filled.


I am especially proud of the new 'hellstrip' between the sidewalk and the street.  Filled with extra plants taken from other generous gardener friends' thinnings, as well as with plants grown from seed, it looks quite impressive for the pittance I paid!


On the other side of the driveway is the strip that is in its second year, slowly filling in its way to the brim.


My goal is to grow so many flowers that there is no space for weeds and I never have to weed again.


Wish me luck.

Daylily 'Stephanie Returns' and Coreopsis Big Bang growing in the hellstrip
On either side of the driveway are my whiskey barrel planters.  This year I chose to grow an old favorite - Petunias.


There are a couple of other types of plants in there, too, but the Petunias decided to grow right over them.  As it turns out, Petunias are downright opinionated plants.  I'm honestly just happy they finally made up their minds to start blooming after starting them from seed several months ago!

Moving further into the front yard, we come to my Blue-and-Gold Garden alongside the driveway.


I'm afraid to report that my Blue-and-Gold garden isn't looking so blue and gold - and that's not just because of all the weeds that I haven't gotten to yet.  I tend to, um, just plant things on a whim sometimes when I don't know exactly where I want something to go.  Last year I plopped about ten Rose Milkweed plants in this bed.  I'm loathe to move them, though, as they are so happy in that spot, and then when they bloom this happens:

Fritillary butterflies on Rose Milkweed
The flowers are just covered in bees, butterflies, and other pollinators!  I have not seen any Monarch butterflies yet (for whom I planted all this milkweed), but I am on the lookout.

On to the backyard...

my baby
Inside, safe and warm, are all my tomatoes and peppers.


Outside, in the other corner of the yard, is the veggie garden, filled with tomatillos, ground cherries, snow peas, green beans, carrots, and zucchini.  We've worked hard on it this year, and it's paying off.  The new raised beds are making quite the difference.


Actually weeding it helps, too.

gratuitous Daylily picture
After a strangely warm, dry spell in Spring, temperatures have cooled off, and it's been a fairly nice Summer so far.  July has been getting a bit hotter and muggier, but after living in North Carolina, I can't really complain.  The plants have been enjoying the weather.  I think weeds enjoy all weather.

A garden always needs daisies.
I wish you all a happy and enjoyable, bloom-filled summer!

my heart shaped yarrow bloom
And Happy Weeding Gardening!



To see what else is growing in gardens of bloggers around the world, visit Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day over at May Dreams Gardens blog!

35 comments:

  1. Beautiful property and garden! And things will only get better in time :)

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    1. Thanks! We've never lived anywhere long enough for me to see how a garden really matures. I can't wait to see what it becomes!

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  2. Wow, wow, wow ... yes, you have made amazing progress! It's been fun to follow you as you moved and then added so many beauties to your new garden. It looks great! Swamp Milkweed is the pollinator favorite in my garden, too, hands down! Mine isn't blooming yet, but it's in a shadier spot than yours. Otherwise, our weather and garden timing seem to be roughly the same. Enjoy your beautiful garden!

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    1. I have a few other Swamp Milkweeds that are dotted around the yard that are just now starting to bloom. The butterflies are definitely drawn to them! I'm definitely enjoying all my beautiful blooms and the beautiful pollinators.

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  3. Good luck! I think you will succeed. With so many beautiful flowers no one will notice weeds.

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    1. Ha, that's what I'm hoping! Today I mowed my lawn and ended up mowing part of a couple flower beds trying to cut down some of the weeds. Now that's sad!

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  4. You are doing a great job, Indie with so much accomplished. All your beds look wonderful. Good luck on having no weeds. My garden is very tightly packed and weeds still find their way through. LOL.

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    1. Noooo, that's not what I want to hear! lol

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  5. It's all looking VERY good, and such progress in only two years! All your hard work and thought is paying off. Thanks for sharing your lovely gardens with us, and especially the serendipitous yarrow heart! :-) -Beth

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    1. I didn't even notice my bloom was a heart shape until I looked at the pictures on my computer and a heart was staring me in the face. Garden love! Very serendipitous indeed!

