Category: garden.

Remember I told you I have a short attention span when it comes to gardening?  Yeah, I haven’t done a lick of gardening in weeks.  Fortunately, we are seeing signs of fall everywhere here in Minnesota, so it’s OK.  I can start tossing the summer annuals and throw in some fall updates and call it good.

First up, the front window box.  As you may remember, I tried something new this year, a monochromatic look of all white and green.  Here is how it looked when I planted it in May.

 And here is how it looked by the end of August.

The Euphorbia ended up doing really well.  In the end though, the white impatiens were the star of the show.

Then, the impatiens all kacked.  I find that not many of my fellow gardeners are aware of this, but there is a virus that has been sweeping the nation and it attacks impatiens.  One moment they are full of blooms and looking gorgeous, and a mere week later they are nearly dead.  The flowers fall off first, then the leaves and you are left with nubbins of stems.  You will be tempted to believe that some kind of creature came and ate them, but no, it is a disease.  I hadn’t been planting impatiens for the last several years because of this, but last spring someone told me the virus had been ‘cured’.  This was bad info.  In reality, they have not found a cure.  According to my super scientific google research, the virus remains in your soil and will infect any impatiens you plant in that spot next year.  It also is airborne, infecting neighboring plants.  The double whammy of plant viruses, I guess.

Well, live and learn.  Next year, no more impatiens and I don’t think I’ll do the same monochromatic look.  It looked great close up, but from the street it lacked punch and without the impatiens, it just didn’t have much impact.

So, I yanked all of the remaining stems (bagging, sealing and tossing as recommended) and replaced them with white mums and some white pumpkins in keeping with my monochromatic look.  And here is how the window box looks for fall.

The ferns, ivy and caladium are still going strong, so they stayed.  I added two white mums (flowers not quite open yet, and they better be white like the label says!), two white pumpkins, and some cut flowers from my Annabelle hydrangea.  My Annabelle’s turn a lovely chartreuse in the fall, do yours?

It’s an interesting twist on fall, not the traditional fall colors of yellows and oranges, but I love it.

I found the mums, kale and white pumpkins at Menards this week.  The mums were $3.98 each, the kale was $3.99, and the white pumpkins were $4.59 each.  So for about $33, and with the help of my prolific hydrangea bushes, I was able to give a both my large window box, and my two galvanized boiler pot planters a pop of new life for fall.

Hey, wait a minute, I don’t think I’ve ever shown you these.  Ken built them for me.  Both of the boiler pots came from garage sales and were super cheap because the bottoms were rusted out.  Ken added some wood slats, and then mounted them for me.  One on the Carriage House and one on the Photo Cottage.

I used the kale in this planter and added some Strawberry Vanilla hydrangea blooms, some Sedum flower heads, and some dried Astilbe flower heads.

Here is a better look at the arrangement.

 I really enjoy being able to use stuff from my gardens in my window boxes for both fall and winter.  I’m hoping that these arrangements continue to look good for the next two months or so.  Or at least until the Carriage House sale.  Then sometime in early to mid-November I will switch them up again for winter.  I’ll be sure to share them with you again then!

In the last couple of years it seems like succulents have become very trendy.  There are so many varieties, and the colors and textures are pretty fab.

So I admit it, I jumped on the succulent bandwagon, but in a small way.

I love rusty old metal toolboxes, don’t you?  I decided this one would make the perfect container for some succulents.  First, I stenciled my house numbers on it.  I used my Cricut machine and made my own ‘stencil’ using contact paper.  After cutting out the numbers, I just removed them and kept the rest of the contact paper.  I adhered it to the metal toolbox, and then just used white spray paint to paint the numbers.  I thought it would hold up well against the elements since this planter stays outside in the summer.  This is its 3rd summer, and as you can see it’s getting pretty rusty, but the paint has held up well.

