Comments

1. 
   Nurserynotnordstroms 01/28/2015

   Emily,you are a true gardener,color combinations,texture and the thing I like the most so MUCH more space to add many many more garden beds. Christmas trees sounds interesting and fun but a labor of love I suspect since you must part with them. You should do pumpkins like the"Little People"do that would be fun to try on a large scale and so festive in the fall. I hope we continue to see the progress of your gardens I will happily go back and peek at these again and again until spring finally arrives in my gardens.

2. 
   user-1020932 01/29/2015

   i somehow missed yesterday but checked it out just now along with this post. absolutely beautiful from any viewpoint and the perennial beds are flawless. i am very envious of your hosta collection as i can't have them except in pots because of voles. nice planting of black walnut trees,,,,,,,,that is a retirement plan in itself. your farm is a walk down memory lane for me as the house is amazingly similar to my g'parents place in the Finger Lakes area. lots of work with truly grand results

1. 
   greengenes 01/29/2015

   So voles eat up hostas? Wow.. they haven't found mine yet I guess and I hope they never will! Those little buggers ate all my beets and left the tops! I went out to harvest some a month ago and it looked like they were doing great until I pulled one up. They ate the whole thing and left the top and the greens... Do you know of anything that will get rid of these varments?

1. 
   user-1020932 01/29/2015

   here they eat hostas and almost any lily and will girdle woody shrubs killing them. i plant bulbs within a wire cage and mix in chicken grit with the backfill soil on everything.

1. 
   greengenes 01/30/2015

   OMG! So that's what ate my rose roots!- I sure hope lilies come up this spring! Our weather 2day was almost 60 degrees! It has been so weird this year already!

3. 
   meander_michaele 01/29/2015

   Wonderful pictures, Emily...you're a talented photographer as well as gardener. I particularly like the one that shows the clump of elegant oriental lilies 'Casa Blanca' looking like they're enjoying a fun party surrounded by all those other colorful blooms. Ha, and, oh, to be young enough to be talking about planting 600 of this and 500 of that...love your enthusiasm and energy!

4. 
   NCYarden 01/29/2015

   Such a grand space. I don't know how you resist expanding the beds even further so you could plant even more of all those wonderful perennials. You could go nuts... I am just looking at your beautiful garden. And like Jeff, I too am jealous of the hostas. Voles are such a bane here. I get lucky here and there but have learned my lesson not to plant too many, especially the unique varieties. Good luck too with the upcoming tree endeavor. Sounds like a big project, but fun I'm sure - love getting in the dirt. Thanks again for sharing.

5. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/29/2015

   Such beautful photos of wonderful plants and garden beds. I'm ready for spring. Your home and homestead are stunning. The large, white flowering plant with the astilbe in the fourth photo from the end: is that Aruncus? For sime reason I thought the blooms were more astilbe-like, if that's what it is.

1. 
   greengenes 01/29/2015

   Hi Tim... I know! isn't that a gorgeous splash of white! I think it might be a filipendula . I have been looking for some white effects in the garden besides hydrangeas and I came across a white filipendula which looks like this in the picture. Isnt this a lovely farm!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/29/2015

   I think you're right, Jeanne. But now, what kind? A quick search showed some cultivars with similar, dense flowers but totally different leaves. The leaves do like like other Filipendula that popped up, though. Whatever the cultivar, it's a beauty! The farm is so lovely and a bit sentimental to me because I grew up in the country in Iowa. I'd never go back, frankly, because I am a city boy at heart, but it does make me nostalgic!

1. 
   user-7007374 01/29/2015

   I believe it is Filipendula ulmaria, although I have had it for several years now and am relying on memory. It has a relatively short bloom time, so I always try to get a few photos so I can enjoy it year round. It's a favorite! Thank you for your compliments!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/29/2015

   Thanks Emily. So if the bloom time is relatively short, how does the foliage hold up for the rest of the season? It looks like it would be nice. I've never grown any Filipendula. Plugging F. ulmaria in Google, the cultivar 'flora pleno' looks pretty identical. Thanks for sharing and do keep the blog updated with your great garden and homestead.

