Hosta 'June' borders the walkway to the gardens behind the garage. Orienpet lilies on the left thrive in a bit of sun on the edge of a shady border. Photo/Illustration: All photos courtesy of Lynn Nehring
Today’s photos are from Lynn Nehring in western Wisconsin. Lynn was a woman of few words in her emails, but she gives a little info in each caption, and I’m hoping she’ll chime in in the comments, because that garden is gorgeous! Lynn, your hostas alone are swoon-worthy!
Orienpet lilies and daylilies behind the garage.
******By the way, I somehow completely missed the GPOD’s anniversary! It was January 4th. 4 years. Over 1000 posts. Whew! Thanks to all of you who read, submit, comment, and spread the word. You rock!!
Looking at the backyard from behind the garage.
——Winter is the perfect time to take a photographic stroll through the photos you took in your garden this year……and then send some in to me at [email protected]!
I always try to make use of a tree stump!The beautiful martagon lily ‘Claude Shride’ brings a deep mahogany color to many of the gardens in June. It blooms before the asiatics. If you have part-shade, even shade gardens….this one does well. If fact, it doesn’t like afternoon sun.Another shot of martagon lily ‘Claude Shride’. It grows well with hostas.In the background is a ridge of hosta (approx. 80 feet) bordering the woods which I can view from my kitchen windows. A bed of miniature plants in the foreground.This is a portion of a long garden sitting against the east hill. Many areas are quite shady and some have the hot afternoon sun. The orienpet lilies thrive in our Zone 4, part-shade gardens but must be staked as they grow extremely tall (to 7 feet). reaching for sunlight.Hosta montana ‘Aureomarginata’ covers a six-foot circle.This is a September night shot behind the garage. It may be too dark to view. Hydrangea ‘Limelight’ in the back with sedums and asters blossoming in front.This ‘Carmencita’ castor bean plant stole the show in my new retaining wall garden. This was taken on September 9th.Just for fun!
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hosta heaven! it's all beautiful but i'm most amazed that each and every hosta leaf is absolute perfection. are there no voles, slugs or deer in wisconsin? this is a beautiful mid summer garden
Lynn - your garden is just gorgeous! I love how full it looks with the many different hostas. I wish my garden looked this full and lush. Did you put that cute little frog in the day lily or did he find that little space on his own? How large is your property? Amazing and again just beautiful. Now I have to go online to check out those maroon lilies.
Lynn,
Your gardens are so beautiful, serene and healthy looking. I am sure there was a lot of soil amending going on for your hostas to look that good! I like how you have tags everywhere ! It is especially helpful when you grow so many different varieties of plants! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely marvelous! I love the beds with the field stone. BTW- what plant do you have draping over the edge in the circular garden? Perfect spot for your bench. I'd hate to leave! The container planting on the tree stump- that photo is awesome! The Hostas are stunning- as are the lilies... well, it ALL is! I'm lovin' it all. And perfect "finishing touch" with the frog photo!
Lynn, as I scrolled through your pictures, I was struck by how beautifully maintained everything is and how effective your large swaths of a single plant variety are. Those generous groupings of hosta and lilies and the purple flower (tall phlox?) invite the eye to relax and enjoy! I love your evening photo with the 'Limelight' hydrangeas glowing softly and seeming to gently light up the pathway. Everything is just glorious.
Absolutely beautiful Lynn!! I am a hosta fiend,,,,, and yours are truly fantastic?,,, and to echo Jeff,, one of my first thoughts when I saw the multitude in front of the woods,,, is What do you do about deer??? They would have a field day!,,, you must have some secret there,,,, and must treat for slugs etc. too, as they are all perfect!!!
The whole scene is great!,, Love the area behind the garage with the Limelight,, some of the best I have seen!,, and the Alberta ( looks like alberta spruce anywhere in the dusk ) is a very nice textural and architectural addition,,, the sedum are beautiful ,,, and of course all you gorgeous lilies! Again Lynn,,,, just Beautiful!!!
