Gardens 101.2

I was inspired by the gardens in my neighborhood so I thought I’d post some more examples of discovering “what grows well in my neighborhood?” There are some amazing displays of creativity here!

This cute arrangement was up on a wooden garden wall. Not content to just hang some flowers, this gardener has included some variegated ivy for accent and bunnies for interest. Adorable!

Most walls—even chain link fences—can be improved with vines, hanging baskets, climbing roses and evergreens. Going up can add interest and beauty. And if your garden is small, going up—even with vegetables—can add some square footage for your growing concerns.

Pink petunias are common but when massed together like this, in white pots against a white background, they pack a powerful punch.

Forget that saying about life being a “bed of roses”! Obviously a bed of petunias is just as charming. This owner took an old iron headboard and made a bed of petunias out of it. Ivy graces the sides. I suspect that since petunias are annuals, she left them in pots so she could easily change them out when the seasons change? At least, that’s what I would do!

Think layers. Just like when you want to group a lot of people on bleachers, or have the choir sing at a concert, you use risers to showcase different heights and make sure everybody is seen. With different heights of plants, think about how to use multiple layers to group and stagger the eye upwards.

Here we have Matilija poppies (Romneya) at the base, growing up from the ground. Then along the fence (not in bloom yet) there is pink jasmine. Behind that you see Butterfly Bush, Black Knight (the dark purple blossoms). This shrub comes in pink or white blossoms as well. They attract butterflies like crazy (hence the name).

These lily-like flowers are one of my favorites. Alstromeria (or commonly called Peruvian Lily) is a fantastic plant. It comes in many colors (red, pink, oranges) and lasts a long time in the vase. It keeps blooming all summer. What’s not to like? Echoing the ‘think pink’ theme here is Cecile Brunner rose behind it. But New Dawn would work well too.

Here you can see alstromeria in orange and at the bottom of the photo, a bit of red as well.

I’m not crazy about succulents. These are those cactus-like flowers you see here. However, this home owner really did a great job of massing them together with a dry stream bed look for a total effect of wow. These plants are very carefree, don’t need much watering (they are originally from desert/arid regions) and come in many shapes and colors.

So as you can see, by walking around the neighborhood you get a really good idea of what might grow well for you in your garden!

Next week I’ll be in the midwest and I’ll take photos of inspiring gardens there.