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Our Grounds » GLOG activity on May 13, 2010

urban garden picture
289 of 391

    'Miss Kim' lilac in left foreground, hosta 'Gold Edger' at the base of the locust tree, and the two pale-green mounds on the right are artemisia 'Silver Mound' (growing with amazing speed so early in Spring).

    You are in tag editing mode. Click and drag over an area of the image to create a tag, or double-click on an existing tag to delete it. Click the "Tag" icon again when you're done.
Groundskeeper replied about 3 years ago
Temperatures below normal, rain way above normal, perennials are filling out, trees too, everything looking plump. But there's more growth ahead. The garden will almost fill in by the end of spring. I'll post a photo like this every week or two to record the changes. It's a great feature of the site that photos and time line are archived--a kind of garden diary that I can look at next year and keep adding to year by year.
BeckyBrady replied about 3 years ago
Stunning! are those alliums I see scattered around?
Groundskeeper replied about 3 years ago
Yes, those are Allium giganteum. I planted the bulbs five years ago and they have persisted and multiplied (where there was one flower the first year, there were two the next, and I think the bulbs have also divided, judging by the way one or two plants--separate clumps of leaves--have become three or four in the same spot). Here in Iowa, bulbs that persist five years are fairly rare. The dark side is that the flower heads make a huge number of seeds and every year dozens of new plants pop up (stringy leaves in groups under the parent plants). They are hard to weed because they make a little bulb right away about two inches deep. However carefully you pull the stem it snaps (grrr) and the bulb stays put and resprouts. Last year I troweled up the seedlings, which was a lot of work. This year I cut off all the flower stems as soon as the petals began to fade, which comes long before the seeds reach maturity). I think it's the better way.
Groundskeeper replied about 3 years ago
I posted a photo of the flower stems in a yard bag on their way to the compost bin. They still have some color but I'm determined not to let the color tempt me to wait. No seedlings, that's my new mantra.
plantlover replied about 3 years ago
beautiful yard
Groundskeeper replied about 3 years ago
Thank you. In 1993, the backyard was half pavers, half grass. I converted the lawn to garden in chunks over five years and I add a foot or two to the edge of the borders every three or four years. Eventually the lawn will take five minutes to mow. Completely soggy today and more rain in the forecast for the next three days. We're also hot. Paradise for dormant seeds--lots of weeds ahead.
Groundskeeper replied about 3 years ago
See photo 26 for a photograph from the same viewpoint taken June 18th.Big changes in the appearance of the beds. Perennials are much large and crowding together.
Monel replied almost 3 years ago
so green it almost hurts your eyes!
Groundskeeper replied almost 3 years ago
The photo is a little more green than the garden but it signals something useful about design that I need to be reminded of now and then, namely that most gardens (mine included) need colors other than green--such as pale green, chartreuse, purple, silver. I have some in the garden but there could be more. By the way, the light green to the right of the obelisk is a variegated, red-twigged dogwood. I aim to get more shrubs with bright colors into the landscape--one of many lagging goals.
Xotchilt replied almost 3 years ago
Gorgeous landscape!
Groundskeeper replied almost 3 years ago
Thanks. It's like the old joke about how to have a perfect English Lawn. You just water it, mow it, and roll it--for one hundred years. The back yard was once half lawn, half paving, the first bit of the garden in the photo was planted 17 years ago. Whoa.
ssgardengirl replied almost 3 years ago
Well now, your lawn looks pretty darned good too!!!
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
@ssgardengirl: Thanks. But I see a blemish too. Yes, this is a universal gardener syndrome. Everything's perfect, but... Near the top of the lawn is a big patch of creeping Charlie, thriving in a low, wet spot. Grr.
Liz replied over 2 years ago
@Groundskeeper: And I bet nobody ever notices that.....I agree with Lauri and you about heaven!!
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
You're right, no-one seems to notice the creeping charlie--or they're too polite to voice their dismay. I'm obsessed by the darn thing because its spreads so fast and throws around so many seeds. I raised the level of the lawn in that spot this Autumn to make it drier and less hospitable to creeping charlie. Next step--lots of uprooting in Spring.