Oh boy!!!! Lilies are my favorite flower! And you showed me a new one, the martagon claude shride. Thanks so so much for sending us pics to see your wonderful gardens. Absolutely the first shot I saw I thought what about deer! You have a wonderful sense of placement and color in your work. Its all so beautiful Lynn... we hope to see more soon! thankyou
The martagon lilies are sublime! Your garden is exquisitely maintained and the large number of each variety makes it sing. The new retaining wall garden is chock full of goodies. I would love to see some closeups of the great combos in there next season. The castor bean plant is something I have wanted to try, but I wonder if I will be on an NSA hit list if I do, lol. Also, that daylily shot is too cute! ( what is that gorgeous variety?)
I have lily envy! Yours are gorgeous! Is the lily leaf beetle not in Wisconsin? When they arrived in Maine, they decimated the lilies. I grow some, but it is a constant battle for a few weeks to remove the eggs and kill any adults. I used a systemic for a while, but as a beekeeper, I can't justify its use any more.
Lovely gardens, and Z.4 is pretty challenging. It's a Z.5 where I live, and I whine about that. But you've proved what can be achieved Lynn. A caterpillar having a siesta in one of your lily's? That is kinda cute.
Late to the party today, but this garden is absolutely dynamite. My wife has been pushing for more lilies in the garden and this certainly helps to push me over the edge. I have to give a shout-out to the hosta flowers. Some of the more floriferous varieties, like the ones edging your path, are very elegant. I have a seed grown hosta that has tall, densely packed flower spikes that just kill in late summer, and Hosta nigrescens can send up flower scapes 8 feet tall that the hummingbirds enjoy.
Beautiful, lush garden. Love the evening shot, the Limelights seems made for this! And of course the lilies, the lilies... Thank you so much for the martagon, a lily for shade, and for labeling your shots. I'm just waiting for you to tell us how you keep the deer away from all that tempting lushness!
Thank you, Lynn!
Beautiful gardens! I've not heard of the martagon lilies, but have put them on my "must get" list. Lovely composition and everything looks picture perfect. Love the Limelight hydrangeas in the evening light. Another one to think about!
Amazing lilies and gorgeous hostas would have been enough to admire, but you have set them off with a beautiful supporting cast of other lovely annual, perennials and shrubs to create a stunning garden! I too have to wonder at the lack of deer or bug damage - maybe your little black piggy (I think) keeps them away? I'm sure the tree frog helps with the bugs. Love your use of containers and the creeping plants softening the stone retaining walls.
Mmmm, Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm....what lovely gardens you have! I'm dreaming of spring while sipping coffee and looking out over snow-laden mountains. Your photos are like an elixir enhancing the desire for good weather and diggin in the dirt. Such exquisite plantings! I'm waiting for our tree shade to expand so that I can try to grow hostas and Martagon Lillies like yours..that might take awhile, so I'll just have to be content gazing at your photos. Thanks for sharing them and smiles to the frog lilly!
So Beautiful! You are truly an artist! I love how you have so many different levels in all of your beds - it makes each bed so lush and full-looking. Wonderful compositions.
Such a beautiful garden. Love all the lilies and hostas. I don't think I have every seen such a gorgeous display. Do you amend your soil on a regular basis? I didn't realize that lilies would thrive in part shade.
One of the loveliest gardens I have seen yet and all so perfectly maintained. I,too, wonder about deer, woodchucks, etc. In the past few years the deer and other critters have become so plentiful that I almost despair of further gardening. Yet I know when spring comes I will not be able to ignore the little green sprouts poking through. Your plantings are lush and magnificent and your love of the work involved is evident. You are a true gardener. Would love to see more pictures and some tips on how you protect your plantings from the greedy critters.
One of the loveliest gardens I have seen yet and all so perfectly maintained. I,too, wonder about deer, woodchucks, etc. In the past few years the deer and other critters have become so plentiful that I almost despair of further gardening. Yet I know when spring comes I will not be able to ignore the little green sprouts poking through. Your plantings are lush and magnificent and your love of the work involved is evident. You are a true gardener. Would love to see more pictures and some tips on how you protect your plantings from the greedy critters.
