Thanks, Steve, for the information on the John O'Brien nursery; Granby is just a ride up 91 from here and definitely worth it to get my hands on a Frosted Mouse Ears!

I have been sitting here trying to include some of my garden photos from last week. It's been a while since I posted photos, and I'm kind of 'rusty.' I was checking out the river part of the garden -- looking at my Queen Elizabeth's blooms and a new prostrate Larch we planted. Saw a strange hole in the dirt. Investigated a bit more and realized that a Snapping Turtle was laying her eggs in a recently weeded part of the garden!

Of course, I didn't want to stay too long and annoy her, but I did get some photos.

See her tucked underneath the sedum?

My two main perennial beds are a mess but as of yesterday are less weedy. I lost both a clump of shasta daisies and a dark leaved wigeila in the circle garden. Right now, that garden is overcrowed except for a gap and nothing has been blooming except for a single surviving blue lupine.

Thank you for posting pictures. I need some garden envy this morning to get back out there and spruce things up. I'll make notes about what is blooming now that could be added to the circle bed after I subtract some things. I should be happy that some clumps have gotten large enough to divide.

Love the snapping turtle pics!

Very nice snapping turtle, molie! (The garden's very nice too!) I wonder how the turtle knew there was nice open soil there - did she smell it, or maybe she'd just been exploring around and struck paydirt....

I need a snapping turtle to chase off the woodchuck that defoliated 11 or 12 Phlox paniculatas (I think there was a twelfth but I can't find it). I have two pinwheels but they didn't work.

Claire

Molie -

I am fairly certain that the rhodie I posted is Independence, which is supposed to bloom around the beginning of July, much later that any other evergreen rhodie. This year it seems to be early, but it did bloom much later than any of my other evergreen rhododendrons. (and I can't take credit for the magenta peony/veronica combo - that's T2D's.)

Thanks, nhbabs ---I checked out your Independence Rhododendron online. Unfortunately it will grow too large for our small yard. Still, I love the fact that it blooms so late.

T2D, sorry that I mixed up names & photos and did not give you credit for that knockout combo of magenta peony and veronica. They remind me so of Monet's gardens.

Regarding the turtle visitors ---- I'm actually not fond of those snappers. We live along a tidal river where snapping turtles have been laying their eggs in our gardens for several seasons now and they always seem to dig next to my favorite plants. I think they look upon my gardens as a Motel 6. We get all the usual garden visitors... muskrats, deer, occasional coyote or fox and woodchucks. Woodchucks are real pests. Two years ago they were eating the pumpkins from the patch my grandson and I planted so he could have some for Halloween. I'll never plant pumpkins again --- it was a continuous fiesta in our yard.

But I think the funniest thing I ever saw was a huge clump of my Shasta daisy "running" down the hill along the back fence. When I looked closer, it was a muskrat carrying off part of my plant in a dash for the river. My husband laughed and said he was just picking flowers for his little woman. But then he got really ticked off when a critter demolished his two beautiful Heliopsis helianthoides 'Prairie Sunsets'. So I can feel your pain, Claire, about the lost Phlox. The only thing that will stop these visitors is a wire cage --- also a gun, but I won't go that route. After all, this was their home before it was ours.

Molie

Claire, I just love your foxgloves. They look positively magical. I often think of planting some, but their poisonous nature always scares me out of it. They are just lovely to look at though.

Jane, I like your "hell strip." I agree, happy plants, even if rather humble looking, are better than no plants. I don't think it looks bad though. It has a sort of desert garden look about it.

Steve, your oxalis iron cross is an intriguing looking plant. I hope that my veronica that I planted last fall will be the equal of yours at some point.

Pixielou, I adore your garden clock! Does it keep time or is it decorative only? It is wonderful! Your nasturtiums look great. Mine are always late bloomers here, but once they get started they bloom up until the frost. They're just leafy foliage now.

And Claire, I love your bowl of beauty peonies. I want to add some peonies in the future but have to decide where to put them. I know now what variety I want!

Molie, your gardens are just beautiful and I love your photo sequence of the snapping turtle. How funny about the daisy theft by Mr Muskrat! I guess for every destruction of our plants by critters, they also provide us with compensating entertainment.

I'm not a container gardener, but I have a few pots I sometimes stick sedums or hens and chicks into and then I ignore them for a year or two, maybe pulling the oak leaves out and weeding them, but usually not. I just looked at this one for probably the first time this year and discovered some of the sedums are flowering. That's a self-seeded Siberian iris in there and maybe some yarrows. I kind of like it though and I hope it will fill out.

