Here we are at the penultimate garden of this year's Infomaniac Garden Photos Event, the red, yellow, and orange-hued grounds of Mr Tonking. Welcome to:
U P T O N K I N G' S
Weird & Wonderful Gardening Year
The hostas became quite the project. And I'm disappointed I didn't have more pics of them. I went crazy and just started putting them along various fences and walkways. Hopefully they took. We'll see next year.
The strawberries survived, jumped their border and have multiplied. I want them to take over the whole back yard. The pics are of the first crop.
The raspberries are back and did well this year. The photo is early in the season. And the one is the first raspberry to ripen.
Zinnas did well this year. Look at the one in the cage!
I bought a bunch of seeds at the dollar store and threw them in the ground. Zinnas were the only ones that took.
Peas. Not a good year for veggies. Too dry. No rain. This is the first pea to appear. They all dried up and turned brown, I'm afraid.
I love my marigolds. The cascade down the side of the front steps.... well, this is end of season and fails to capture just how wonderful they ended up.
The ones in the galvanized pails started out nice but then grew unhappy.
The Yarrow... year three. I really need to move it to the back, since it tends to overshadow everything else.
The red flowers... I don't know, I just put them there, did nothing, but the marigolds did take off and were lovely this year... but I haven't a photo of them.
[I believe the red flowers are salvias. Jon? - IDV]
[Daylilies (Hemerocallis) - IDV]
Lilies are always fun.
My mums. So, I had new windows installed this year and the workers trampled my mums, so I thought, let's not take pics and spare everyone the trauma. Weirdly, they insisted on flowering anyway. Poor things. They need to be moved.
[As there are no photos of Mr Tonking's (chrysanthe)mums, he supplied these lovely gerberas instead - IDV]
The sunflowers. We feed the birds and every once and awhile a sunflower would appear. That is until the squirrels destroyed it. Eight in total.
I added black raspberries this year. We'll see if they survive. And Sumac... but the BF mowed them down, but fingers crossed. The iris in the back came up but did nothing... too dry. It was a weird gardening year. I was distracted, too. So many plans which came to nothing because other things needed my attention.
So... that's my garden year.
☙❧
This final photo was labelled "This came up". Because of the mention of feeding the birds earlier, I'm guessing this may be a sprouted seed from a stray handful? Perhaps Jon will have the answer?
☙❧
Thank you Mr Tonking for this glimpse at your bright and fruitful garden. I hope we'll get to see more of your efforts next year, too.
The final garden of the tour will be my own on Monday (but it won't be the actual Infomaniac Garden Photos Event finale) - I hope to see you all there!
Oh, thank you for including me... much appreciated. I know it's not much to look at, but I try.... sort of. :P Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you took part again, Mr Tonking, and it looks like everyone else feels the same!
DeleteI can only dream of lilies and hemerocallis' like yours - mine get eaten by deer.
So much beauty yet the first question that comes to mind is, "Why are the zinnas in a cage?"
ReplyDeleteI am envisaging a terrorised neighbourhood and headlines with lots of exclamation marks!!!
DeleteLovely show of blooms, Mr Tonking!
ReplyDeleteWe adore Day-lilies, and have been tempted before to grow Zinnias (but we don't have enough sunshine nor space for them here now). And, as for Hostas - a mere dream. We have far too many slugs and snails to even contemplate such a thing...
Those Gerberas, Sunflower and Asiatic lilies are very jolly! [I have to admit, however, if I am going to grow a lily I do want it to have scent, which Asiatics do not have.]
Well done - let's see what next Summer brings... Jx
PS Those red flowers are indeed Salvia splendens. I'm not a huge fan; we like salvias that grow huge!
PPS That "random" plant that "came up" with the seed mix is probably Amaranthus.
Ah, thank you for all the identifications, Jon. You've earned your keep again!
DeleteIs that saintly statue of St. Fiacre? If so, it's a good choice as he's patron saint of gardeners, especially those who grow food plants and medicinal herbs.
ReplyDeleteAnd you've given me a nudge to get some more marigolds along the fence. And sunflowers! Some fool dumped cement clumps on top of what little topsoil there was. And I'm not clearing that by hand so...marigolds to the rescue!
Marigolds truly are a boon in such situations. And foxgloves, but I doubt they'd tolerate your climes, Dinah.
DeleteCaged Zinnas?!?!?! Is this something of a gardening trade secret I should know about Upton?
ReplyDeleteI adore zinnias and LOVE marigolds as you saw from my own garden. And I actually love the scent of them, and that scent is also a natural pest repellant for the like of flies and gnats. My father had tons of yarrrow before I moved back, but the Mother hates it, so it was removed. It really took over. Gerbers are always a favorite too. I love all your warm tones you used around handsome.
Might that "And this came up" be a codfangler?
If that is a codfangler, I'm not I'd want to smell it...
DeleteWhat lovely lilies and I love all the yellow. I have the handiest app on my phone, it identifies plants. Open the app, point it at the mystery vegetation, click and it tells you what you're looking at. It's called Picture This and it also identifies birds and counts tree rings for you, all sorts of stuff. It was free, I think. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteI could do with an app like that to identify my fuchsias (you'll see why when my garden post is published). I just have to upgrade my phone first!
DeleteGreenery everywhere, protected by a gnomish monk, what a nice prospect.
ReplyDeleteFar more suitable than some trollish little gnome, Mago. Look what happened to Princess's gnomes - She had to keep them in a maximum security enclosure!
DeleteI forgot to mention the app said your unknown plant is red amaranth. Sorry
ReplyDeleteSnap! Jx
DeleteI remember the marigolds from last year they are so jolly.
ReplyDeleteAll the flowers are fab and so many of our favourites. How clever to use an old supermarket trolley as a plant holder. That's what I call upcycling
Love your garden Mr Up-Tonking, so much colour.
Ttfn
It really is a riot of reds, oranges, and yellows. Beautiful!
DeleteThe unhappy marigolds in the galvanised bucket may have had their roots fried, I have pierced nipples and know what that feels like when sunbathing for just a short time. Amaranth seed is highly nutritious they sell it in health food shops. Love the Gerberas, such a cheery plant.
ReplyDelete:: hands over the after sun lotion ::
Delete:: and an ice cube ::
I agree with you Inexplicable DeVice...I adore his theme of bright warm tones! And gerberas always make me happy.
ReplyDeleteYum! Strawberries and Raspberries! I would never think to look for plant seeds of any kind at a dollar store. I have one nearby, but I've only been once or twice.
ReplyDeleteLove your daylilies, zinnias and marigolds. I have some Daylilies, but I need to cage them because the rabbits eat them before they can mature. I think I've gotten a flower only once.