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  6. I remember when you told us that you were moving...time goes by so quickly.

    Your garden is filling in beautifully, each year it will look more lovely. After 3 years mine is filled in so much that the weeds are struggling in the middle of it...ha ha. But they persevere...

    I'm a fan of splitting, and sharing...and have filled all of the gardens with treasures from the one front garden. It's a frugal, and creative way to get more plants...lol.

    Jen

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    1. I can't believe how quickly time has flied! Other gardeners are such a blessing - they are such a nice and generous-spirited lot, I think!

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  7. Good idea to plant so many flowers that weeds can't get a start. I have two colors of milkweed - solid orange and mixed orange/yellow -- really like your pink. Still love those decorative white fences you put up.

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    1. I've planted the orange one before and liked that a lot. It takes a lot drier soil, while the pink is a swamp milkweed and likes the damp. I used to grow a white swamp milkweed back in North Carolina, but never really saw it bloom - all the monarch caterpillars got to it first!

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  8. I think we would all be happy if our main gardens looked as good as your hell strip! Kudos.
    Ray

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    1. Aw, thanks! I do think they look the best of all my gardens since I really focused on them this year and packed the plants in there. I really should plant some more things in my main garden.. and weed them! :)

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  9. I'm sensing a theme here...I dreamed about weeds last night, if that helps you to realize you're not alone:) My theory, too, is to plant so many flowers that the weeds have no room, but it works only to a certain extent, especially when I can't remember whether a new plant is a flower or a weed. But seriously, your garden looks so lovely, Indie; you've really accomplished a lot in such a short time. I especially love the driveway garden with the white fence as a background. I think I'd just re-name your Blue and Gold garden the Blue, Gold, and Pink garden--what a delight to see all the butterflies!

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    1. Ha, I had such a problem this spring, as I had a number of plants reseed and I couldn't figure out if all the seedlings were plants I wanted or weeds!

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  10. Hello Indie
    Summer is a beautiful time of year.
    Gives us lots of flowers and wonderful plants.
    Thank you very much for remembering and comment.
    Wonderful post and fantastic images.
    Greetings from Polish.
    Lucia

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    1. Thank you! It's so nice to be enjoying the garden and not shoveling piles of snow!

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  11. It has been too hot to do anything in my garden and I haven't been able to weed in over a week; my weeds are enjoying themselves tremendously, growing by leaps and bounds. But your garden is positively luscious and so colorful! All of your hard work has paid off handsomely. Very well done, and I love the hell strip!

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    1. It's climbed up into the 90's here (which I know is probably regular weather to you), and just watering things is effort! I wish the heat bothered the weeds as much as it does me!

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  12. It looks fabulous. A very happy summer to you too Indie.

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    1. Thank you! Have a wonderful rest of the summer!

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  13. Your strip garden looks nice. I am trying to create something similar along the driveway. Coming along very slowly.

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    1. Good luck! It's a tough spot, but looks so great when everything fills in!

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  14. Wow! Wow! Wow! Think that just about sums up your gardens (plural) ☺

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    1. Aw, thanks Jane! And the blue and gold garden looks even better after weeding it! (Though now all the rest of the beds need to be weeded again...)

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  15. How charming and romantic! And, what good progress in such a short amount of time.

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    1. Thanks! It always seems slow to me, which is why it is so great to look back and see just how far it has come!

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  16. I like your goal of having so many flowers you will never have to weed again, that’s what I did in my previous garden! I plan to do the same in my new garden and I hope my new garden looks as lovely as yours do after 2 years – including having a greenhouse which I now have room for! Enjoy your beautiful garden, it’s been lovely to follow the progress.

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    1. Oh how exciting that you now have room for a greenhouse! I know your new garden will look absolutely lovely, and can't wait to see what it looks like in another year or two after you get settled in!

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  17. Not able to weed for the last few years I am trying to make a dent...so my goal is to not have to weed in the future...haha! Your gardens are stunning after 2 years....wow and I love the hellstrip...amazing.

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