I've also been waiting for some self-sown winterberry seedlings to flower. My big old winterberry almost always has berries but I have no idea what pollinates them. Probably something in the woods, maybe by the pond down the hill where there are lots of winterberries. A few years ago there was a lousy cold spring and several people on the forum reported no holly berries. My winterberry was bare, so I've been hoping that I'd find a male seedling I could nurture for dependable pollination.

I have four seedlings - the biggest is a female and had berries last year. The other three were smaller and no flowers or berries last year. This year all four have flowers and I think three of them are males (I was hoping the difference would be obvious like in {{gwi:221175}}).

My winterberry seedling that had berries last year - female flower:

One of my other winterberry seedlings - male flower:

Claire (I feel a bit like I"m lecturing but I hope some people are interested in being able to tell the difference.)

Spedigrees - I just got the clock. I had been wanting an outdoor clock, I saw this one at BJ's and decided I needed it. It is 2 faced, and the face is big enough that I can see it from halfway across the yard. But the real test will be to see if it continues to keep time during the winter. That was the problem we had with the cheapo outdoor clock I bought at Walmart.

Claire - I appreciate the tutorial. I love discovering these subtle differences in nature. I've always wondered how I could tell the difference between my male and female hollies - besides looking at the tags!

Molie - I hear you on the snapping turtles. One the one hand I enjoy having them. On the other hand, they can do quite a bit of damage to the gardens.

This is the time of year when I have height in bloom in my front gardens. Heliotrope is in bloom. And the lillies are about to burst.

I do yellow flowers around my mailbox. Corepsis, Stella D'Oro Day Lillies, and Evening Primrose are all in bloom.

I bought these Cosmos Picotee. I love the 2 tone blooms.

I still love my nasturtiums. They are too pretty to pick.

The latest garden box for my daughter. It is the start of our "animal" garden. So far we have "lark"spur and "dragon" head. I've since added "spider"wort. And will transplant some "Bee"balm and "Tiger" Lillies soon. The dragon was a gift from my mom - not quite in the same category as Claires lawn dragon.

And a couple overall shots of the pond.

This shot is looking South. In the background from left to right is the wood shed, then my daughters whimsy garden - the cinder blocks that are morpihng into moss steps, her balance beam, the terra cotta family, the teepee, the toad stools, and her old bench climber where she goes to read. Out behind the bench climber is the outlet pipe to the river. The west side of the pond - out behind the row of pines is the river. Keep in mind that when we bought this house, it was so overgrown out back that we couldn't even walk behind the pond. We still can't walk behind the pines down to the river - that's the next project to tackle. I still have to add the siberian irises to the back side of the pond. We're adding a row of raised beds for flowers back there. Behind the raised beds I have a walkway. And I just seeded grass - between the raised beds and the pond flower border.
This is a view the other direction - North.

Just grass, the compost bins, and you can see the veggie garden.

pixie_lou: It's great to see your lilies with nice healthy foliage - a reminder to people that you can keep lilies in spite of the nasty beetles.

Your daughter sounds like a really nice person with an interesting life (whimsy garden, animal garden, balance beam, outdoor reading bench...). You're raising her well.

Claire

Thanks for the complements Claire. I feel like I'm always walking that fine line between spoiling my daughter and indulging her.

The heat this week made the lillies explode. Eye Liner Lilly - named for the black line around the petals.

The day lillies are starting to open. Are these considered "ditch" lillies? I wonder since they are the darker orange petals. But they are way out in back and it's nice to see the big splotches or orange from afar.

I bought these hair alliums - which were a new variety this year. This is my only one with hair. The rest of mine are bald. Overall I'm not impressed with the variety. They don't look anything like the catalog photo.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hair allium in the Brecks catalog

Pixie, your pond is beautiful. It's nice to see full views of it. You guys have done a lot of work clearing, and it will be nice when you clear a path to the river. How nice to live close to a river.

Just curious, but why do you have a bigger-than-life black tick painted on your drainpipe!?

It's too bad that the hairy alliums did not pan out for you. The catalogue picture at the link you posted look really cool. My own ordinary purple alliums have fizzled after about two years. I had only three blooms this year, out of my dozen plants. They have gone the way of the lupine, which also for some reason do not thrive in my gardens. I think I will replace them with some of my bee balm plants which are spreading like mad. (My bee balm arrived as a single stalk several years ago, a stowaway in with a bunch of phlox that I bought.) It's survival of the fittest in my flower beds!

You should pick your beautiful nasturtiums and enjoy them inside as well as outside! The more you pick, the more blooms you get. I love the way the orange and yellow colors blend on some of the flowers as if by a watercolor paintbrush. Mine do that too as the season progresses, from cross polination I assume.

Your eyeliner lilies intrigue me. Normally I'm not a fan of white flowers, but their black "eyeliner" around the petals is really striking. Do the red beetles not bother them? (They have decimated my tiger lilies.)