I punched some holes for drainage in the bottom of the toolbox using a large nail and a hammer.  I just pounded the nail through the metal in several different spots.  Fancy people might use a drill for this part of the process, but the nail and hammer worked pretty well.  Your planters especially need drainage if they are going to be outside.

I keep this on the deck between my lounge chairs (and that is one of my Annabelle hydrangeas back there behind the chairs).

This is an awesome spot to sip a glass of wine and look at some of my favorite decorating books.

The pillow covers came from Restoration Hardware, and I bought them on clearance.  I don’t usually pay Restoration Hardware prices for stuff unless it’s on sale.  This patio furniture came with some very blah pillows when I bought it, so it was nice to upgrade them to something a little more ‘me’.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I am completely obsessive about not leaving the cushions out unless we are using them.  But hey, we’ve had this furniture at least five years now and the cushions still look great and this is why!

How about you?  Have you jumped on the succulent bandwagon and planted some of your own?

Personally, I think adding a faux pond to your garden is extremely hard to pull off.  So, I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical when my neighbor Karen (a.k.a. nnK) told me she was putting in a pond.  They just often tend to look … well … fake.

I should have known better.

She insisted it would look good, and she was right.  Sometimes on really hot days I am tempted to dangle my feet in this pond.  I keep telling her she should have made it just a tad bigger so I could float a lounge chair in there.

The Tiger Eye sumac in the back is perfect.  The way it sort of overhangs the rocks and water looks very natural to me.

She’s got quite a few fish in the pond.  And luckily this particular water bird can’t really eat them.

I think part of the reason nnK’s pond looks so natural is because she used field rocks and tried to make it look like a typical Minnesota pond, not like some sort of mountain stream or waterfall.

Another thing working in her favor are her plant choices.  They all look native, and there are lots of them.  Sparse plantings would not look as lush and fabulous.

 I love the way she has moss and other plants growing around the rocks.

If I paid attention, I’d be able to tell you how she added a bog to help filter the water and how that works, but when she tells me that stuff I just nod my head a lot and pretend like I understand.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I’m pretty sure the fish come in the house for the winter.  She could add a small heater and leave them in the pond, but she says that would cost a small fortune, so she just has a giant fish tank in the basement for them.

If anyone is thinking about adding a pond, nnK is a great resource.  Let me know and I’ll hook you up.

At the Highland Park garage sales last weekend, I couldn’t help but notice how many homes had beautiful hydrangeas in their landscapes.  I also noticed they were all Annabelle’s (H. arborescens).  Up until not terribly long ago, Annabelle’s were really one of the only hydrangeas that would bloom reliably well in Minnesota.

You know those huge gorgeous blue hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) like these, grown by Danielle of Finding Silver Pennies?

Yeah, those don’t grow here.  Well, you might be able to get them to grow, but they definitely won’t flower much.  I’ve always been so envious of southern gardeners that could grow these!

Several years ago a new variety of H. macrophylla came out, the Endless Summer.  It blooms on new wood, unlike the older versions and therefore is supposed to bloom in colder climates.  We all rushed out to buy them.  I put in two, nnK put in a whole row of them, Sue put several in her garden also.  But honestly, they don’t do all that well either.  This year I have a grand total of three blossoms on mine so far.  Do any of you other northern gardeners have better luck with them?

In the excitement over finally having blue and pink hydrangeas rather than just white, I kind of forgot about my old Annabelle’s.  I moved one of them out behind the Carriage House into the cutting garden.  But after seeing so many of them in Highland Park, I realized I need to move some front and center again.  Maybe put one or two next to the potting shed.

I moseyed out behind the carriage house to the cutting garden to see if my Annabelle was doing well back there, and look!

Completely covered in flowers, despite a total lack of care on my part.  These will look amazing for quite a while.  Then the flowers will dry and I will use them in my winter window boxes.  Sometimes these traditional old fashioned varieties are just the best.  That’s probably why they became so popular in the first place.