Outstanding garden and exquisite photos. I'm intrigued with that castor bean plant. I'm in zone 5 so it should survive here, if the deer don't eat it... I will check it out. I don't know how you cna grow all those plants without their being decimated, unless your entire garden is fenced.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Tractor1,what is the balloon shot? Is that on your property? I don't think the deer will eat castor bean plant. It is super poisionus. I don't know how, but it is used to make that poisionous powdery substance that was found in a bunch of letters.
Hello, I'm Lynn from Western Wisconsin. Dick and I moved here about 27 years ago and have been serious gardeners since 1999. We are both retired. I'll try to answer some of your questions in this comment. We live on approx. 8 acres with about two of them in lawn and gardens. There are hills on three sides of us. The original soil would not grow these gardens. We have removed 12-15" of bad stuff from many areas and replaced it with a mixture of black dirt, manure and peat moss. Other areas are raised beds with the same mixture. The field stone has come from nearby farm fields and Dick built the garden walls. Deer can be a problem however usually are not. We see more of them come through during the winter months. We use Milorganite in the spring and Liquid Fence a few times in the summer. Voles, moles and slugs are the worst! We poison voles and moles with little success. Slug bait is spread throughout in the late spring and early fall and has worked well. I can't find the caterpillar, but the frog got in there on his own.
I'm going to reply to a comment of yours also, since this thread is a year old ...
Hi Lynn, I've just stumbled across your beautiful garden photos. Simply gorgeous, and exactly what we'd like create over the years. We've just moved to 6 acres in La Crosse, an old farmhouse and a nursery in a previous life. We are anxious to see what we already have in the ground before we start adding some of our favorites. Are you near La Crosse? We'd love to take a tour of your gardens if we are in your area this season! Thank you so much for sharing!
I expected comments about the castor bean plant. We are very careful to remove the seeds which are the most poisonous. Animals never touch them. I wear gloves when handling the plant as I've gotten a slight rash from touching some part of them.
Lynn, beautiful gardens!!! I recently started growing orienpet lilies; can't wait for them to get to your size. I am a fellow Wisconsin gardener - do you give garden tours? Would love to visit. Please send more pictures.
I haven't grown castor bean but I think in Wisconsin, we treat it as an annual.
Castor bean plants are annuals, grow very quickly, and are quite stately. The chance of being poisoned by the ricin in them seems to be pretty slim. You wouldn't want to grow them around livestock and horses. Remember that castor oil was a regular part of health regimens some time ago. I think daffodils are more poisonous. Here's one link: http://chemistry.about.com/b/2008/04/10/castor-bean-plant-good-plant-with-a-bad-rep.htm
I really don't know how to reply to the individual comments. Hope I'm doing this right.
GrannyCC: We mulch everything using different substances like shredded bark, cocoa bean shells, and leaves. We do very little fertilizing except for heavy feeders like astilbes. Sometimes we use high nitrogen compounds with the hostas, but not every year.
GrannyMay: That's a black stone cat (not a piggy). We love cats and have three live ones in our home.
Mainer59: I do not know what the "lily leaf beetle" is and hope I don't have to find out. We do have problems with the Japanese beetle on a few plants.
CJgardens: Our gardens are open for tours and we would love to have you visit. All we ask is a phone call or email before you visit. It is so much fun having visitors. We've had a few large tours too.
CWheat000: The daylily with the frog is a tetraploid, vigorous grower with huge flowers. I got it from Bluestone Perennials a few years ago. The name is "Strutter's Ball" but I cannot get to the marker to check that out. We're having 6+ inches of snow and wind at this time on top of the foot already there.
