| 1999
- First Year of New Garden
No photography skills here, and a cheap
digital camera,
but hopefully good enough for your enjoyment.
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Yellow
Swallow Tails and Monarchs
It seems there is nothing more peaceful than watching butterflies and birds in a
garden. I had a lot of Yellow Swallow Tails this year. The caterpillars
devoured my parsley so somewhere around here I know there are a lot of cocoons. The
Monarchs were not as plentiful as I would have liked so more Butterfly Bushes (milkweed)
will be added this fall. But here is one of the few Monarch's that visited us.
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Clematis, 'Marie
Boisselot'
Clematis x 'Marie Boisselot'
I have tried to grow Clematis for several years and think I finally have two that are
going to make it. This is the first year for both of them and one of them actually
had a blossom already. I was SO excited. |
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Lavender Daisies
Although these lavender daisies are annuals, they are beautiful and form quite a large
bush by the end of the season, blooming all spring, summer and fall. |
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Tadpole Exterminator
If you haven't heard the tadpole story yet, I thought it would be great to watch
tadpoles grow in the pond. Unfortunately this exterminator ate them all :( |
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Koi
Not a bad choice. They grow very rapidly and are starting to eat out of my
fingers.. Luckily my water plants were mostly Koi proof. In June the Koi were about
3 inches and are now getting close to 9. I understand with a pond deicer, Koi can
make it through a South Dakota winter. We'll see. |
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Lilypads and Frog
Since the tadpoles became snake lunch, I am happy to see a frog in the pond once
in a while. Unfortunately I seem to have more frogs in the pool skimmer than the
pond. |
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Turtle Food
And I tried the "pick the turtle up from the middle of the road" trick.
The turtle stayed about 6 hours but left his mark -- notice what he did to some of
my lily leaves? At least he had a good meal for his next trip. |
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My Assistant
What would I do without my shadow following me around and always being in the
way. |
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Find the Snake and Water
Lilies
I didn't realize the snake was sticking his head out until I developed this
picture. |
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The Green Machine
Well it was the green machine until I found the right filtering system. I
have always wanted a pond and waterfall -- so I have the pond and three waterfalls. |
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Bog Plants
By now I expect you realize I love water plants. Here are three of the bog
plants I have. All of these are first year plants so they will be wintered inside
and get a good start next spring in the pond. |
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Taro
One of my favorite plants is the Taro, also known as Elephant Ears. It's
getting a good start, too. |
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Cactus Garden
Even in the cold of South Dakota, I can have cactus gardens. |
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Herb Garden
Fun and delicious |
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Just Some Flowers
One of my favorite things about gardening is making small groupings. These
are next to the Roman Fountain and Herb Garden. |
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Iris and Sweet Peas
What to do with those Iris when they are done blooming? Use them as a trellis for
perennial Sweet Peas. This fall the Iris plants will be expanded with many new
varieties. |
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Ornamental Grasses
Oh how beautiful they are. I have a small grass garden now but am expanding
it into about ten varieties this fall. |
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| Views of One of the Gardens |
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Pool Shrubs
The pool is surrounded by flowering shrubs that take turns blooming so I have
color all summer. And I was even lucky enough to find varieties that don't drop
their leaves before the pool is closed for the winter. |
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Pool Problems
I can't have a garden site without a picture of my pool when it was in trouble.
Unfortunately this pool man didn't have a clue. |
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Maple Bushes
My property is surrounded by Maple Bushes which are spectacular in the
fall. |
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New Fall Project
I have decided that I really don't want two acres of yard to mow (or I should say
hired mow). So I am expanding a good portion of the lawn on the South side of my
home into garden. Although I am not able to do a great deal of the work myself, this
is wonderful therapy for me. And yes I know, my roses in the photo needed pruning :)
Till, till, till, amend, amend amend until it's ready to plant. It's going to
be a big project but satisfying when finished.
- I am dividing the new area into several "rooms"
with grass pathways lined with 2' privet hedges. This will give some portions
of the garden a more formal setting.
- There will be several separate perennial gardens including a
wildflower, blue-purple-lavender, pink-white, and yellow-red-orange flowers. There
will be just enough complimenting colors in these specialty gardens to make them
interesting. And of course roses. I found a wonderful company in Canada that
specializes in subzero varieties of roses..
- A special area has been set aside for an ornamental grass
garden. There are so many varieties to choose from, and I even found two Yucca
plants that will winter over in South Dakota !
- Although lilacs are not a favorite of mine, I did plant
quite a long lilac hedge (where it won't show much). Luckily I was able to find a
variety of lilac bush that stays mounded and only grows about 6 feet tall.
- One of my favorite things is surfing the net to find unusual
and rare plant varieties that are adaptable to zone 4. There are many, many out
there to make the garden interesting. What better in the middle of a perennial
garden than a peony tree? Or three Wisteria trees near the pond, one blue,
pink and white. And lots and lots of everblooming bushes of every size.
- And to finish it off, I'm looking forward to a Gazebo.
I recently visited some friends with a Gazebo, and I was amazed at, again, how soothing to
the soul they can be in the evening or early morning. Birds chirping and butterflies
flitting around -- it's about as close to God as you can get excepting on a Harley :)
I have turned my back yard (which is Ernie's romping
ground) into an orchard. Zone 4 doesn't allow for a lot of fruits, but so far I have
apples, pears, cherries and plums trees; and blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, current,
blackberry and lingonberry bushes. My new fruit tree will be the PawPaw. No I
haven't tasted it before but it's supposed to be as close to bananas as you can grow in
Zone 4. If I don't like it? That's ok -- the birds will.
The front yard is my Ornamental Tree and Shrub area which
will be continued into the new South garden. Many new varieties there like a
weeping Magnolia and Buckeye Trees. |
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OH NO
!!! SIX INCHES OCTOBER 1
oh well -- it should be gone by tomorrow |
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| Click
Here for Year 2000 Gardens |
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