Comments

1. 
   Nurserynotnordstroms 01/02/2015

   Oh Tim,your color combinations are bright and make me feel so happy. The Coleus combination is beautiful. Do you take cuttings and root them during the winter? I can't wait to see what you have for us tomorrow. Nice New Year resolution so glad you followed through. Happy New Year Tim !!!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year, Glenda. I have a bunch of fluorescent lights in the basement and take in cuttings, dig up some plants and propagate from those, and also bring in my containers. Some coleus are too good to risk not having if I can't find them the next spring!

2. 
   Meelianthus 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year Tim and I have always enjoyed your gardens. Your combinations are wonderful and the colors delicious - the Coleus looks like a beautiful fruit salad ! Can't wait to see more and I know you must be dreaming of new Spring plantings. Thank you.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year, Linda. The fever is starting to hit, but it doesn't get full-blown until freezing February. I like the fruit salad analogy!

2. 
   greengenes 01/02/2015

   Hi Linda! Yes, that is a good description..."fruit salad"!

3. 
   user-1020932 01/02/2015

   great shots , as always! i especially like the Aggie and that kousa berry AND i looked and looked but no agave :)

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   I have to admit, this is a tricky one. If you take a good look at the Salvia 'Black and Blue' photo (although there are five agaves out of the frame at the bottom), look back at the black rocks before the bananas in the distance. Between the long leaves of Yucca schotii, toward the base of those leaves, there is a green smudge: Agave neomexicana, the only Agave I have that survived last year's polar blast undamaged. See, if you look hard enough.....

1. 
   user-1020932 01/02/2015

   well, i guess my coffee goggles weren't working well when i checked first thing

4. 
   NCYarden 01/02/2015

   Good morning and Happy New Year, Tim. Beautiful plants indeed. The coleus combination is striking, and the kousa berry, moss, fern photo is very artful. Does the Anemonopsis macrophylla have spreading problems like the true anemones? Thanks for sharing, and looking forward to tomorrow.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   I love the Anemonopsis, but it has been finicky for me: it's actually in it's third location now. It does not spread at all. It grew into a good sized clump in full-, but open-, shade, but the flower wands basically laid on the ground. I divided it and put it on my front hill. What I left behind died, but the one on the hill did well but burned from too much sun. I'll see how it does in its new home, where it will get just a tiny bit of sun at the end of the day.

2. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/03/2015

   I posted a few more photos of the Anemonopsis in a reply to Cherry (PerenniallyCrazy) if you'd like to see. Of course a simple internet search will yield lots of results.....but they give a different view of my whole plant and flower habit this year and the year before.
   cheers!

1. 
   NCYarden 01/03/2015

   Very cute plants, like little fairy skirts. Good to know not invasive either like the anemone robustissima. Thanks

5. 
   greengenes 01/02/2015

   Happy and healthy New Year to you! Thanks for sharing these with us! The agastache is beautiful and it will be in my gardens this year for sure! The coleus sure was a great shot of color for your summer! There sure are a lot of different colors and shapes of coleus now! They are a great plant to brighten up both sun and shade. These are great shots Tim and I am looking forward to tomorrows pictures!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks, Jeanne, and Happy New Year. I put the Agastache in this summer, loved it so much that I bought two more and put them in different spots in hope of having it survive. I've killed other varieties in the past; probably from our wet winters. The foliage smells amazing.

1. 
   greengenes 01/02/2015

   So does it smell like licorice too? They make a wonderful tea. Iam trying to decide what to plant in our two big pots which are on both sides of the front porch. So far I thought of two David Austin roses which are a wonderful orange and maybe this agast. As a filler. Hm..but I sure enjoy seeing orange in the garden. The red hot pokers are really nice while blooming. Ah...there is so much to choose from. Sometimes I feel drunk with plant lust!

6. 
   wGardens 01/02/2015

   Awesome, Tim! Superb photos of some great plants. LOVE the coleus; kousa berry shot is especially appealing as well. Look forward to tomorrows post. Thank you! Happy New Year to all!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks! I put different coleus combinations there every year to over-plant the surprise lilies that are there, when their foliage finally dies back. This, by far, has been my favorite combination.

7. 
   Jay_Sifford 01/02/2015

   Beautiful, Tim. Such a nice way to start a cold winter morning. I'm doing better at appreciating the subtle beauty of winter... then you go spoil it for me by posting these photos. Shame on you! haha. Happy New Year.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year, Jay. Shame on me, is right. I was doing pretty good not thinking about the garden till I looked through my photos. I've been wishing I had more shade so I could incorporate more ferns into my garden as I get inspired by your Houzz stories, so shame on you, too!

1. 
   Jay_Sifford 01/02/2015

   Now, now, Tim. Other passions of mine, besides ferns, are conifers and Japanese maples. May I suggest planting some of those to create shade for the aforementioned ferns..... You know how it is with gardening: one thing leads to another.

8. 
   meander_michaele 01/02/2015

   Wow, Tim, I feel like you've been holding out on us!! These are such great pictures of such wonderful subject matter. The layering of colors and textures in the first photo is pure perfection. I'm totally beguiled by the seeming simplicity of the shot of the anemone and the one of the kousa berry is sublime. I am all "hubba hubba" over the vibrancy of the "black and blue" salvia...that is going in my garden next year, for sure. I am SO looking forward to the next couple of days

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year, Michaela! I have to keep that salvia in a container, but I bet it will do great for you in your climate. It wasn't a heavy bloomer in the pot, but I've seen photos of it, in the ground in better climates, loaded with blooms. It really is a 'hubba-hubba' flower!