Flowerladydi: Yes, those are dwarf Alberta Spruce behind the garage. The downside is, we must wrap them every winter as the south facing side burns badly if we don't. The sedums handle the part-shade situation well but they are all staked. All of the lilies here must be staked as well. They get taller than they would in some gardens as they are reaching for sun here. We love to garden and know we must deal with the bad to have the good. I probably should mention that those beautiful Martagon lilies are expensive! They are often upwards to $20 a bulb. I divide them every three years and get a 3 for 1 ratio however.
Ancientgardener: I will try to send more pictures. I thank you and everyone else for the wonderful comments. It's encouraging and motivating to read these comments. It is difficult to think of waiting 3 more months to get back to gardening. Last year we had 12 inches of snow on May 2nd so maybe I have 4 months to wait.
Lynn, your gardens are outstanding! You have worked many hundreds of hours on them I can tell. It seems that you have a lot of plants that grow in Pacific NW gardens also, even though you are a Zone 4. I am a lover of Hostas and you have so many beautiful specimens. My gardens have a lot of frog 'whimsey' in them so that was fun to see the little frog resting in your daylily. What a shot! Thanks for sharing your wonderland.
Wgardens: The common name for the plant hanging over the edge of the round garden is rockcress. In the spring it is completely covered with 12-15" spikes of dainty white flowers. I'll submit a picture.
lynn, from the looks of your amazing hosta collection you must be doing something right concerning voles. it's a never ending battle here and i'm almost always on the losing side
DEFINATELY coming this June to check out your garden. It has been awhile since I saw your garden and it seems it has been toooooo long! Stunning plants
Lynn it is so kind of you to answer all our questions. I am sorry if I created work for you. I am so glad you didn't go out in 18" of snow to check that daylily. I looked it up and yours definitely looks like strutter's ball and it is stunning.( I love Bluestone Perennials also.)
VOLES I use vicks on small bits of mulch and it keeps the voles and other unwanted creatures away from my garden.
I have been doing this for 16 years and it works all the time.
I hope this will help you. My neighbor had the same problem and she is using the vicks also. If you can find the hold that they are using --you can also use chewing gum.
cwheat000: That balloon made an emergency landing in my yard. The people in the gondola were very thankful to be over my yard.
I know the castor plant is toxic but there are many plants that are toxic to humans but not to animals. What I found out is that it's an annual, I'd rather a perennial.
Gardengal42: We had heard chewing gum worked for moles and have tried it and everything else we've heard of. Maybe time to try Vicks for the Voles and moles!
Lynn, what a pleasure to see your wonderful garden again, even if at a remove! I'm ex NWHS, having moved to Madison a couple of years ago but still growing hostas. Please post more photos!
Janet
Tractor1-That balloon landing had to be pretty exciting! I would grow the castor bean plant. Wild animals are usually smart enough to not eat, what would hurt them. ( I have no livestock as Vojt had mentioned.)I grow many toxic plants already and that plant is quite striking. Gardengal42- thanks for the Vicks tip.
I haven't checked here in quite some time, busy with indoor projects this winter, but I am SOOOOOOO glad I clicked on the garden photos for today! Oh, how I love so many things about the gardens you have created....and your photos are delightful. I am not sure that I've seen a flower photo I love more than the tiny frog in the lily. I agree with tntreeman, your hosta gardening is perfection!
I've never commented before - but this is amazing and beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us. What is the pretty, tall-ish bright pink plant - flocks?
Hi Lynn & Dick, I simply can not lay my head to rest before telling you how much I've enjoyed this evening's reading material! Jumping between comments and photos has my eyes dancing, my lips reading out loud and my fingers rapidly typing suggestions in my 2014 garden journal. Your gardens are superb! We will all be watching for more, more, more but in the mean time, enjoy the winter break. Thank you both for including us in your gardening joy.
Hi Lynn,
You are inspiring us to try Martagon lilies. They are expensive so I haven't yet. Has your clump increased on its own or did you make a major investment? How tall are they? Many have commented on what a good grower you are (all true), but its your composition that really stands out to me. You are an artist. Its your use of the short rock walls elevating the hostas that really lets them shine. Brings them closer to the eye. Fantastic gardens!
