Junk Garden Before & Afters 2017
August 15, 2017
I think this garden before photo is the most dramatic. This little bed started out like this last May. The metal pedestal under the laundry tub was salvaged from a restaurant/bar type formica table purchased at the thrift shop. Flowers in this laundry tub include Euphorbia Diamond Frost, sweet potato vines, a yellow double calibrachoa, Butterfly Marguerite daisies, and pink zonal geraniums.
The ground level has more Marguerite daisies, pink seed geraniums, white alyssum and pink lantana.
I wanted the laundry tub on the pedestal to add vertical interest, and it sure did that. The Marguerite daisies are such dependable annuals in my northern Minnesota gardens.
This garden vignette was inspired by Old Sign Stencils Buffalo Check stencil and the 4th of July.
Here is the after photo of the three red, white and purple (blue) petunia basket.
I diagrammed my perennial and annual planting strategy and junk placement in this early season before post.
The White Knight Alyssum at the top of the ladder is a single plant but the two other ladder pots have two 3-4" bedding plants (Calibrachoa and nemesia).
This sawhorse was a new addition to my junk garden this year. Like the stepladder, it has proven to be pretty darn great in a junk garden with flowers hanging on it, flowers under it and around it too!
Here the plants are starting to spread.
And this is the after, with all the perennials in full bloom.
This is the junky phase of a junk garden. When the junk is more visible than the garden part!
But thanks to rain, sun, heat, weeding, deadheading and some Miracle Gro, the junk takes it's supporting role in my after flower border photo.
As usual I planted nicotiana in the larger round tub in the wheelbarrow, but for the first time, I added a Hard Rush Blue Arrows grass to the center of the tub for height. The tub also contains annual phlox and the small tub has two Black Eyed Susan Vines.
I don't know if I have a thriller, filler and spiller, but I like the combinations in the wheelbarrow in this after photo! The Rush "Blue Arrows' is a great substitute for a spike.
This northwest area of my yard doesn't get a lot of direct sun so the pots here are planted with shade lovers like orange hanging begonia, orange and white impatiens, asparagus ferns, golden creeping Jenny and mimulus.
It took a while for these plants to take off with our cooler summer but they are filling out nicely in this early August after photo.
This is a little Maiden Hair Fern on the step under my covered patio.
I guess the little fern loved the shade and moisture of our 2017 summer.
The Boston Fern in the corner has at least doubled in size as well.
After Boston Fern after.
Zonal red geraniums and trailing lantana in this before vignette.
Geraniums are a pretty consistent grower and bloomer. This was my first year with the trailing lantana. While they did well, they are not a "showy" as the multicolor blossom lantana. But a pretty great after!
Here are Athena double impatiens, single impatiens, asparagus ferns and dicondra vines at planting time in a half barrel in a before photo.
And rosebud impatiens in a watering can before.
Here in August after some summer temps, the impatiens are thriving in this after photo.
I have always grown sedums in various varieties but I am also growing annual succulents this year as well. I like filling in around succulents with sweet alyssum.
The succulents and alyssum have filled in, the thyme in the tissue holder has tripled in size and the framed techno heat lobelia is in full bloom in this after photo!
Double impatiens on the late afternoon sun side of the deck, along with a coleus.
The After.
Planting time before photo.
The after. I was not pleased with these plants. Slow to get started and then some issues with worms and aphids. Ugh.
Planting time before on the potting bench.
The potting bench after. The verbena were awesome!
English Ivy and Cretan Brake Fern on the covered patio before.
And after.
The shed was built last fall. Before landscaping this spring.
At planting time.
And after.
Under the spruce tree before.
And after. The impatiens have really filled in, but with summer heat the blooming has slowed on the fuchsia on the right.
The stanchion/tool box planter before.
Oops! What happened? The squirrels and/or chipmunks decided this was a great place to hide sunflower seeds again and again. These techno heat lobelias had exposed roots and one died and the other is not thriving either.
So here is the after with my half dead lobelia. I had to pull it out after the after photo!
Planting time with swingtime fuchsia and golden creeping Jenny before.
And after.
Overall the 2017 gardens were a success!
My most used garden fertilizer and tools.
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Your gardens look lovely! Any time I've planted in galvanized steel, my plants flood and begin to mold. I recycle plastic bottles and containers in the bottom to try to prevent it, but it happens every time. Do you drill holes in the bottom of the containers?
ReplyDeleteSO many creative ideas! I LOVE that license plate and that whole red, white, blue vignette!! That wash tub is quite a statement piece -- well it ALL is!
ReplyDeleteI love all of the gardens & vignettes that you create. I could look at them for hours. I would love to see them in person.
ReplyDeleteWOW, everything is just GORGEOUS!!!
ReplyDeletePam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com
You certainly have a green thumb along with all your other fantastic skills. Your yard is beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteLove your junk garden. Very creative. How often do you water all of your pots? I have a lot of pots and by this time of year I'm over all the watering. Wish i could rig up some kind of drip system.
ReplyDeleteI knew that the power is in flowers :) Wonderful transformation. I am admiring You.
ReplyDeleteI love this post with the before and after shots. So much to pin, so little time.
ReplyDeleteI just luv those junk pieces u have used in your garden(= I bet u get a lot of people that slow down in front of your house!Enjoy the rest of your summer! Blessings..><>Jenny
ReplyDeletewhat a bonanza of flowers!!! thanks for identifying them in the beginning and now we can see how they've flourished. what fertilizer do you use ? we've tried to grow lobelias but never quite get them going - in fact, the only one we planted this year died about 2-3 wks after planting. :((
ReplyDeleteWow! Everything looks great!
ReplyDelete