I may never be able to grow a huge hedge covered in blue hydrangea blossoms, but for now, I’m going to enjoy the more subtle beauty of the Annabelle.  At least until the Limelight’s (H. paniculata) start blooming!

We used to have a huge hedge along our rear property line.  It was very overgrown and unkempt looking.  It ran all the way up to the Carriage House on one side, and the neighbor’s back fence on the other.  As a result, we lived in our house for 20 years before ever even meeting the neighbor that lived behind us.  Is that crazy or what?

We took the hedge down a few years ago, and replaced it with lilac bushes.  And then I met the ‘neighbor behind the hedge’, Claudia.  Who, by the way, is quite lovely.

When we planted the lilacs, I decided to also add an arbor so that we would always have access to the area back there even once the lilacs take over.  I also realized that I had room for a cutting garden behind the Carriage House.

The beauty of a cutting garden that is hidden from view is that I don’t feel guilty when I cut all of the flowers and bring them inside.  It doesn’t matter if the garden itself looks terrible, no one can see it.

I have peonies, hydrangeas, Siberian iris, and day lilies back there.  I’d like to remove the day lilies though, and fill in that area with something else.  If anyone in the Twin Cities wants basic orange Day Lilies, let me know.  You can have them.

I also have way too many yellow iris.  If you would like some yellow bearded iris plants, I’d be happy to share them with you also.

I staged my photos using a metal folding bistro chair.  I’ve had this chair in my sale for 2 years running now, but no one seems to want to buy it.  It can be rather handy for things like staging photos, or pulling out an extra chair that doesn’t take up much space.  I also used an enamel pitcher that I recently bought at an occasional sale.  I paid a bit more for it than I am usually willing to shell out, but I know I’ll get tons of use out of it.

 I wish the blooming season for peonies was just a bit longer.  I will just have to enjoy them while they last.

Minnesota has what I consider to be the ideal climate for gardening.  You scoff, I know.  Especially those of you in more southerly climes.  But, let me explain.  Our growing season is pretty short.  We can’t plant our annuals until at least May 15, and this year it was even later.  Our average first frost is in late September.  That’s it.  Four and a half months.  That is about perfect for me.  By mid-August I am already growing bored with gardening and I’m ready to be done for the year.  Apparently my gardening attention span is really short as well.  It’s a perfect fit.

I am quite fine with letting my garden slumber under mountains of snow for half of the year.  It makes you appreciate it that much more when it is green and lovely.

Today I thought I would take you, dear reader, on a short tour of my garden.

The lilac above is part of a lilac hedge I am working on along my rear property line.  I put these in 3 years ago, and they are just starting to get nice and tall.  I need them to fill in a lot more though, so I’m hoping to prune them this year and encourage them to get bushier.

I garden mostly in the shade.  I have a lot of really large trees in my yard, which works well for me.  I much prefer shade, and not having central a/c in my house means the trees help us stay cooler inside.

My buddha was purchased at Home Goods a few years back.  He is holding up pretty well outside and has developed a nice patina.  He is nestled in with my Maidenhair Ferns.  I love these because they are so delicate and airy looking.

This is Cossetta.  I purchased her at a garage sale of course!  She seemed pricey in garage sale money at $80, but truly she was a bargain.  She is wearing her tiara and presiding over the hostas and bleeding hearts.

I just purchased this bleeding heart.  It has the bright chartreuse foliage that I love.  I don’t know the official name of it off the top of my head, but if anyone is wondering, leave me a comment and I’ll go read the tag.  As I was editing my photos for this post, it became apparent to me just how much I love bright lime green.

This is partly because I love the color, but also because these bright colors really pop in a shady garden.  If you look closely at these photos, you can see that I use Cocoa Bean mulch in my gardens.  I like how dark it gets, which also makes my bright green foliage stand out.  It can get moldy in damp weather though, which can be slightly unpleasant.