Hi Lynn, I've just stumbled across your beautiful garden photos. Simply gorgeous, and exactly what we'd like create over the years. We've just moved to 6 acres in La Crosse, an old farmhouse and a nursery in a previous life. We are anxious to see what we already have in the ground before we start adding some of our favorites. Are you near La Crosse? We'd love to take a tour of your gardens if we are in your area this season! Thank you so much for sharing!
Comments
Beautiful gardens, Lynn! I love the lilies. Thanks for labeling your photos. It really helps.
hosta heaven! it's all beautiful but i'm most amazed that each and every hosta leaf is absolute perfection. are there no voles, slugs or deer in wisconsin? this is a beautiful mid summer garden
Absolutely stunning gardens, Lynn! Your gallery of dazzling
lilies are to die for...And love the Just for fun photo too!!
Beautiful gardens! You've given me so many new ideas for my yard next year! I love the "just for fun" photo. I had to look twice to figure it out!
Thank you for sharing!
Lynn - your garden is just gorgeous! I love how full it looks with the many different hostas. I wish my garden looked this full and lush. Did you put that cute little frog in the day lily or did he find that little space on his own? How large is your property? Amazing and again just beautiful. Now I have to go online to check out those maroon lilies.
Lynn,
Your gardens are so beautiful, serene and healthy looking. I am sure there was a lot of soil amending going on for your hostas to look that good! I like how you have tags everywhere ! It is especially helpful when you grow so many different varieties of plants! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful, lush gardens! The martagon lilies are gorgeous! I had never seen them before. Thank you!
Absolutely marvelous! I love the beds with the field stone. BTW- what plant do you have draping over the edge in the circular garden? Perfect spot for your bench. I'd hate to leave! The container planting on the tree stump- that photo is awesome! The Hostas are stunning- as are the lilies... well, it ALL is! I'm lovin' it all. And perfect "finishing touch" with the frog photo!
Lynn, as I scrolled through your pictures, I was struck by how beautifully maintained everything is and how effective your large swaths of a single plant variety are. Those generous groupings of hosta and lilies and the purple flower (tall phlox?) invite the eye to relax and enjoy! I love your evening photo with the 'Limelight' hydrangeas glowing softly and seeming to gently light up the pathway. Everything is just glorious.
Absolutely beautiful Lynn!! I am a hosta fiend,,,,, and yours are truly fantastic?,,, and to echo Jeff,, one of my first thoughts when I saw the multitude in front of the woods,,, is What do you do about deer??? They would have a field day!,,, you must have some secret there,,,, and must treat for slugs etc. too, as they are all perfect!!!
The whole scene is great!,, Love the area behind the garage with the Limelight,, some of the best I have seen!,, and the Alberta ( looks like alberta spruce anywhere in the dusk ) is a very nice textural and architectural addition,,, the sedum are beautiful ,,, and of course all you gorgeous lilies! Again Lynn,,,, just Beautiful!!!
Oh boy!!!! Lilies are my favorite flower! And you showed me a new one, the martagon claude shride. Thanks so so much for sending us pics to see your wonderful gardens. Absolutely the first shot I saw I thought what about deer! You have a wonderful sense of placement and color in your work. Its all so beautiful Lynn... we hope to see more soon! thankyou
It's difficult to find additional words to what's already been said but I did want to be included in the cheering. Fantastic and is zone 4!!
The martagon lilies are sublime! Your garden is exquisitely maintained and the large number of each variety makes it sing. The new retaining wall garden is chock full of goodies. I would love to see some closeups of the great combos in there next season. The castor bean plant is something I have wanted to try, but I wonder if I will be on an NSA hit list if I do, lol. Also, that daylily shot is too cute! ( what is that gorgeous variety?)
I have lily envy! Yours are gorgeous! Is the lily leaf beetle not in Wisconsin? When they arrived in Maine, they decimated the lilies. I grow some, but it is a constant battle for a few weeks to remove the eggs and kill any adults. I used a systemic for a while, but as a beekeeper, I can't justify its use any more.