Ditch lilies indeed! I take offense at the term and refuse to call them that! They are daylilies, and the primary type of daylily in people's gardens back when I was a kid, and they were NOT called "ditch lilies" back then. I love them. I have other varieties of daylilies too, but the old originals remain one of my favorite flowers!

Does your garden clock run by battery power or house current? That would definitely be a useful thing, as I tend to lose track of time when I'm outdoors.

I like your little garden dragon too. He may not be huge, but he's cute! And it IS the Chinese calendar year of the dragon after all!

Ah boy...now I really have pond envy. Very nice, pixie, and to be surrounded by irises, my, oh my, a bit of heaven.

Never heard the term 'ditch' lily until I read it on the NE Forum. We've always called them day or tiger lilies. To me, 'Ditch' seems to be an inaccurate appellation for such a nice, dependable lily. This is just one group on my property. The others bloom happily under wild dogwood and ring a small grove of white oak on town property. I just keep planting them wherever I want free color in a shady or sunny spot. How many plants can do that?

Fully agree with Sped and Claire about the animal garden and gardening with your daughter. Teaching is not spoiling; teaching is love.

Personally, I eat nasturtium blossoms and Sped is right, you'll get more flowers. Link below for eating them. (It's not like I'm suggesting you make turtle soup, lol)

Kindly,
Jane :)
P.S. Glad to know the difference between boy and girl ilex blossoms. Took almost 7 decades to learn it, but now I know, hehehe. I have winterberry and now that the deer have stopped eating it, it may bloom and then I'll know if I have one each M&F.

Here is a link that might be useful: oldfashionedliving.com

spedigrees - it's not a tick. It's hama hama hakki - aka the itsy bitsy spider, climbing the water spout. My daughter was 2 when we bought this house and on one of the first days here we saw a big daddy long legs climbing the gutter. So once we moved in, and got brand new gutters - one of the first things I did was paint a spider on one. Which kinda set the stage for everything else I've done with this house!

And I planted the nasturtiums so that I could decorate our nightly salads with fresh nasturtiums blossoms. I guess I shouldn't have picked such a pretty variety of nasturtiums!

spedigrees - I forgot to mention that the clock runs on battery. Each side of the clock face is powered separately - and takes either 1 or 2 AA batteries - I don't remember. Then each side takes 2 D cells to power the LED lights. Unfortunately I didn't read the fine print when I bought the clock, so didn't purchase D batteries, and had none around the house. But so far I haven't needed to check the time outside when it is dark outside. So not sure if I'm going to bother to purchase the D batteries at this point!

The side I have facing the patio also boasts a barometer and a thermometer. But they are really tiny on the clock face and I really can't read them unless I get real close. I have a thermometer mounted on a nearby tree - which is big enough so that I can see it from inside the house. And I don't know enough about meteorology to interpret barometer readings. So I should turn the clock around, but it's pretty heavy, so I haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

Pixie Lou - what matters with a barometer is what it's doing relative to where it's been. If it's rising, the weather is getting better; if it's falling, weather will get worse (rain/storms); if it's staying the same, no change. It won't tell you anything about temperature, just potential storminess.

LOL My arthritic joints tell me when the barometric pressure is falling, and the barometer on my wall always confirms it!

Jane, thanks for the link to nasturtium recipes. I had never heard of most of these applications; I was only familiar with their use in salads.

And your daylilies look lovely set off by your white picket fence!

My Itea virginicas (Virginia Sweetspire) are now in full bloom and they waited until the Hydrangea Blue Billow began to flower, for which I thank them profusely.

This garden is on top of a stone wall, which is almost invisible now under the cotoneasters. It's one of my favorite gardens when at its prime, which starts about now. The Zepherine Drouhin rose is in bloom and the meadow phlox (Phlox maculata) is beginning. There are some yellow nummularia flowers underneath on the wall. I'm still waiting for the Hosta Blue Angel to send up its white flowers, and the hydrangea should get even bluer.

Claire

I really appreciate being able to see everyone's gardens; I'm not around many gardeners in real life, so this is great.

Pixie_lou--I am jealous of your pond! And I love your campanula; it is something that is missing from my yard...it's going on the list! And that heliotrope! Oh--and the white lilies!

Steve----I LOVE the blue and yellow container planting!!!

Claire--your peonies are gorgeous! And the turkeys are adorable.

thyme2dig---that wisteria is beautiful(it's going on my wishlist). The climbing hydrangea looks great--I'm sure your MIL is looking down on it! I have a 4 year old; I hope I don't have to wait that long for blooms. Beautiful stone steps you have there next to your ninebark. I am envious.

nhbabs----beautiful beds; you have so much going on!

molie----what a pretty flower bed; and I love the turtle pics!

