Garden Pictures, Update!

[MarkRG]

First of all the Plumeria's going to pop some new fragrances any day now

A pic of the bed in front of the house that does double duty between spring bulbs and annuals:

And a pic of the backyard as it is this year, I'll get one from the roof up sometime soon, the weather up here hasn't been hepful lately.

Enjoy!

 

[amid chaos]

Oh , I did enjoy....thank you for sharing a piece of your world with us...Love the wonderful color.

 

[Snowwark]

It all looks great Mark, thank you!

I hope the weather up on the roof clears up soon..... ....so you can take another sky cam shot !

 

[olena]

Very lovely.....

 

[MarkRG]

Thanks for the nice comments, I really do spend a good amount of effort on it to make changes, but I set it up to be very easy to setup in spring. This year with the nasty weather weeds have been very messy.

It just happens that the last 3 weekends I was home to try and take a roof shot, the weather has been absolutley awful

However, today, it is absolutely perfect out, and I got one.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Gorgeous Mark! I love the skycam view! LOL! Gives a better feel for the overall effect of the beds though.

 

[Snowwark]

Oh, that looks great Mark! How much time do you spend up on the roof anyway?

I couldn't resist..

Up On The Roof by The Drifters

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stars
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below can't bother me
Let me tell you now
When I come home feeling tired and beat
I go up where the air is fresh and sweet
I get away from the hustling crowds
And all that rat race noise down in the street
On the roof's the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Up on the roof
At night the stars put on a show for free
And darling you can share it all with me
I keep-a tellin' you
Right smack dab in the middle of town
I found a Paradise that's trouble-proof
And if this world starts getting you down
There's room enough for two up on the roof
Up on the roof..........


Thanks Mark!

....be careful up there!!

 

[MarkRG]

Now I'm going to need to do something to get that tune outta my head!

A small did you know: Did you know that Bruce Willis did a very nice job covering not just that one but Under the Boardwalk?

Now seriously, I took that older picture years back on a lark after my dad, brother and myself had finished putting a new roof on my house, but, as Dixie Dreamer has already pointed out, I found it really helps me in getting 'the whole picture'.

Next up, I'm going to make a new bed along the edge of the driveway on the right, plant the Cannas there to behind the birfeeder instead, and make a nice pond down near the feeder with a false brook feeding it by the house. What you can't tell from the pic is I have a good slope away from the house. ETA for what could be a massive project, next spring at least.

 

[Tulirose]

Wow!! Great photos - and great song Snowwark!

Mark - How hard is it to grow the Cannas? I see you are near Chicago. That must be zone 6 or 7, right? I'm zone 7. Do they come back every year or do you have to replant each spring? DH and I have fallen in love with these plants since we started going on walks at the local aboretum this summer. Any info you can give will be much appreciated.

 

[gina2000]

Love the vivid colors and the beautiful pictures! I wish my garden looked that good!

Right now I have dry, dead grass and some pretty sad looking perennials staring me in the face.....drought does it again.......

I love Under the Boardwalk and Up on the Roof. Jersey shore all the way!!!!

 

[MarkRG]

Canna is a tuber root plant. You plant a few after the ground thaws, they will absolutely take over whatever space you give them, and you have to dig up a few of the many it will make in the fall to keep in a cool dry place in the house for the following spring. They are not winter hardy at all, and grow the root part you need to keep right near the surface. They don't need heavy amounts of water either, very easy to grow. Lots of municipalites around here use them in landscaping.

This year wasn't the best for my garden either. The canna usually grow to 5-6ft. This year, they're only 2-3 and started blooming. There is a midget variety, but these are not that kind.