Lovely gardens, and Z.4 is pretty challenging. It's a Z.5 where I live, and I whine about that. But you've proved what can be achieved Lynn. A caterpillar having a siesta in one of your lily's? That is kinda cute.
Late to the party today, but this garden is absolutely dynamite. My wife has been pushing for more lilies in the garden and this certainly helps to push me over the edge. I have to give a shout-out to the hosta flowers. Some of the more floriferous varieties, like the ones edging your path, are very elegant. I have a seed grown hosta that has tall, densely packed flower spikes that just kill in late summer, and Hosta nigrescens can send up flower scapes 8 feet tall that the hummingbirds enjoy.
Beautiful, lush garden. Love the evening shot, the Limelights seems made for this! And of course the lilies, the lilies... Thank you so much for the martagon, a lily for shade, and for labeling your shots. I'm just waiting for you to tell us how you keep the deer away from all that tempting lushness!
Thank you, Lynn!
Beautiful gardens! I've not heard of the martagon lilies, but have put them on my "must get" list. Lovely composition and everything looks picture perfect. Love the Limelight hydrangeas in the evening light. Another one to think about!
Amazing lilies and gorgeous hostas would have been enough to admire, but you have set them off with a beautiful supporting cast of other lovely annual, perennials and shrubs to create a stunning garden! I too have to wonder at the lack of deer or bug damage - maybe your little black piggy (I think) keeps them away? I'm sure the tree frog helps with the bugs. Love your use of containers and the creeping plants softening the stone retaining walls.
Mmmm, Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm....what lovely gardens you have! I'm dreaming of spring while sipping coffee and looking out over snow-laden mountains. Your photos are like an elixir enhancing the desire for good weather and diggin in the dirt. Such exquisite plantings! I'm waiting for our tree shade to expand so that I can try to grow hostas and Martagon Lillies like yours..that might take awhile, so I'll just have to be content gazing at your photos. Thanks for sharing them and smiles to the frog lilly!
So Beautiful! You are truly an artist! I love how you have so many different levels in all of your beds - it makes each bed so lush and full-looking. Wonderful compositions.
Such a beautiful garden. Love all the lilies and hostas. I don't think I have every seen such a gorgeous display. Do you amend your soil on a regular basis? I didn't realize that lilies would thrive in part shade.
One of the loveliest gardens I have seen yet and all so perfectly maintained. I,too, wonder about deer, woodchucks, etc. In the past few years the deer and other critters have become so plentiful that I almost despair of further gardening. Yet I know when spring comes I will not be able to ignore the little green sprouts poking through. Your plantings are lush and magnificent and your love of the work involved is evident. You are a true gardener. Would love to see more pictures and some tips on how you protect your plantings from the greedy critters.
One of the loveliest gardens I have seen yet and all so perfectly maintained. I,too, wonder about deer, woodchucks, etc. In the past few years the deer and other critters have become so plentiful that I almost despair of further gardening. Yet I know when spring comes I will not be able to ignore the little green sprouts poking through. Your plantings are lush and magnificent and your love of the work involved is evident. You are a true gardener. Would love to see more pictures and some tips on how you protect your plantings from the greedy critters.
Outstanding garden and exquisite photos. I'm intrigued with that castor bean plant. I'm in zone 5 so it should survive here, if the deer don't eat it... I will check it out. I don't know how you cna grow all those plants without their being decimated, unless your entire garden is fenced.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
Lynn, I love your gardens. The rock work is wonderful especially in this woodsy setting. You have done a really nice job of designing your beds. The lushness is awesome. I' drooling. :) thanks so much for sharing.
I don' know how I got 4 posts........now trying to figure out how to delete .....
Tractor1,what is the balloon shot? Is that on your property? I don't think the deer will eat castor bean plant. It is super poisionus. I don't know how, but it is used to make that poisionous powdery substance that was found in a bunch of letters.
Wow, how many ways can I spell poisonous wrong? Sorry.
