Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Garden Vistas



Things are really heating up at Dandelion House Garden! Nearly everything is blooming! 
The Garden is different every year. What I imagine it will look like and how things really turn out usually falls somewhere between the Garden I envisioned in my garden daydreams and the one that actually comes to be... This year, however, I have been completely enchanted as every flower comes into bloom. 

( Endless Summer Hydrangea )

 I've shared many individual blossoms with you in past posts but dear reader Rhonda of Christmas Notebook Blog left me a comment last week that inspired me to try to capture more wide open shots of my gardens for you! * Be sure to visit Rhonda, she has some beautiful bloomers over at her place!

Rhonda said: Thanks for posting the larger picture of the entire bed with the monarda, etc. So often, garden blogs post pics of individual blossoms (which are beautiful!), but I so enjoy seeing the whole picture. It gives me more inspiration that single flower shots do. 
Thanks for the positive feedback Rhonda!  It has me looking at my Gardens with wider ( new ) eyes!

Today I'm sharing Garden Vistas!  

In this garden I've planted, Bee Balm, ( Jacobs' Climb ) which grows up to 5' tall and is mildew resistant.  It is definitely the jewel of this border and one of my favorite blooms. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies too. Would you believe a man at  the nursery where I purchased it actually said, " I never plant anything red in my garden" .In my excitement over the red jewel I was tempted to say, " Well, you don't know what you're missing "! Yarrow, Russian Sage, Lavender, " Helecote and Munstead " Catmint, Black-Eyed Susan, (Goldstrom and Prairie Sun ) Goldstrom does not self seed but Prairie Sun does.Ornamental Grass ( Miscanthus " Morning Light " ), Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Autumn Sedum Joy, Butterfly Bush, Coneflower " Ruby Star and Sundown",  Clover Root, Gay Feather, Verbena, Shasta Daisy, and Rhubarb fill the rest of the border with a riot of color and texture. 
 I had to sneak in some Rhubarb into my garden and this post! 
 I won't be able to harvest it this year but it is plentiful in the produce section at the supermarket and hopefully at our local farmers market too. I'll share a recipe for my homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie soon!


I call this my Summer Garden because it's located in the largest sunny patch of the yard. Many of the plants are bird and butterfly favorites! 


 Our shed and the Little Red Hen House. Pretty girl Chestnut had to be in the photo too!






This Garden is nestled below a tall divider of natural woods. 


 The tall green plant you see behind the Red Bee Balm is Helianthus annuus " Lemon Queen " .This beauty
belongs to the Sunflower family. It blooms late summer to early fall and grows 6-8 feet tall.




It's not perfect. But it's mine!  I've got weeds, and gaps that need more color, height and texture. It's my place to play, experiment and enjoy. At it's widest point it is 20 feet and gradually narrows to about 8 feet at the opposite end. It is roughly 80 feet long. 


Here you can see how I have tucked in a small place for veggies at the tip of  the planting area. At the moment, the jury's out on my veggie garden. It was a cool, wet spring and the veggies seem to be growing in slow motion this year. 



Garden tip for a large perennial border from Deborah Jean ~ 


* One of the most basic rules is to repeat- repeat- repeat- color, texture and pattern in your garden. This does work, but don't be afraid to plant more than one color in the same flower family. This will make your border look " less planned " and you will get to enjoy more of your favorites this way. Add taller plants to your border. They add drama even after the blossoms fade. Some rules are made to be broken, especially in the Garden. 


I hope this gardening season has been good to you and you are finding peace in your gardening days.

I'm linking up to Homestead Barn Hop # 19, ,Missgreen "thumb" jean Bloomin' Tuesday and Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday! 

20 comments:

  1. OH WOW ! Beautiful gardens, sheds and coops ! You have done a wonderful job of it all and it shows in your photos. Yes I agree with the other blogger, individual photos of flowers are lovely but an entire garden of all different shapes and colors of flowers is amazing ! Great job ! Have a wonderful summer day !

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  2. Beautiful gardens. It appears the heat has caused your flowers to florish! My favorite is the hydrangea. And the blue, of course. Do you dry them in the fall? I'm so sorry that I can't grow it in the zone I live in!
    And is that the true color of the shed? Orangey-Red? I really like it. I've never seen that color used before outside. But then I don't get out much!ha!
    I enjoyed your post-Take care.

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  3. Thank you both! Yes, I do dry the Hydrangeas in the fall. They last forever in a vase. The paint color on our shed and Hen house is a Behr Opaque stain called Barn Red. It looks a bit more orange in the photo here because of the brightness of the mid day sun.
    Happy Gardening!
    Deb

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  4. Deb, I really enjoyed the bigger views of your garden beds! Thanks! I took some time and pondered them. The monarda looks wonderful! I've never had any that tall. And the color is great. Your beds fit your space so well. I love the county cottage look of masses of plants blooming together. What kind of grass clump is that? Does it get plumes? If you have a chance, get a start of the grass 'Morning Light.' It is so beautiful in a breeze and has nice plumes for winter interest. Thanks for linking to my blog in your post. I'm delighted! ~~Rhonda :)

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  5. Love the bigger views of your gardens! They are truly magnificent!

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  6. You have an amazing garden!! I especially like the hydrangea color!

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  7. Deborah~ love the flowers and the expanse of your garden. The Red buildings are so cheerful to see in the yard with everything all abloom!

    I like the wide shots too-- of the foliage and the blooms!
    Enjoy-
    Pat

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  8. Gorgeous! Love the full garden pics too.
    Jeanni

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  9. Hi Deborah Jean,
    I love seeing what I call the landscape views of your garden. So inspirational to see where the plants really live and who their neighbors are. I like your wooded backgrouond, too.

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  10. When considering an edible garden the first thing most people will think of is the vegetable garden. Vegetable gardens are by far the most popular type of edible garden for the home gardener.There are numerous edible plants which can be integrated into your garden. Edible gardens are also a wonderful way to attract wildlife to your garden. What doesn't get eaten by visitors to your garden will surely be eaten by birds and other animals.

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  11. I so loved this garden tour!!! I think the top photo is beautiful with the bright blue hydrangea showing. Love your patio and red barns! Thank you for the specific name of the Bee Balm. I'm going to be on the lookout for it. I LOVE RED in my garden! Thanks for such a great garden post.

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  12. Your garden vistas are perfectly lovely. I'm afraid if I tried that it would only show how the weeds have beaten me this year, so I better stick with the macro shots of the flowers!

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  13. So happy to hear you are enjoying the wider shots in this post!

    Teresa,
    It finally cooled off today enough for me to get a little ahead of the weeding...I hadn't been near one in weeks! Happy gardening/weeding !
    Deb

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  14. Beautiful flowers you got there, the red shed and henhouse are also fabulously fitting in the garden. And of course, the first photo is enchanting.

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  15. It is fun to see how plants are grouped in other gardens. Yours are beautiful and I love your Hen house!

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  16. What a fabulous garden ...love the red bee balm!! Your buildings are so fun painted red too! Your sunny border is just wonderful with all the different plants! Enjoyed your post!

    Miss Bloomers

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  17. OH, everything is just so lovely! Your hen is too darn cute! I've enjoyed the tour.

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  18. Beautiful! Love the red hen house! I liked the tour too.

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  19. It must be a treat to relax in your screened gazebo surrounded by all this beauty! Have a great weekend!

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  20. It's not an easy feat, but your inspiring photos make me want to move to more lush environs! At least I'll accept the challenge of wanting to bring that lush feeling to Arizona!

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