As usual, I feel like my gardens are behind schedule compared to everyone else's. Here sre some pics of some stuff I've had going on for June:

I love the color of these peonies, but I'm not sure of the variety:

Ernest Markham clematis, I believe:

Ninebark; I have way too many in my yard, but I'm a sucker for red/brown/purple foliage:

Crimson Sky rose....always lots of blooms, but the foliage is a little lacking:

This is the best my foxglove border has ever looked, and sadly I had to move the whole bed two days after I took this picture. My neighbors is having a fence installed and I've been busy moving that whole side of my yard; all the flower beds were 10 feet onto her property!

I did not think much of this clematis(Pistachio) when I received it as a gift, but I have grown quite fond of it now:

I wish I knew the variety of rose this is because it does so well in part shade and is very disease resistant:

I love feverfew and it can reseed all over my yard if it wishes:

Seafoam rose:

Jackmanii:

Climbing White Dawn:

My annuals are just starting to bloom, there's not much to take pictures of yet. Here are some winter sown bachelor's button's just beginning:

I can't wait for July. I am simply DYING for more blooms in my yard!

Teresa

Very nice, girlcat36; I particularly like the pic of the ninebark with the sun face and shingles/cedar shakes in the background.

Not technically in my garden, but this morning a neighbor showed me some plants that recently appeared by the road across the street. Neither of us had a clue what they were, but I found them in William Cullina's New England Wildflower Society Guide to Wildflowers, and then online at the CT Botanical Society site. Spotted Pipsissewa!(Chimaphila maculata AKA Spotted Wintergreen). There seems to be at least two different ways of spelling pippsissewa/pipsissewa. A wonderful name to say, though.

The flower buds aren't completely open yet. I hope they cross the street to my yard - if the poison ivy can do it so easily, it should be a snap for the pipsissewa.

Claire

So that is pipsissewa. I just noticed the same flowers while on a walk in the woods yesterday. And I have some of that foliage growing in my shade garden - but checked for blossoms and none. Mine is growing amongst Canadian Mayflower.

There's another pipsissewa, Prince's Pine, with solid green foliage. They're both supposedly really dependent on mycorrhizal fungi to survive, so you must have a good soil environment. I hesitate to try to transplant these since my mayflowers (Trailing Arbutus, not Canadian Mayflower) died out after a couple of years. They're fussy about fungi too.

Claire

Here are a few pics of my garden areas. Most of this is less than two years old, so it will need time to look established. Thought I'd mention that because I know my garden lacks the "New England look" for now......but I thought I'd share anyway.

A visitor seemed to like my Yucca recurvifolia!

Hesperaloe parvifolia (aka "Red Yucca" although not a yucca)

Coreopsis verticillata is covered with flowers.

Cactus flowers and lavender both bloom profusely.

Iris "Wine Cups" and Penstemon "Dark Towers" in the boulder garden.

Another view

Old fashioned daylilies and oak leaf hydrangea

View of part of the boulder garden and smaller east patio.

{{gwi:5901}}

Marvelous photos, Bill! Did you get a new camera?

You're right it's mostly not a "New England look", although the daylily and hydrangea combination (great combo) has two New England standards.

Claire

Claire,

No new camera, just my trusty old Fuji S602 digital. I am always looking at newer ones, but I haven't found one yet that gives me such true colors, particularly the huge variety of shades of green. So, as a gardener, that is important to me.

I suppose the boulder garden could have a "New England" look though, since we have plenty of rocks around here!

{{gwi:5901}}

Very nice pictures, Bill. I love the stonework around your boulder garden, and the lavender and daylilies are beautiful. Did you add sand to your soil to accommodate the cacti and other desert plants? Do they require special protection in winter, or are you far enough south for them to do well on their own?

Spedigrees,
Thanks for the compliment!

I didn't amend the soil for the xeric garden. It's in the front of the house, and faces south. It's sunny all day. I did create a gentle slope from the centers of the two beds getting lower toward the edges, so the drainage, while subtle, is still OK. I think the real help comes from the stone mulch. It helps to keep the plants high and dry in winter, which is when they would be vulnerable to rot if they are wet when cold. It also helps to absorb heat and warm things up just a bit. But there's no protection of any kind. There are cacti, sedums, sempervivums, yuccas, as well as lavenders, that should be totally hardy in your zone, but I'd recommend a similar site and stone mulch.

{{gwi:5901}}

girlcat - is that a double white clematis you posted a photo of? Also is the pistachio celmatis white? Or a pale green? I also have a Jackmani Clematis, but it hasn't bloomed yet. Maybe it's not happy in its location? But since yours is blooming, mine should at least have blossoms.