Hello, I'm Lynn from Western Wisconsin. Dick and I moved here about 27 years ago and have been serious gardeners since 1999. We are both retired. I'll try to answer some of your questions in this comment. We live on approx. 8 acres with about two of them in lawn and gardens. There are hills on three sides of us. The original soil would not grow these gardens. We have removed 12-15" of bad stuff from many areas and replaced it with a mixture of black dirt, manure and peat moss. Other areas are raised beds with the same mixture. The field stone has come from nearby farm fields and Dick built the garden walls. Deer can be a problem however usually are not. We see more of them come through during the winter months. We use Milorganite in the spring and Liquid Fence a few times in the summer. Voles, moles and slugs are the worst! We poison voles and moles with little success. Slug bait is spread throughout in the late spring and early fall and has worked well. I can't find the caterpillar, but the frog got in there on his own.
I'm going to reply to a comment of yours also, since this thread is a year old ...
Hi Lynn, I've just stumbled across your beautiful garden photos. Simply gorgeous, and exactly what we'd like create over the years. We've just moved to 6 acres in La Crosse, an old farmhouse and a nursery in a previous life. We are anxious to see what we already have in the ground before we start adding some of our favorites. Are you near La Crosse? We'd love to take a tour of your gardens if we are in your area this season! Thank you so much for sharing!
I expected comments about the castor bean plant. We are very careful to remove the seeds which are the most poisonous. Animals never touch them. I wear gloves when handling the plant as I've gotten a slight rash from touching some part of them.
Lynn, beautiful gardens!!! I recently started growing orienpet lilies; can't wait for them to get to your size. I am a fellow Wisconsin gardener - do you give garden tours? Would love to visit. Please send more pictures.
I haven't grown castor bean but I think in Wisconsin, we treat it as an annual.
Castor bean plants are annuals, grow very quickly, and are quite stately. The chance of being poisoned by the ricin in them seems to be pretty slim. You wouldn't want to grow them around livestock and horses. Remember that castor oil was a regular part of health regimens some time ago. I think daffodils are more poisonous. Here's one link:
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2008/04/10/castor-bean-plant-good-plant-with-a-bad-rep.htm
I really don't know how to reply to the individual comments. Hope I'm doing this right.
GrannyCC: We mulch everything using different substances like shredded bark, cocoa bean shells, and leaves. We do very little fertilizing except for heavy feeders like astilbes. Sometimes we use high nitrogen compounds with the hostas, but not every year.
GrannyMay: That's a black stone cat (not a piggy). We love cats and have three live ones in our home.
Mainer59: I do not know what the "lily leaf beetle" is and hope I don't have to find out. We do have problems with the Japanese beetle on a few plants.
CJgardens: Our gardens are open for tours and we would love to have you visit. All we ask is a phone call or email before you visit. It is so much fun having visitors. We've had a few large tours too.
CWheat000: The daylily with the frog is a tetraploid, vigorous grower with huge flowers. I got it from Bluestone Perennials a few years ago. The name is "Strutter's Ball" but I cannot get to the marker to check that out. We're having 6+ inches of snow and wind at this time on top of the foot already there.
Flowerladydi: Yes, those are dwarf Alberta Spruce behind the garage. The downside is, we must wrap them every winter as the south facing side burns badly if we don't. The sedums handle the part-shade situation well but they are all staked. All of the lilies here must be staked as well. They get taller than they would in some gardens as they are reaching for sun here. We love to garden and know we must deal with the bad to have the good. I probably should mention that those beautiful Martagon lilies are expensive! They are often upwards to $20 a bulb. I divide them every three years and get a 3 for 1 ratio however.
Ancientgardener: I will try to send more pictures. I thank you and everyone else for the wonderful comments. It's encouraging and motivating to read these comments. It is difficult to think of waiting 3 more months to get back to gardening. Last year we had 12 inches of snow on May 2nd so maybe I have 4 months to wait.
