Gemma's Garden

A decade ago I had the honor of serving on the board at our local zoo.  I was allowed to plant all the flower beds I wanted as long as I got the materials donated and did the work to maintain them.  There was lots and lots of sunshine and open spaces.  It is a differant style at home.  I have a little cottage by the woods.  I probubly have the oldest garden in our group.  The younger one's have all passed me in their ambition, and that is as it should be.  But, I probubly have the best dirt in town after twenty years of shoveling mulch.

	This is the main perennial border.  No it isn't really all daylilies.  I have to hang baskets over the garden since the ground is all covered with perennials there is no room for annuals.
I wrapped an old tree trunk with Christmas lights on batteries.  Wanted the fire flys to have company.
	The sunniest spot I could find is on the edge of the street.  This clematis is climbing a shepard's hook.
This is what happens to that single lonely Easter Lily if you wait long enough.
	Since I have a small space, I make an effort to "hide" flowers.  It slows me down.  I can't just see everything at a glance.  I have to walk around and see what's hiding.
This begonia and diamond frost started as a small 10" hanging basket.  I repotted it to a 14" basket.  But it grew too large.  I had to be a new big pot and move it again.
	From part shade to deep, deep shade.  Folage color becomes very important.
I can almost smell this picture.  The gardenia scent is my favorite.
	The cats did it!  They pruned this "cat grass" for me.
Lighten up a dark corner with folage.  This is an old wire basket that got flattened.  I think I ran over it.  Now it hangs on the door.
	I would not normally put dark leaves in the shade.  I think this works here because the background is so light.  This combination is always one of my favorites.
This is the view from my livingroom out the front door.  The hummingbirds visit the gardenmeister several times a day.
	I get involved with color stories.  The main theme on the back deck is all about yellows.  Here I have red mandaville, white impatiens and black and blue salvia.  The hummers really like the black and blue, too.
I am getting older by the minute.  I thank my sister for that rocking chair.
	Liriope (Monkey Grass) is used a lot in the south.  Here it is growing in deep shade.  It will grow anywhere.  Little blue flowers apear in late summer.  It is bordered with, of course, more daylilies.
I am so silly.  During a heat wave/drought a few years ago I felt sorry for the critters.  I dug a hole during the middle of the heat wave and sunk a tub.  It isn't the fanciest water feature.  It is a watering hole.
	It is always important to consider the view out the window.
Last year I planted this screen with impatiens.  They grew big and it was pretty.  But, when they got big the late afternoon sun would dry them badly.  I experimented with a variety of plants this year.  I added a lot of soil moist to the mix and the small pots seem to be holding up better as the plants get bigger.