Bill - I really like that cactus and lavendar combination.

As for my garden here at the tail end of June - I'm amazed at all the different colors of Cosmos Picotee. Here's another striped one.

Shasta Daisy Alaska

Double Fever Few, Rose Campion and Stella D'Oro Day Lilies are dominating the border gardens.

My daughters impatiens are happily accompanying the pot people in the whimsy garden.

White Astilbe in the shade garden

Sugar Snap Peas

Does anyone recognize this yellow flower behind the day lily? Last year someone on this forum identified it as Ligularia The Rocket, based on foliage only. But these are not the proper flowers. The plant stands at least 4' tall.
{{gwi:274808}}

Pixie Lou,
Thanks for the positive comment. I'm not sure what that yellow flower is, but it's definitely not Ligularia. I have seen some weeds that look similar but the flowers on your mystery plant appear to be fairly large, and the weed I have seen has medium flowers. The leaves and stems are arranged the same though.

{{gwi:5901}}

Great stuff, Bill!

Pixielou--I believe the double white clematis is Duchess of Edinburgh; and the Pistachio clematis seems to be white to me and I have it in my white garden.....but with a name like pistachio it probably tends toward pale green, just not in my yard. It's doing very well in a fairly shaded area.
That mystery plant is quite interesting looking!
Your snap peas look great, how fat do you let them get before you pick them? We have an overabundance of them and I can't keep them picked before they get too fat. I like them really thin but they seem to ripen so fast.

Great stuff, Bill!

Pixielou--I believe the double white clematis is Duchess of Edinburgh; and the Pistachio clematis seems to be white to me and I have it in my white garden.....but with a name like pistachio it probably tends toward pale green, just not in my yard. It's doing very well in a fairly shaded area.
That mystery plant is quite interesting looking!
Your snap peas look great, how fat do you let them get before you pick them? We have an overabundance of them and I can't keep them picked before they get too fat. I like them really thin but they seem to ripen so fast.

Looks like I missed the whole month of June.
I think everyone is having a great garden this year. I don't know about anyone else, but the weather has been almost ideal so far. I've hardly had to water the garden. I've had less insect damage then any other gardening season I can remember.

Steve, nice container on your deck and I love that cute Mouse Ears Hosta in the container. I've always wondered how to use that. It seems like it could get lost in the garden. I think that is perfect. And the container with the Papyrus in it'. that should give you memories of Africa all summer.

Thyme2dig, that's one of the prettiest mountain laurel's I've seen in some time. Love it's shape. When did you get the American Wisteria? I just discovered they existed this year. First time I've seen one in a garden. I like it a lot. Is it fragrant and is it the beast that the other wisterias are? I'm very sorry to hear about your Mother in Law and wow on that climbing Hydrangea. Imagine the timing of it. It's GORGEOUS!

nhbabs, I am new to clematis and enjoying mine. That HFYoung is having a good year. Did you plant the bed near your DH's shop? Very pretty!

mollie'.nice effect with your river garden and can't imagine how you managed to get a snapping turtle to show up just in time for the photo'lol. Great story about the Shasta running down the hill. Gave me a good laugh.

Very pretty lilies, pixie lou, I'm still waiting for mine.
And enjoying your nasturtiums that I didn't plant this year.

Claire, your garden is abundant and lush as usual. Those turkeys'..fun to watch them grow. They look at home in your garden. Nice healthy Itea. The peonies are spectacular. Are any of them fragrant?

girl cat, you have a lot of bloom for June, makes me wonder what you have coming up in July. (g) Love that white astilbe and your border of foxglove does look SO pretty! I like that color Crimson Sky rose. It looks nice with the color on your door.

Bill, I was hoping we would see more photos of your new garden. I'm feeling some boulder envy this morning. (g) I love the size, color,shape and placement of them. What kind of rock is it? I have that 'Dark Towers' Penstemon but it flopped with the first rain after blooming. That is a very eye catching combo with one of the prettiest color Iris I've seen. LOVE it. And I don't always enjoy daylilies but in combination with the hydrangea, it's very effective.

Love that whimsey garden, Pixie Lou!

Wow! What great garden views since I last checked this site ---- a while ago another grandchild was born and so I've been busy :)

Claire, I've always admired Zepherine Drouhin because of its color and lack of thorns but was discouraged from buying it because I was told it has a short bloom season --- true or false?

Bill, I am a real sucker for rock outcroppings and rock landscaping so I'm pretty jealous of the view of your steps with Penstemon and Iris Wine Cups, which I'll definitely research. That was a fantastic photo of your Yucca visitor --- you're either a professional or great with that Fuji camera.

