My Garden 2012

Hi, I´d like to share an album I have made with nine pictures from the best plants

this year. Nothing unusual, unfortunately, but I strove to get quality side by side

with quantity ( a very difficult poise in my urban fungus-stricken low sunlight garden...), 

so I came to terms with the necessity of reliable plants instead of faltering rarities.

The link goes to a quick slideshow, and the plants were mainly in containers or

edging. Thank you.

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn155/Trimardeau/PHLOX%20AND%20PANSY/?action=view&current=dab551b6.pbw

Hello

what a nice lot of flowers in pretty colours.

Do you grow most your plants in containers?

How big is your garden?

what a lovely display,and inspirational.well your garden looks stunning,might pich a few ideas from that on those types of pansies.

I did enjoy seeing the phlox by the window as never seem to achieve much with trailing geraniums.  Did you grow the phlox from seed or buy in plugs?  Also, did they last all summer?

Thank you all for your kindness. I have a small front garden which takes more sun, but it lies halfway under a garage top in high summer; the front windows do not get full sunlight, but are far brighter (one of them has the phlox). The back garden is L-shaped (2 x 12 m + 4 x 10) , with two trees, some veggies (which thrive much worse than the flowers, believe it or not), lots of shade and a variable amount of light throughout the year. Some of the pansies were in containers, some along a path (see picture), others nearer the house. I grew all the plants from seed (as I do with most of my garden, can´t live without the thrill!), including the annual Phlox Twinkle. This kind of phlox is not as long-lived as the normal 'rounded' ones, blooming for about three months, but this one easily outdid that (with lots of fertilizer and good old deadheading...) Phlox can be a little tricky to sprout, and they only do it naturally at the end of winter and beginning of spring. Annual phlox is not hardy, though; it has few roots and do very well with crowding (guess that lot had at least eight of them!), with some compost mulching from time to time.

Hi there,I am always interested in getting inspiration on garden design from other gardeners.I have split my garden to different rooms for interest an have had some great ideas from various shows and  Alan Titchmarch'How to be a Gardener' I am opening my garden next year for NGS and am extremely nervous howevever the prospect of raising money for charity makesit all worth while.

Hi Jacqui, I can understand you being nervous about opening your garden.  I have organised the first two Open Garden events in my village plus putting my own garden into the first event which seemed like a good idea at the time!  The worry and work involved was enormous but it did enable me to emphasise with the other kind people who were supporting the nominated charities and you do have a fantastic garden to enjoy for the rest of the year.

Your pictures typify the kind of garden I love to visit and I can see how labour intensity it must be.  I wonder if you live in or near West Sussex as would love to visit your Open Garden.  Maybe you could advertise the date and your postcode on this thread nearer the time so interested bloggers could identify your address thro' the NGS brochure and visit. 

I have decided to take a back seat next year and not organise another Open Gardens so am really looking forward to having the time to visit other people's gardens. 

Hi Lovely gardens there, well done to you both, nice to see some nice bright cheery pictures of the flowers, roll on spring,

Yes, is is nice to see some cheery pictures at this very dismal time. That's a very nice garden. And it's a welcome reminder that there is plenty for us to look forward to, come Spring.

But Spring still seems a long way off.

Brilliant photos. Rusfloram, what is the blue flower behind the pink phlox?

Jacqui your garden looks lovely.

Jacqui, your garden is delightful, inspiring and worthy of many spectators. Good luck!

Artjak, the blue flower plant is Echium vulgare 'Blue Bedder', from Thompson & Morgan (from whom I also bought the Pandora's Children pansy seeds). I strongly recommend it: it blooms quickly (after two months from sowing) and forever, does not get disease, and the colour is unparalleled.

jacqui whitmore wrote (see)

Lovely garden Jacqui.

Can I ask what you have edged your garden path with please (the straight edging between lawn & gravel)? Im wanting to create a similar edge between lawn & path in my garden.

Thanks.

Some lovely pictures,especially liked the shot of the steps and stepping stones leading up to the lawn.

Good luck with the NGS next year. I'm sure another poster on here does the same

Garden looking dreadful at the moment with all the rain.Grass is like mush as i have to walk on it to get to my chickens,hope it grows back OK! Leadfarmer asked what plants i,d used to line my pathways.Buxus Sempervirens,I've shaped them into box balls now they've grown abit bigger however the first lot i put in  a few years ago got box blight so i had to dispose of them on the bonfire and start again ,a common problem at the moment with all the rain we 've been having.Has anyone else had the same problem?

Sorry Jacqui, I meant the actual edging material, is it timber or a concrete edging?

Thanks.

You wont believe this.They are lenghs of plastic skirting board left over from our conservatory which was erected 10 years ago.At the time i had little money so i used anything left over,however wood would probably look better, when the grass grows slightly it hides it.At least it wont rot!!