Exteriors/How Does Your Garden Grow

Julia Child

A floribunda that bears buttery blooms with an anise fragrance. Shrub is rounded. An All-America Rose Selections.

Fourth of July

A climber that blooms along the length of its canes. Big sprays of semidouble blooms come in various combinations of red and white; some are striped, some splotched with red. Pretty against a weathered, split-rail fence. 

Betty Boop

A floribunda with fruit-scented, semidouble flowers of yellow-ivory edged with red. The rounded shrub reblooms without deadheading.

About Face

A grandiflora with bronzy red petals on the outside, light golden orange on the inside. Blooms smell like fresh-cut apples. The plant has an upright growth habit.

Rose Border

Pink-flowered 'Baby Blanket' shrub roses combine with pink penstemon, pale lavender society garlic, silvery lamb’s ears, and creeping thyme.

Can you tell, I am getting excited about Spring!!!!

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Garden Scene Color Splash Part 2 of 2

Gaura (G. lindheimeri)


White flowers cluster like butterflies atop tall spikes on these airy 2½- to 4-foot-tall plants. Selected forms include 'Siskiyou Pink' (to 2 feet tall), with rose-pink flowers and 'Whirling Butterflies' (to 3 feet tall), with white flowers.

This continues part 2 of 2 about ideas for fall plantings.

Geum chiloense


Tall flower spikes grow from mounds of velvety foliage to 15 inches high, 2 feet wide.

‘Lady Stratheden’ has clear yellow blooms; ‘Mrs Bradshaw’ has double scarlet blooms. Both have a delicate wildflower look.

Gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)


Deep golden petals radiate from chocolate centers on 2- to 4-inch-wide flowers.
Plants reach 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 ½ feet wide. Shorter varieties such as ‘Goldilocks’ and ‘Toto’ top out at 10 inches tall.

Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa)


Tall stems of these Mediterranean natives are set with widely-spaced, hooded yellow flowers.
Moisture-conserving thick, typically furry or hairy leaves are lance-shaped. Pretty planted with lavender and red hot poker (Kniphofia ‘Bressingham Comet’).

Lavender


Every garden should have one of these beauties.



English lavender is the most fragrant, but Spanish lavender’s deep purple “rabbit ears” stand out in garden beds.

Where space is tight, grow a compact form; one we can’t wait to try is Lavandula angustifolia ‘Thumbelina Leigh’, coming late this year from High Country Gardens. It stays 12 to 15 inches tall.

Pineapple sage (salvia elegans)


At its best in fall when it sends up spikes of vivid red flowers, this salvia’s foliage smells like ripe pineapples.

The plant grows 4 feet tall. S.e. ‘Golden Delicious’ grows 1- to 3 feet tall with fire-engine red blooms and chartreuse leaves.

Have fun planting and don't forget to add cuttings from your garden into your home for a fresh festive feel of fall. Find lovely clear vases at my store to display indoor cuttings.
 
via

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Garden Scene Color Splash Part 1 of 2

Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily)



Flowers of the evergreen hybrids come in shades of purple with dark flecks and last well in bouquets. Alstroemeria aurea blooms come in shades of yellow and orange.

The 2-to 3-foot tall plants produce flowering shoots as long as the soil doesn’t get too hot. (Twist the shoot off at the base to keep them coming).

Set out these flowers (and one gorgeous foliage plant) in fall or spring for beautiful garden color year after year.

Aster x frikartii


Delicate-looking flowers on ultra-tough plants tolerate just about any soil type. ‘Mönch’ grows to 2 feet-tall and pumps out 2 1/2-inch lavender-blue flowers almost all year if spent ones are removed.

‘Wonder of Staffa’ is another favorite with lavender blue blossoms.

Coneflower (Echinacea)


Colorful and super tough, ‘Ruby Star’ from Monrovia nurseries has large pinkish-purple blooms with pronounced coppery centers.

The plant grows 2-feet tall; the flowers are 4 inches across. Among the many showy hybrids are ‘Orange Meadowbrite’, butter-yellow ‘Sunrise’, and reddish-orange ‘Sundown’.

Coreopsis 'Mango Punch'


The low, mounding perennial covers itself in summer with mango-orange flowers that have a red blush.
We love the fresh, fruity hue of this new variety. Clip the faded blooms so the flowers will keep coming.

Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)


Must-haves for lightly shaded woodland gardens, these much-loved plants bear tiny but exquisite blue flowers in spring in mild climates.
‘Baby Blue’, a hybrid from Proven Winners, has true blue flowers and grows 6 to 8 inches tall.

Gaillardia x grandiflora


Cheerful daisylike blooms in various warm shades of yellow, bronze, and red. Many varieties are available, with single or double flowers.

Ones we love: foot-tall ‘Goblin’ with deep red flowers bordered in yellow; ‘Yellow Queen’, pure yellow flowers (2 1/2 feet tall), and orange ‘Tokajer’ (3 feet tall).

I don't know about you, but my garden is fadding of color, I started by planting mini yellow mums and found these other great plants to add color to the garden for the fall, trying to keep that spring feel a little longer. via

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Window Box Designs

Tricked out for the season in combustible colors and riffed with references of a late-autumn harvest, this exuberant full-sun window box celebrates all that we love about fall-like the vivid colors and leafy textures. While it may require some boldness and a passion for abundance to pull off a planting like this, it was actually very easy-we found all the plants and supplies at our local home-improvement store's garden center.

Modern Window Box


Gleaming white 'Lumina' (large) and 'Snowball' (small) pumpkins spiked with shiny tufts of black-as-night mondo grass is a simple full shade combination that's all-hallows spooky but oh-so chic. In and around, we tucked fat clusters of blood-orange berries, which drip from branches of bittersweet vine (sold in bunches at florists). You can up the spook factor by hiding strands of mini lights between pumpkins.

Simple window box


They're beautiful, they're affordable, and they're low-maintenance; nothing says fast and easy fall gardening like a fully fitted window box. These easy-to-assemble mini gardens also have the advantage of short-term commitment. Planting this fabulous full-sun arrangement is as easy as putting together simple flowers for a dinner party.

Elegant Window Box


We love the luxe, posh look of this full-sun box with its classic pairing of mums and ornamental cabbages. Keeping it from veering into cliche territory are the unusual cascading mums. To get the look, pack a window box with deep smoky purple ornamental cabbages and sparkling white ornamental kales, then intersperse them with rich magenta pompom chrysanthemums trained into a graceful cascade. Ice-tipped trailing ivy adds shimmer in the late afternoon light.

Tropical Window Box


Who says fall has to be all about brown, orange, and yellow? Adorn your cottage with deep purple, warm red, and bright pink for a hot, vibrant look from the last of summer's tropical plants as temperatures cool. These tropical foliage plants (grown as annuals) take bright, indirect light to filtered shade and look smashing right up until frost.

Cheerful Window Box


Bright and lively colors combine to add a hint of happiness to any home in this cheery window box. Forget serious planning and strict styling, and opt for whatever plants bring a smile to your face when you go shopping. These plants prefer strong indirect light or light shade. via

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