Marcia,

I have to say, that I have taken pics year after year....but my garden keeps changing. Things get pulled out and tossed or moved....so for the most part, I couldn't show pics like this.

Your lilies are gorgeous! They are taking over. LOL. The year before last, I dug up the lilies that were doing this and thinned them....just so they didn't get over crowded and die out.

Your tulip pics are interesting....mine usually go in the opposite direction.....Start out with a great show...then peter out in the next few years.....So I try to divide them after a couple of years.

I planted around 1,000 tulips last fall.....can't wait to see what spring brings. :-)

Happy Gardening,
Sierra

Great idea, I'll have to check my photos if I have any yearly growth comparison photos.

However in your photos, what a diffence a year makes. Great photos Marcia!

Sharon

Ok Marcia, I think we need to do some drug testing in your yard because your flowers have to be on steroids right?!!LOL

What a great idea to show the growth of beds. It can be hard to remember from year to year. I do have a photo album for garden pictures, but I'm not sure if I've gotten pictures every year of the same bed. I'll have to go take a look see.

Yes, definitely drug testing... Marcia please submit pee samples from your lilies. LOL. I don't have any year-to-year shots either, just some of how horrible my old yard looked the first year. I do have a before and after of my flower bed project last summer, I guess I could add that even though I have moved...
March
{{gwi:702823}}

May
{{gwi:702824}}

July
{{gwi:702826}}

I guess that's not really what you're looking for but it's the best I have.

I knew i had some old pictures around somewhere - they were on a CD. This series shows the progression of the bed in front of the house:
{{gwi:702828}}
{{gwi:702829}}

2004, taken when we were replacing our front window:
{{gwi:702830}}

2005:
{{gwi:702832}}
{{gwi:702833}}

2006:
{{gwi:702836}}
{{gwi:702837}}

I just love looking at before and after pics of projects Gillian, and yours turned out wonderfully. No wonder you sold the house so quickly!

Wow, Marcia, that bed has sure filled in nicely too!!

Well, I had some fun going back in time with my photo albums. I only got my digital in 2005, so I had to scan a few pics to be able to do this. Btw, my old 35mm was still a fairly good camera, but the new(and cheap) scanner we just got sucks, so I apologize for the poor quality on the pre '05 pictures. Hopefully you can still get the effect of how things grew.

This shrub bed, and the cotoneaster hedge behind it, was started in 1999. The birdhouse is a good gauge of growth.
{{gwi:702839}}

2001
{{gwi:702842}}

2003
{{gwi:702844}}

And here it is last year in '06
{{gwi:700269}}

In 2000 we put in a concrete curb/border for the bed in front of the house.
{{gwi:702846}}

This is in early spring of 2005.
{{gwi:702848}}

In 2006 the only pictures I took were of left and right of the deck. So here's the right of it.
{{gwi:702850}}

and the left of it.
{{gwi:702852}}

I'm really enjoying watching the plantings fill in around the pond. Here it is in 2005.
{{gwi:702854}}

And last year in '06.
{{gwi:702856}}

This bed had a bit of a head start because the Thunderchild crab, the Russian Almond and the spirea were already there for a few years. DH was tired of mowing the lawn in between them, so I did the next best thing. ;^)
In 2004.
{{gwi:702859}}

And in 2005.
{{gwi:702861}}

And in '06 I added a new addition on to this bed.
{{gwi:700277}}

I realized that I now need to take more full shots of my flowerbeds, because it's really interesting to go back a few years and see the progress.

Laurie

Gil and Laurie, your pics are great! It's amazing how things change as we "grow" as gardeners!

Yes, full bed pics are in order from now on. That one picture i have above of the back of the front bed (this year) - i took the same shot once a week from March or April until maybe September. If i get ambitious enough, i'll post them sometime.

Great topic Marcia, and great progress both of you. It sometimes seems like we work and work and nothing really changes, but when we look at these pictures, it actually does change. And it's nice to see that sometimes the plants do the work too ;0) Even if we have to feed them steroids. ahem.

I have to make sure I take lots of before and afters this summer. It will motivate me to do what I hate most - dig new beds. >:0(

Gil - lasagne. :)

Marcia..what a great idea to see how our gardens have matured over a period of time..your gardens have filled out and increased beautifully.
Gillian just look back at how you made a lovely garden at your last home and can get out the creative juices to make some at your new home. In one season you made a huge difference
Laurie ..your gardens are beautiful..they look so well thought out and planned...I love the changes in your pond area
savona