Girlcat36, I hope your foxglove border survived the transplant and, if not, that they will reseed anyhow for next seasons. What a beautiful combo ---- Climbing White Dawn and lights on an arbor!

PixieLou, your daughter is a lucky girl to have her own animal garden. I'm predicting that she will follow in her mother's footsteps and become a great gardener too.

So --- after looking at all the photos and realizing that June is almost done, I've decided to post June photos taken throughout the month. One series was taken after a rainstorm and the other on a calm, hazy day when the trees across the river were reflected on the water. Then there are just some of my favorite perennials.

Earlier in June --- river view to the right

More of the funky reflection-- a minimally different shot

One of my favorite daylily, Royal Eventide, in front of Miscanthus 'Gold Breeze'

Royal Eventide close up

Dick Clark Rose after the rain -- filled with water

Dick's true colors shown in this photo

Hollyhock 'Spotlight Mars Magic' in its first season. I've been told it's a true perennial. We'll see about that

Filipendula beginning to open

My new Grace Ward Phlox (thanks, Bill for the shopping tip) between two Liriope

Molie

And oops! I forgot to include a view of the river to the left, which gave a wider reflection on this day in early June.

PM2: Most of my peonies are fragrant - maybe all of them, but I've moved some recently and they haven't flowered again yet. I have allergies so my sense of smell is endangered.

molie: Zepherine Drouhin has a major spring flush, and then will sporadically bloom until frost, with often a few blooms, but only a few, on the canes. It won't be very showy after spring, but one or two blooms in November is a delight.

Your river view is wonderful - I can imagine you being riveted to your deck chair.

Claire

Molie,
I like the daylilies and miscanthus combo. If I may, the "Grace Ward" is a Lithodora, not a phlox.....

Ann, thanks. I don't know for sure what the rocks are exactly. I know the landscape contractor got them in Connecticut, and they were the same warmer tones as the rock that he has used in all of the retaining walls, planters and other steps. The curved granite steps were my idea though. I'll try to take some photos of the boulder garden soon, but I am somewhat hesitant, because the plants haven't really had time to develop yet and, well.....because that part of my garden isn't "New Englandy" enough for this forum and I don't want to offend. Personally I like how it looks and it has been a long time dream of mine. Before there was a very high maintenance bank all along that side of the house from street to the back of the property. Not only was it very hard to take care of, but all the space was wasted, and also it made the back yard and house appear separate from the upper lot. In fact most people didn't think it was mine. Now the boulders and steps tie it all together, and it's a lot easier to care for. Bonus: the space that was taken up by the bank is now the boulder garden, east patio and lawn areas, and the driveway. You can see this in my last photo above.

{{gwi:5901}}

Yikes, Bill! You are correct --- it IS a Lithodora that I bought after seeing it on your post. Silly Mole!

Also, I disagree that your front garden isn't "New Englandy" enough. I'm thinking of all those gardens I've seen near the water along NE's extensive shoreline or on the islands. I think what "holds together" all of us and makes us New England gardeners is our thrifty and fearless nature --- we grow plants perhaps not for our zones/find ways to extend the growing season/fight the forces of wind and water/and work around all the things Mother Nature dumped on us when the ice melted. To live and to garden in New England you have to be a bit tough!

Molie

Bill, I had to go back and look at your photos again to see whether they have that 'New England' look to them. Then I wondered what the heck is a New England look? (g) I don't know, I'm thinking a lot of people on the forums lean toward 'cottage' type garden styles. That seems to be the style in my mind that I associate with New England. Or colonial gardens with some formality and casual garden elements together. But, in reality, I see very few cottage style gardens, in my area. I see all kinds of different styles.

And your rocks are actually from CT, so how much more New England can it be? To me, any garden that is well designed and well cared for draws me like a magnet and I really enjoy it. And when someone has taken the time to think through how to make something less work and easier to keep it going, then it get's an A+ in my opinion.

I sincerely look forward to seeing your garden mature and would not be surprised if you were on a garden tour in a few years.

Molie, the front garden is what I call the 'xeric' or dry garden. That's sunny all day and has the cacti, yucca, hesperaloe (the red one in the photo above),lavender, coreopsis, sedums, sempervivums, ice plants, lithodora and more. Whether or not is has the "New England" look or not, it is certainly uncommon around here. Having said that, I like it, and that's what matters I guess.