I focus much more on foliage than I do on flowers.  Most perennials have such a short blooming season, so I pick plants for their foliage so they look good all summer.  Of course, I do have some favorite blooms too, like peonies, hydrangeas and irises … none of which are blooming quite yet.  I have a cutting garden out behind the carriage house that is full of these.  When they bloom, I don’t feel guilty cutting and bringing them inside because that’s what they’re there for!

The foamflower is blooming now though.

My sedum is gradually taking over my patio.  I planted it to spill over the garden edge, and it is definitely spilling.

This gargoyle is guarding the brunnera.  I love the delicate blue flowers on this plant.  Too bad they are nearly done for the season already.  This is supposed to be Brunnera Jack Frost.  If any of you know plants, you are now wondering why this doesn’t look like Jack Frost.  Turns out you are supposed to keep cutting back the leaves that revert to the original green of brunnera.  I didn’t know that, and never cut them back and now I have nothing but plain green.  Do any of you grow the Jack Frost?  Has the same thing happened to you?

 My friend Sue brought the gargoyle back from a trip down south.  She had purchased one for herself, and she just knew I would want one too.  She was right of course.

Saint Francis of Assisi hangs out in my fern glade.  This is under a heavy canopy of trees and the ferns have filled in a large area over time.  Works for me, I don’t have to do much with this area except keep beating the ferns back into submission.  Saint Francis is watching over the ashes of our first dog, Buck.

This Japanese painted fern is across the driveway from St. Francis.  Isn’t it gorgeous?

To conclude today’s tour, I’m sharing the topper on my fountain.  My neighbor, nnK, gave me this.  I think her mom brought it back from Mexico, or something like that.  It just happened to fit perfectly at the top of my fountain.

This concludes today’s garden tour, I hope you enjoyed it.  I’ll try to remember to take you on a few more over the course of the summer as the garden changes and new things are blooming.

For now, I am headed back to the workshop to paint a couple of mid-century pieces that have been patiently waiting for their make-overs.

Have I mentioned that I have a lovely greenhouse with an amazing statue inside?  No?

 Well, I suppose I should add that it is miniature.

It’s part of my fairy garden.

Several years ago, I saw a fairy garden that was planted in a birdbath while strolling around a lovely Minneapolis neighborhood (I can’t remember which one anymore).  So when I saw a cracked birdbath for sale, cheap, I realized it would be perfect.

I’ve had this for many years now.  Each winter I take the top off and bury it in a corner of the garden near the house and cross my fingers to see what will survive.  The little evergreen tree did fine this year.  But it was a tough winter and it looks like several of my miniature hostas did not come back.  The bright lime green one in the front right is Chartreuse Wiggles.  I had a Blue Mouse Ears, but I don’t see it coming back up.  I will have to visit my hosta guy and see what he has in miniatures this year.  If any of you locals are looking for a great place to buy hostas, consider my hosta guy, Gordy.  He sells hostas from his yard, and he has great prices and amazing varieties.  He is an old fashioned guy and literally still has a calling list and he personally calls me each year to let me know that he is open (he opened last Saturday).   He is just south of highway 36 off of Rice Street.  He puts up signs once he is open, and I think he’s only open on weekends until he runs out of stuff.  His house doesn’t look like much from the front, but when you go around back you’ll see that he has 100’s (probably 1000’s is more like it) of hostas.  In fact, the hosta that you can see in the foreground of my photo that is just starting to unfurl is from Gordy and is called June.  It is one of my favorites, along with May which is a lovely bright green.

But, I digress …

You may have noticed that I transplanted the plants the I bought for my ironstone tureen earlier this spring into the fairy garden.

They were already starting to overflow the ironstone, so I knew they would be happier in the fairy garden.

I added a few more things that I picked up at Bachman’s and the fairy garden is ready to go.

“There may be fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no evidence for it, but you can’t prove that there aren’t any, either”.