Goldenrod growing in a big clump down by the road. I love this splash of yellow that comes late in the summer.
Thistles in bloom – they’re fascinating to me, quite sculptural in their design.
The Rose of Sharon bushes are in bloom. I’ll take another photo today, as the second bush just started to bloom this morning. There are more flowers than ever this year, though I had to knock Japanese beetles off some of the buds yesterday. As Don said, “the gift that keeps on giving.” And these were a gift from my friend Noble’s garden. I was visiting his wonderful garden some years back. He had designed a sort of arch consisting of several Rose of Sharon bushes. He gave me two cuttings to take home with me, and now, several years later, they’re really thriving. They are in the memorial garden, just in front of the trees at the back of the house, and this splash of pink is most welcome.
It is beautiful out there. I’m really proud of what I have created over the past 20 years. We’ll be here 21 years at the end of this month, but I didn’t plant anything until the next spring. (Except for the boxwoods, they were planted soon after we moved in.) I gradually added new garden beds on the other side of the house, and a couple of garden beds in front of the corral. I planted the lilac. I added hostas to the little beds in front of the shed. Created a secret garden. And this year has been the best yet in terms of display.
In my nomadic theater life, I mostly lived in apartments. We rented a house in San Diego, and I added a small garden just outside the kitchen. We rented when we first moved out east, and I added a small garden at the side of the cottage. In both instances, I got the permission of the owner, but I had to be cautious and contained with my planting. But my dream for years and years had been to live in a little cottage of my very own with lots of gardens. That didn’t happen until I was in my fifties, and when it happened, I could barely contain myself – having to wait 9 months to plant anything was a challenge, for sure.
They are not manicured gardens. That doesn’t work here. What works is using perennials that self-seed. The David phlox, all of the coneflowers, the yarrow, the bee balm, the crown vetch – all self-seeders. I’m sure I’m leaving something out, but my goodness, my initial plantings have paid off! That, and leaving wildflowers that pop up be. Because they’ll thank you and give you the gift of even more wildflowers. And they’re so beautiful!
After more than 50 years of waiting, gardening here has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
It’s all just gorgeous! I love every inch!!
Thank you so much, Carol!
Stay safe.
All of your hard work has sure paid off, Claudia. I’m pretty lazy when it comes to gardening. This year the stars are the canna lilies I have in pots. I hope to save their bulbs and see if they will grow again for me next year.
Take care.
Good luck with winterizing the bulbs, Ellen.
Stay safe.
Your hard work over the years has certainly paid off! I am not a fan of anything that looks too manicured.
I do struggle with my garden sometimes as the soil is very sandy. In fact, I live on a river cliff but am lucky that it’s not near the edge. Other houses in the cul-de-sac have very small gardens and are level with the tree tops!
Yesterday, I went on an organised trip to the coast. It’s only an hour’s drive away. There’s a huge grassy area in front of the promenade where concerts and events are held. It looks like straw due to heatwaves that we have experienced this summer. We also visited a Georgian Manor House built in 1750.
Happy Wednesday
Sounds like a lovely trip, Dee Dee.
Thanks so much.
Stay safe.
Good Morning Claudia! Your gardens are beautiful! It is a lot of work to keep up with gardens… Mother Nature is not patient or forgiving… but the wild plants are sometimes my favorites too. I promised myself to “downsize” my gardening when I moved to my “downsized” home almost 20 years ago. My previous property had been acres of open farm land when I got there… and I spent years starting hedges and trees just to slow down the winds! Lol! By the time I moved they were clearly established…. but I had to downsize. My current lot is small… tiny in comparison… with neighbors near on all sides…. but I have my garden… and I keep somehow making it a “little bigger” …. a new rose bed over here, a new path around the back over there…. and again, I really can’t keep up! But it gives me so much joy just to greet the flowers every day and have plants outside the windows.
Your thistle is a magnificent specimen…. the symbol of Scotland… prickly and durable… fierce all around! I love your rudbeckias against the backdrop of green… I guess that was in the photos the other day…. but they glow in that spot! And of course, the goldenrod… the reminder that autumn is almost here already…. how did that happen? I am glad you finally have your dream garden!
I should have added the rudbeckias to the self-seeding list. They are real troupers.
Thanks so much, Betsy.
Stay safe.
another lovely post, claudia. such beautiful flowers and plants (i prefer wild gardens, too)! also fun to learn more about your gardening history and dreams. what i liked most in what you shared today, though, was hearing your ownership of the work you’ve done to create and tend that beautiful garden. i know you love it, but gardening (and mowing) is often done in hot, humid weather and, especially given allergies, is definitely still a lot of work. glad it’s paying off for you!
happy, safe wednesday!
kathy
Yes. I have to do it despite my allergies (and my chronic backache) but it’s worth it. Luckily, we have reached a stage where I do a bit clearing in the spring and some weeding here and there, but the gardens generally take care of themselves. That’s the 20 year payoff.
Thanks, Kathy.
Stay safe.
Your gardens are so beautiful, Claudia. I wish I had that talent, but the outdoors is not my thing. I do enjoy watching out my window and seeing up close your lovely blooms on my screen.
I love it. It’s hard work, especially establishing each garden. But it’s worth it.
Stay safe.
The joy you feel gardening comes through loud and clear, Claudia. Your gardens are beautiful. You should feel very proud. Hugs, Elaine
Thank you so much, Elaine.
Stay safe.
Beautiful.
Thank you so much, Wendy.
Stay safe.
Claudia, Beautiful results after years of dedication to your cottage haven. I always feel when you post about your home and garden that it is a refuge and sheltering space filled with love. Congratulations, to achieve and respect that is a treasure. The thistle is stunning and I will have to try that. My midwest garden is suffering from heat, storms and heavy rains and flourishing weeds. I am in the process of eliminating a long border that has become too much, but luckily can relocate everything. Looking forward to each post, Sherry B
Sounds like you’re being proactive about that border. Good for you. Glad you can relocate the plants.
Thank you so much, Sherry.
Stay safe.
I love seeing the pictures of your gardens. They are so pretty and the colors are gorgeous. I used to have a rose of sharon when I lived in Baltimore. Gardening is not really my thing. I wish it was. Thanks for sharing so many pictures!
You’re welcome, Carol.
Thank you.
Stay safe.
Claudia, I am a fan of the surprises and wildness in your gardens-the way everything finds its own place. I even painted a watercolor from one of your photos. My back keeps me from doing much gardening now, but I still love the stray flowers that wander into my little wild yard. Your posts make me appreciate them even more.
Ah, thank you so much, Maria.
Stay safe.
Your photographs are beautiful! I’m glad you are enjoying the gardens.
I am, indeed!
Thank you, Lynda.
Stay safe.
Your gardens are lovely. Just the way I like them too.
Thank you, Judy.
Stay safe.
lovely garden.
xo
Your gardens are lovely, and your hard work has certainly paid off! I’d be proud too!! ;)
Thanks so much, Donnamae!
Stay safe.
You really have a way with flowers, my pleasure is my veggie garden.of the 34 yrs of marriage I’ve gardened 30 or 31 years. Fresh food is wonderful. I watched my mom and grandma and grandpa, and my oma. Good teachers! Mom gardened 50 yrs.
Love your rose of sharon. Looks like our provincial flower -the alberta wild rose. My 2nd name is alberta, many bushes grew near the stairs we walked up the hill to junior and senior high.
I am crazy about the rose of sharon. It’s so charming and old-fashioned, in the best kind of way.
Thanks, Irene.
Stay safe.