2. 
   user-7007374 01/29/2015

   The foliage stays attractive all season. To keep the garden colorful for the duration, I have it flanked with geranium 'rozanne' which blooms june to frost. Nearby I also have a cluster of Cimicifuga 'hillside black beauty' and pink flowering Chelone (or turtlehead), both of which are late summer bloomers. On yesterday's blog there is an image of the Chelone. Thanks!

3. 
   greengenes 01/29/2015

   Hey..thanks Emily! I will see what I can find on these beautiful puffs of white little clouds! Its all so beautiful.....

4. 
   user-7007140 01/29/2015

   I also love Rozanne geranium- it happily wends its pretty foliage amongst the perennials and then obliges with flowers,too. I plan to save all of these pictures of your garden Emily, for your gardening eyes are flawless and I need all the help available!!
   We have plenty of room but find that we are not able to expand our vision too far. Darned old age, just gets in the way. So I'll dream of your garden instead. Thank you again, and know your own garden will find its way to Ohio some way or another.
   When taking your photos do you carefully prepare the area for your shot? I need help with that,too.
   Would you care to move to the Midwest?

6. 
   greengenes 01/29/2015

   Oh what beauty you have surrounding you! Including all of us who are so enjoying what you are doing!!! Every picture is stunning and I so want to see more! You must have a lot of acres to be able to plant 600 black walnut trees! Iam hearing the birds and smelling the warm air through your photos. Thanks so much for sharing with us! Its fun to learn more about different plants and trial and error. I see your aruncus looks quite nice. I purchased one this winter, dormant of course and iam looking forward to seeing it this spring and summer! I also found a dwarf one! Please keep sendingus updates! Thanks again, Emily!

7. 
   Luvfall 01/29/2015

   Beautiful! I especially like the way the echinacea and day lily colors accent the stamens of the lilies.

8. 
   wGardens 01/29/2015

   Your home and gardens are gorgeous! All wonderful photos and that Casa Blanca is a stunner! And your hostas! Wow. Love it all. I want to visit Charlton!

9. 
   Catasetumkid 01/29/2015

   Oh my, I can small those casablanca lilies from here! And all the BUDS! Beautiful garden, and very very healthy plants! Congratulations, Emily!

10. 
    GrannyCC 01/29/2015

    Wonderful garden Emily. So beautiful and tranquil. The fragrance of the lilies must be heavenly.

11. 
    sheila_schultz 01/29/2015

    Emily, I'm sorry I missed commenting on your photos yesterday. To have a treasured piece of land loved and cared for thru the generations is such a gift... lucky you and your children to be part of this farm, it's past and it's future.
    Your gardens are more than lovely, they have brought back so many warm memories to many of us. I grew up in a small farming community in IL and looking at the photos of your wonderful peonies reminded me of our neighbor, Mr. Powell. Every spring he would ring our doorbell with an armful of peonies and lilacs for my mother, I can still smell the heady scents as I write this post. Many evenings of my youth were spent sitting on the glider on his front porch next to Mr. Powell, watching the lightening bugs putting on their show.
    Your love working of working with your flowers is obvious, your combinations are a delight. I'm particularly drawn to the 4th photo from the top today... there is something about the white globes of the hydrangea flowers, the feathery, fronted with the white spikes of the astilbe's and then a little bit down the bed, the green and white leaves of the hosta. It is so texturally interesting and balanced. I love it. Thanks Emily, please keep posting.

12. 
    VikkiVA 01/29/2015

    Oh wow, how beautiful. I'm ordering Casablanca lilies today!

13. 
    perenniallycrazy 02/01/2015

    Just as stunning as Day 1 Emily. I do hope that you become a regular contributor to GPOD.