Lynn, your gardens are outstanding! You have worked many hundreds of hours on them I can tell. It seems that you have a lot of plants that grow in Pacific NW gardens also, even though you are a Zone 4. I am a lover of Hostas and you have so many beautiful specimens. My gardens have a lot of frog 'whimsey' in them so that was fun to see the little frog resting in your daylily. What a shot! Thanks for sharing your wonderland.
Wgardens: The common name for the plant hanging over the edge of the round garden is rockcress. In the spring it is completely covered with 12-15" spikes of dainty white flowers. I'll submit a picture.
lynn, from the looks of your amazing hosta collection you must be doing something right concerning voles. it's a never ending battle here and i'm almost always on the losing side
DEFINATELY coming this June to check out your garden. It has been awhile since I saw your garden and it seems it has been toooooo long! Stunning plants
Lynn it is so kind of you to answer all our questions. I am sorry if I created work for you. I am so glad you didn't go out in 18" of snow to check that daylily. I looked it up and yours definitely looks like strutter's ball and it is stunning.( I love Bluestone Perennials also.)
VOLES I use vicks on small bits of mulch and it keeps the voles and other unwanted creatures away from my garden.
I have been doing this for 16 years and it works all the time.
I hope this will help you. My neighbor had the same problem and she is using the vicks also. If you can find the hold that they are using --you can also use chewing gum.
cwheat000: That balloon made an emergency landing in my yard. The people in the gondola were very thankful to be over my yard.
I know the castor plant is toxic but there are many plants that are toxic to humans but not to animals. What I found out is that it's an annual, I'd rather a perennial.
Gardengal42: We had heard chewing gum worked for moles and have tried it and everything else we've heard of. Maybe time to try Vicks for the Voles and moles!
Lynn, what a pleasure to see your wonderful garden again, even if at a remove! I'm ex NWHS, having moved to Madison a couple of years ago but still growing hostas. Please post more photos!
Janet
Tractor1-That balloon landing had to be pretty exciting! I would grow the castor bean plant. Wild animals are usually smart enough to not eat, what would hurt them. ( I have no livestock as Vojt had mentioned.)I grow many toxic plants already and that plant is quite striking. Gardengal42- thanks for the Vicks tip.
I haven't checked here in quite some time, busy with indoor projects this winter, but I am SOOOOOOO glad I clicked on the garden photos for today! Oh, how I love so many things about the gardens you have created....and your photos are delightful. I am not sure that I've seen a flower photo I love more than the tiny frog in the lily. I agree with tntreeman, your hosta gardening is perfection!
I've never commented before - but this is amazing and beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us. What is the pretty, tall-ish bright pink plant - flocks?
Lovetogarden6: Yes, those are phlox. Thanks for your comments!
Hi Lynn & Dick, I simply can not lay my head to rest before telling you how much I've enjoyed this evening's reading material! Jumping between comments and photos has my eyes dancing, my lips reading out loud and my fingers rapidly typing suggestions in my 2014 garden journal. Your gardens are superb! We will all be watching for more, more, more but in the mean time, enjoy the winter break. Thank you both for including us in your gardening joy.
Beautiful. Hostas are my favourite plant and your use of them are sheer perfection.
Hi Lynn,
You are inspiring us to try Martagon lilies. They are expensive so I haven't yet. Has your clump increased on its own or did you make a major investment? How tall are they? Many have commented on what a good grower you are (all true), but its your composition that really stands out to me. You are an artist. Its your use of the short rock walls elevating the hostas that really lets them shine. Brings them closer to the eye. Fantastic gardens!
Happy GPOD anniversary, Michelle!
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Hi Lynn, I've just stumbled across your beautiful garden photos. Simply gorgeous, and exactly what we'd like create over the years. We've just moved to 6 acres in La Crosse, an old farmhouse and a nursery in a previous life. We are anxious to see what we already have in the ground before we start adding some of our favorites. Are you near La Crosse? We'd love to take a tour of your gardens if we are in your area this season! Thank you so much for sharing!
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