Ann, you're right. They are from CT so they are "New England". And the boulders have provided a great area for me to tuck little fillers and spreading plants in nooks and crannies. By cutting back the bank that was all along that side of the house from street to back of property, and building the long wall (visible in the last photo) I was able to make the small (15 x 15 feet) patio on the east side of the house. It's nice because I could have morning coffee out there even when it was only in the 50's as long as it was dry and sunny. That side is sunny in the morning and protected from the west and northwest wind. I had a lot of other work done the previous year, and the entire west side of the yard was totally redone. There I have a moderate sized patio (11 x 19 feet) right as you come out the rear door. That one is great for coffee when it's warmer because it's shaded by the house in the morning. Also nice for evening glass of wine to watch the sun go down. I'm on a hill, so views and breezes are kind of nice. I also had a much larger patio (I call it the terrace to distinguish) that is about 40 x 25 feet. All three of these patio areas are paved, so maintenance is minimal. Last piece of the puzzle will be a privacy structure around the lower patio.

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I can't really grasp the idea of a "New England" garden - there are so many different environments and so many different gardening styles here that I don't think any one style can rule. We have gardeners who've lived here for most or all of their lives, and they have very unusual gardens. We also have transplanted gardeners who have embraced the prevailing style and have classic gardens.

I myself am obsessed with fitting my garden as seamlessly as possible into my local rural coastal setting. I sometimes wonder what style I would use if I lived in an urban setting where my perceived "rules" would be much broader. It's very different when your surroundings are more architectural rather than forests. I might even go in the direction Bill has - who knows?

Anyway, I have my own personal version of a "New England" garden, which is very unlike most of the neighbors' gardens. I just realized it's the last day of June and I want to post a few more photos representative of today.

Adenophora is now appearing and complements the meadow phlox (Phlox maculata) which is almost everywhere. I like it with the miscanthus foliage as backdrop.

and my beloved rambling rose Excelsa is recovering from the loss of its arch. Some of you may remember the photos of the old arch that succumbed to a windstorm. The arch marked the gateway to the back yard - the roses were cut back fiercely and I've tried to train them to grow in parallel rows to the back rather than overhead. I may be losing this battle. The roses aren't quite as floriferous yet as they used to be, but they're getting there.

Claire

It's the end of June and so a new thread will begin! But I have to say that I admire the variety of all the June gardens, above, and have found many plants I'd love to own.

Claire, the "missing" arbor (I do remember the posting of when it fell down in the wind) now looks like a secret opening or passageway into the back garden. It's kind of neat, I think!

Bill, I love the idea of all those patios and places to rest and enjoy the views that you've created. Plus, I think that stonework sets off plantings very well. It's nice that you have warm, sunny places and cooler shadier spots in your yard. Sounds like you've created some interesting outdoor rooms and PM2 is right --- maybe we will see your gardens on a Garden Conservancy Tour!

I'm a lot more than mildly jealous scrolling up and looking at girlcat36's clematis because mine are sadly browed out. Lately, because I haven't been taking care of my gardens as I should, there's also been an explosion in Japanese beetles on my roses --- very sad. But on the positive side, I did follow all of your earlier suggestion for eliminating the Red Lily Beetle. Now my lilies are starting to open.

Molie

I went to the Name That Plant Forum and it appears that my mystery yellow plant is telekia speciosa. The more the blooms are opening, the more I am enjoying the plant.

Bill - please post more of your garden photos on these threads. How boring this thread would be if everyone only posted photos of day lilies and roses. How many people are now lusting after lithodora since you posted photos of yours.

girlcat - thanks for the info on the clematises. I think you are aware that I also have a white garden. As for the peas - they don't have the opportunity to get too big. My daughter will sit in the garden and pick peas to eat. I go out every other day and pick all available and steam them up for dinner. I do pick on the smaller side since they get stringy if they get too big.

As for a cute pea story - we were at a wedding this afternoon. We were served "steamed summer vegetables" as part of dinner. My daughter took one bite of a snow pea and promptly announced to everyone at the table "I can tell you that these are not organic so I'm not going to eat them. I can taste it."

Molie - granted my river goes through the woods, but seeing your river view is getting me motivated to get out behind the pond and clear down to my river.

I just posted the July thread - but we have to wait until tomorrow to post to it!

Bill, when I look at your photos, it seems like it was a huge job to do that hardscape. It really is a great satisfaction to have a plan in mind for how you want a garden to look and then see it actually happen. I think all gardeners love that aspect of gardening. And the changes you've made are so dramatic. I wonder how your neighbors like the change? I do see the patio and driveway in that last photo and are you planning the privacy structure for next year? What are you going to put up? Sounds like a great opportunity for vines. Your property with the view and the breezes and sheltered patios etc. sounds very enjoyable.

There are a lot of lucky gardeners on these forums. Everyone seems to have their own little slice of gardening heaven.

And Molie, your views are wonderful! You must love it there.