livilou replied over 2 years ago
This is a sight to behold for my garden/springtime starved eyes! This is so beautiful and lush! Thank you for tagging...so wonderful to be able to help identify all the plant material.
Noviflowerchild replied over 2 years ago
You have a very beautiful yard!
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
Thank you. I'm glad you spotted the tags. I'm afraid a lot of members haven't figured what tags are and how they work--and how to tag their own photos. I see lots of photos with plants I don't know and wish I did know. Tagging would be the answer.
Xotchilt replied over 2 years ago
I love the tagging feature, however, it's difficult if you don't know the cultivar of your plant. I try to save the tags when I purchase new plants, but sometimes they end up in the trash before I can tag plants. I guess I need to start memorizing more cultivars.
Noviflowerchild replied over 2 years ago
@Xotchilt:  I save the tags on new plants, use a craft punch to place a small hole in them and then put them on a binder ring (I organize my rings by garden/flower bed).  I can't take credit for this idea, as I read it in one of my gardening magazines, but it works really well. 
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
I can't remember a cultivar name or sometimes even a species the year after I bought the plant. I lost the plant labels too. The plant encyclopedias come to the rescue. I have five of them but how they all got here is lost in the mists of time, like how so much cast-off lumber has accumulated in my basement.
Noviflowerchild replied over 2 years ago
The tags are awesome. I have silvermound and learned from your tags how to keep them from falling over!  Thanks!
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
Thank you! The idea of YourGardenShow is that we help one another by sharing our experience so I'm happy to see the idea come to life.
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
Noviflowerchild..., that is perfect--perfect for me. I have the three ring binder and the hole punch. Instead of tossing a new label on the kitchen counter, where it eventually gets lost, I'll march straight to the hole punch and voila! the label is safe.
malajustid replied over 2 years ago
Very nice landscaping. I like your use of tags, I've been learning a lot from you. More people should use them.
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
Thanks. We'll all figure out how to use the tools on the site eventually and a lot of gardening knowledge will start moving around.
Onie replied over 2 years ago
Nice to see your garden..Thank you!
Groundskeeper replied over 2 years ago
@Onie: Thank you. My neighborhood has a volunteer garden in the traffic circle on my street. You can see it in photos by searching for "Garden in the Street." Some amazing growth by perennials from two-inch pots.
Tine replied almost 2 years ago
Awesome garden! I love this view! 
Groundskeeper replied almost 2 years ago
Thanks a lot. It's part of my job here at YourGardenShow.com to encourage more people to show their gardens. Or their favorite plant, or whatever they want. Tagging is part of that. Before long we'll also have a sort of Q&A department that I will tend. In the meantime, send me gardening questions whenever you like. mark@yourgardenshow.com
shanna replied almost 2 years ago
very beautiful..... i hope that one day mine will look that nice
Groundskeeper replied almost 2 years ago
Thank you. I've come to believe that if you give plants a good start they'll do almost all the rest. So, the motto is, keep on planting
shanna replied almost 2 years ago
:) that's a good motto
Groundskeeper replied almost 2 years ago
Eventually, I'll have to give some plants away (which is a good thing too) so I can keep on planting. I'm raising five young gingko trees, a gold false cypress and a seven son shrub and I'll have to find a spot in the garden for at least three of them next year. But it's a good problem to have.
shanna replied almost 2 years ago
lol best problem ever :)
Groundskeeper replied almost 2 years ago
Your comment is so true. I'm smiling. Just this little effort to grow more shrubs and trees than I need has inspired me to do the same thing next spring, but with more plants. Ten more ginkgos in the neighborhood would be good.
shanna replied almost 2 years ago
I think that would be a great idea :) i'm going to plant a lemon tree next year :)
GidgetsGarden replied over 1 year ago
You've done an incredible job with your garden, it is absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing.

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