I started my garden in 2009 when we moved into our first home in Connecticut. There were no garden beds - just grass and weeds, everywhere. Systematically I've removed almost all of the lawn on the property (roughly 1/5 remains in the front garden and 1/3 in the back garden). I've always admired the cottage style approach of gardening, and I hope that is conveyed in my garden.
The garden is surprising me this year by how colorful it is as we head into July. I try to always have something blooming, and I believe the stars have aligned beautifully this year. (As you will see in the photos below, I love to buy plants. I really don't buy shoes, clothes or handbags. I also enjoy photographing flowers for the stock photography and photo greeting cards I sell, so what better way to do so then to walk out the door into the garden?)
I've divided the garden into three sections for easier viewing.
In the Main Garden
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| Looking up at the sun (from my Instagram account). |
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| Shasta Daisy Becky, my favorite daisy! Reliably blooms for most of the summer! |
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| Gotta love daylily sales at the end of the season! |
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| A daylily I ordered via Facebook. |
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| The butterfly weed attracts many pollinators - including some monarchs, I hope! |
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| This pitcher planter is perfect for succulents by the front door where it is sheltered from the rain. |
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| View of the garden from the driveway. (Click to enlarge.) |
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| Coneflowers, Becky Shasta Daisy and hanging geranium. |
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| I LOVE this pairing, which was a total accident! It is in the front border. |
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| The front border, with hopefully some cleome and zinnia blooms later this summer. |
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| Wind chimes from my husband's grandmother by the path. |
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| This new pair of wind chimes is by the front door and sounds great with a gentle breeze. |
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| More of Becky. |
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| Coneflower. |
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| Endless Summer hydrangea along the front walkway. |
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| The first of the phlox to bloom. |
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| Finally found a good location to grow balloon flower! |
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| The Kieffer pears are coming in well this year! (I don't spray the trees so my pears come out with some spots, as you can see in this photo.) |
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| I love this Centurion Blue Delphinium. That is its true color! |
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| Daylily |
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| This Jackmanii clematis came from a friend when I moved in 2009. It was just a cutting that had been damaged in the mail. |
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| A view of the garden path in the front garden via the front steps (from my Instagram account). |
In the Vegetable Garden
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| New Yorker tomatoes are determinate and coming along nicely. |
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| I transplanted some lamb's ear to border my raised vegetable beds along the driveway. The alyssum, carrot and viola are self-sown. |
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| This is the first year I am having luck with zucchini. I bought these plants as starters and it appears that I'll be getting a zucchini soon! |
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| I am slowly converting the raised vegetable beds over to a Peter Rabbit theme (hence the blue shirt). Both the golden marguerite and the calendula are self sown. My original plan was to grow rabbit-friendly food in this bed for my house rabbits, but time has gotten away from me and battles with the groundhog have distracted me! |
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| This is tomato alley in the driveway. I have lots of luck growing tomatoes in fabric pots this way. The bags are propped up on bricks to allow for drainage and so the plants are not resting directly on the hot driveway. (There's also a bag of organic horse manure in this photo. Oops!) |
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| Blueberries tomato is a new plant I tried growing from seed this year. |
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| Goldie was one of the first tomatoes to set. |
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| More New Yorker tomatoes. |
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| The bush beans live behind this bunny plan pen to keep the groundhog away. |
In the Back Garden
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| There is still lots to plant in my portable greenhouse! Leftover tomatoes, and dahlias I started earlier in the season still need to be put in the gardens. The coleus and zinnia seedlings also need to be put out. |
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| This is Hosta Land. In the back is a Blue Billow hydrangea and some Virginia Creeper that the birds sowed for me. I used to rip it out because I thought it was poison ivy, but now I let it stay since it's a source food for moths. |
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| More daylilies. |
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| Blue Mouse Ears is a mini hosta and one of my favorites. I need to move it so it doesn't get swallowed up by the giant hostas behind it. |
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| I am trying to get honeysuckle to grow along my shed. It compliments the metal artwork - from Haiti - of a girl riding a bike. |
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| Thanks for visiting! |
This completes this week's tour of my garden. If you are new to my site, I hope to see you again! I live in Zone 6b and as you can see, a variety of plants grow well here.
To view last week's Floral Friday, click here.
To view other featured gardens during the #GrowNow2015 tour, click here.
What is growing in your garden this week?
To view last week's Floral Friday, click here.
To view other featured gardens during the #GrowNow2015 tour, click here.
What is growing in your garden this week?
Jen, totally in love with "tomato alley" how cute! Your clematis is to die for. May I come live in your garden? haha so beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie! I had to get creative with limited light sources!
DeleteBeautiful garden tour Jen. I saw your garden quite a while ago. It has really evolved!
ReplyDeleteThank you! That means a lot coming from you! :)
DeleteLove your entire garden and your photos are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
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