Claire makes a great point. Many times the piece of land we have and our area influence what we create. And we all have conditions that usually give direction to what will grow well, but even within those parameters, we all have such freedom to choose from so many plants and end up with gardens that are so different from each other. Any garden, even if it's just a small patio with containers is such a pleasure to enjoy every day. We are all really lucky.

Ann,
I am hoping to get the privacy structure in this year. It will go along one side of the largest patio. The steel pipes are already in place. They will be completely enclosed by square wooden 'columns' which will support a lattice/trellis. I've already bought some vines for it....Gelsmium sempervirens 'Margarita'. I like it because it's one of the few evergreen vines that grow here and so it has leaves all winter, and it's covered in bright yellow looms in spring. I have one that's been on the back neighbor's fence for about 6 years now.

This was taken this year:

A closer look:

I plan to use some annual vines as well, and probably clematis too. Who doesn't like clematis?

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I love the variety of photos and styles that show up here, whether or not it's traditional "New England" gardens, or the wilder edges of our yards and native scenery that we borrow as part of our view, or the way our houses fit into our gardens, or hardscape.

I think I will have to try the Gelsmium sempervirens 'Margarita'. I've been eyeing it at Lazy S's for a couple of years, but I need to find a spot where it will be well sheltered. I don't expect it will be evergreen for me, though.

PM2 - Yes, I planted the shop bed. It's the only garden bed I've ever planned. Usually they just sort of evolve depending on what plants have struck my fancy, but this one was designed to distract from and partly hide the work area, sheds, and solar panels behind them from the main approach to the shop (and eventually our house) so it needed some planning for size of plants (can't get tall enough to block the solar), some evergreens, and all season interest.

@Bill --- The Iris "Wine Cups" shown with your Penstemons looks like a fairly short Japanese Iris, to me. Where did you find it? I love both Japanese and Siberian forms of Iris, but both tend to really spread and grow too large or wide for my gardens. Your Wine Cups seems very well-behaved!

Molie

Molie,
The Iris are about 20-24 inches tall. They were only planted last June (2011) so they haven't spread much yet. And I had the wrong name. They are called "Wine Ruffles". Anyway I got both those and the Penstemon at Home Depot.

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Bill, I hadn't heard of doing steel pipes with columns over them to support trellis. What a great idea! That sounds like it will last a long time and be gorgeous. I sort of thought you might be planning on using 'Margarita'. I love it. And you are right, who doesn't like clematis....lol. I had one white 'Duchess of Edinburg' for a long time, and the only thing that stopped me from having more was no vertical space to put them. Now I have a couple of small trellis with first and second year clematis and I love them. The only problem is once you get started, you want more. (g)

Babs, Solar panels? How do you like having them?

Bill - If you haven't thought about using PVC boxes over your steel pipes, they also work (not structurally sound by themselves, but good over steel supports) and can be quite low maintenance - no warping, no rot, no painting or staining, just an occasional scrub. Some folks don't like the aesthetics, but they are easy. Not sure what colors it's available in other than white, since that's what we've used. You can get it thicker than the typical fence post covers and build your own boxes if wanted.

PM2 - The solar panels are great. They provide more than enough power for the shop (except for the 3 phase used by large machines, provided by a generator since we are near the end of the line and don't want to brown out the neighbors) and we use the power grid as our battery so the only cost is the meter fee. (NH has net metering so the meter runs backward when we are generating.) When we eventually have a house down here we will use the extra power to reduce the house bills. Since we have the space, pole mounted panels are more efficient since they don't heat up as much in summer as roof mounted, easily adjust seasonally, and have simple snow removal on the infrequent occasions that they don't self-clear.

This picture was taken fairly early on, when the west end of the bed was brand new and the rest of the bed hadn't grown much and I hadn't yet filled in with large perennials and clematis. It gives you a slight idea of what I'm trying to distract from in addition to the solar panels: storage sheds, propane tank, and lots of stored raw material that goes into making bowls and heating the house and shop. (I usually try to take my photos to reduce the visual impact of these since they aren't and won't ever be totally hidden.)

From June 2010

Ah....that's a good photo of what you're working with. I didn't know that they could install solar panels without a roof. Very interesting. And you must love to see your meter going backwards! Do you have a back up generator too? Those are some huge tree trunks. They must make great projects. I would love to have a 'green house' with solar panels and other design features that saved more energy. Your bed has grown quite a bit and I see you mounded it up to give more height. Lots going on at your house!

NHBabs,
I had considered the PVC covers but the pipes were installed with the idea of making square wood columns over them. Later I looked into PVC and vinyl, but they don't make them large enough for the larger pipes that are in place. They fit two and one half inch pipes but not three inch. But I think treated wood allowed to go natural will be OK. I hope so.

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