Hi GPODs!
About a month ago we traveled across the pond to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in Kent, England, with Cindy Strickland. As I was compiling the resources and writing this article, I stumbled across another submission from Cindy that for some reason ended up in the GPOD spam folder. While the reflection of these gorgeous summer blooms is a little later than expected, I didn’t want to let these colorful photos go to waste and Cindy agreed to share her 2023 annual floral display today.
Hello, Cindy Strickland here, sharing some favorite summer scenes, a small, fat triangular side garden bathed in afternoon sun. I rented the mostly shaded property for two years and added all the plants within the existing borders. In 2023, I want this small area to be filled with a variety of flowers and foliage that can be seen from the kitchen window. The sidewalk is also used as a pathway by neighbors, so others enjoy the plants as well. I saw many birds and insects visiting the garden, including a variety of bees.
By July, the first flowers of the coreopsis are coming to an end, several annuals grown from seeds have bloomed, and to keep the appearance full, I put out several pots of annuals.
Cold-hardy ‘Nana’ coreopsis (Coreopsis auriculata “Nana”, zones 4-9) Makes a delightful combination with catnip (Nepeta kind. and cvs., zones 3-9) – for a while. A gardener friend laughed when I said that my catnip usually dies.
Borage flowers are loved by many insects and long-legged arthropods. my borage (Borageannual) Spread and eventually collapse or become staked and thin. Birds eat almost all the seeds.
Borage close.
‘Nana’ coreopsis is a tough dwarf variety that doesn’t mind being divided in mid-summer.
Calibrachoa, a popular annual plant.
Cosmos blooms and catnip wanes.
The tough perennial sedums split last fall, surrounding and seemingly protecting a sunflower seed that went unnoticed by the birds.
Golden zinnias are irresistible to goldfinches!
lemon thyme (Thymus × citric acidregions 5–8) Has a lovely trailing habit in the pot and releases a gorgeous fragrance when adjusted.
I was lucky enough to find tall verbena (verbenazones 7-10) Seedlings for sale last spring, many were planted in various areas including this small garden. The flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The stems grow over four feet tall and survive strong winds without breaking.
rose glans (Leaf turtleregions 5–9) It is one of the last perennials to bloom. universe orange universe (Sulfur cosmos “Cosmic Orange”, annual) Possibly the last flowering plant of the year (upper right corner of this photo). However, it is one of the easiest flower seeds to collect and grow.
Thank you, Cindy, for letting me revive this submission that was buried under Microsoft Outlook! While I wish we didn’t have to wait so long, it’s better late than never when it comes to these gorgeous cheerful flowers.
I strongly remind everyone that the photos do not necessarily need to match your current situation in order to appear on the blog in time! Especially now, with winter approaching and most of us having fewer plants to enjoy outside, a glimpse into the garden over the past few years in the summer, spring and fall has been a great way to spend the colder days. If you have photos to share, follow the instructions below to submit your garden to GPOD!
Do you have a garden you’d like to share?
Have a photo to share? We’d love to visit your garden, a specific plant collection you love, or a wonderful garden you have the opportunity to visit!
To submit, please send 5-10 photos to [email protected] and some information about the plants in the photo and where the photo was taken. We’d love to hear about where you are, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you’re proud of, lessons you’ve learned from them, hopes for the future, favorite plants or interesting stories from your garden.
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Dramm 17050 50′ ColorStorm 1/2″ Standard Soaker Hose
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