9. 
   user-7007285 01/02/2015

   Wonderful! What teasers for us to look forward to warmer weather. Everything is picture book beautiful! Thank you for sharing your garden with us.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New year and thanks for your nice comment. I really worked on narrowing photos down to keep them interesting!

1. 
   user-7007285 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year to you too. Anytime you want to show more pictures, feel free, would love to see the entire garden!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thank you. At the risk of being narcissistic, there are about six posts of my garden on pages 2 and 3 if you use the link at the beginning of the blog to search the blog by the state of Ohio; and my front yard was recently in the magazine, August 2014. Really, my bucket list is empty and now I have nothing to live for! :)

1. 
   user-7007285 01/02/2015

   As you know a gardener's work is never done!

2. 
   user-7007285 01/02/2015

   I looked at them all. Wonderful, wonderful!

3. 
   Cenepk10 01/02/2015

   I can't find how to get there !!! Directions for dummies ?

4. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Below the first photo and bove the Agapanthus photo (photo number 2), there are a series of links. The fourth one says "Want to search the GPOD by State? Click here". That page has a list of states, and if you click on Ohio, it will give you three pages of all of us in Ohio who have had our gardens posted here. Believe me, I feel your pain; I regularly need "Directions for dummies"! :)

10. 
    user-7007076 01/02/2015

    Beautiful! Your garden is so lush with many thick layers of plants! You've made me even more antsy our distant zone 4 spring!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks so much. Thanks to GPOD, I've realized that there are tons of beautiful gardens in zones 2,3,4 and 5! Spring inevitably comes! cheers. Have you sent in photos of your garden before?

1. 
   user-7007076 01/02/2015

   Yes, within the past month I sent in photos of my transformed front yard in Minnesota. The post included a photo of a monarch on liatris and a cat in the window nearby coneflowers.

   (When you joked about your bucket being empty I couldn't help but think about encouraging you to be a mentor to an elementary aged child! So many schools are in need of adult mentors to visit at-risk children in school to do a fun activity with them. Maybe there is a creative way to pass on your superb gardening skill and creativity onto a child :)

   Lovely garden!!! I enjoyed all your photos!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks for the reminder, Sarah. I remember now. Milkweeds. Spoiler: monarchs coming in the one of the next posts.

11. 
    GrannyCC 01/02/2015

    Happy New Year everyone. Thanks Tim for the cheery start to a dull rainy day.I love all your pops of colour and the photography is wonderful. Looking forward to the next few days.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year, Catherine and thanks for the compliments. Love your arum seeds (?) in your portrait photo or whatever it is we call that picture by our names!

1. 
   GrannyCC 01/02/2015

   Thanks Tim. I call them berries although my 6 year old Grandson calls them bird berries which means he can't eat them! They have beautiful leaves in the winter which is nice to see.

12. 
    GrannyMay 01/02/2015

    Happy New Year Tim! So much to love! So many things to add to the shopping list! Especially like how you use the coleus. I keep trying to make Agapanthus and the blue Salvia work for me and they just will not.... sigh. Though Salvia officinalis is a reliable, hardy performer wherever I put it, its relatives, like Salvia patens, are not so accommodating. Seeing yours, I will try again.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Hi May. I'm surprised that Agapanthus does not do well for you on Vancouver Island. Does it not get hot enough for it? I have two cold-hardy varieties that I bought from Senenca Hills Perennials long ago, before Ellen Hornig needed to close her fabulous nursery: A. campanulatus and A. campanulatus subspecies patens "mooreanus' (which is pictured today). They have smaller flowers, but maybe they would be more adaptable to your climate, if you can possibly find them. cheers.

1. 
   GrannyMay 01/02/2015

   Tim I can't remember why (I really should keep notes on failures!), it may have been the deer (yes, not all Agapanthus are deer-proof) and it may have been the wrong conditions for the specific plants I was trying. I now have a semi-hardy Agapanthus africanus 'Peter Pan' in a pot in a sheltered location, hoping it survives and thrives. I will have to try other species and keep better track of them. Plenty of people on southern Vancouver Island grow Agapanthus very successfully. They also seem to grow that lovely black and blue Salvia and other beauties that fail in my garden.

13. 
    schatzi 01/02/2015

    Lush and lovely! The coleus combinations are outstanding. Love the magenta and soft orange. And the solid magenta is a favorite. Agastaches are wonderful, but they have a hard time in our wet winters too. Sometimes they make it, with sufficient drainage. I like all the salvias, black and blue too. I have a thing for tubular flowers - think I might have been a hummingbird in a former life...But as I often say, never met a flower I didn't like - and I want them all! ( sound familiar to anyone?) The anemone cousin is lovely - I had never heard of it. Thank you for all the pictures. Beauty abounds. Happy New Year.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks, Shirley. Any flower that attracts a hummingbird is a friend of mine! I'll be sad if the Agastache don't make it, but hopefully one of my three will be well-drained enough to survive the winter!

14. 
    digginWA 01/02/2015

    That photo captioned "Front containers" just makes me happy. Those plants against those porch colors ... nice.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks so much, Tia. Next summer I have to rethink where I put those pots. Those plants all grew so big that friends who needed to use the hand rail could not! Beautiful, but not welcoming (at least to those not so able-bodied!). :)

15. 
    Catasetumkid 01/02/2015

    Tim, you have a beautiful garden! Please tell me how you grow your agapanthus - I can't imagine it's hardy in Columbus?! I also grow black an blue salvia, but it isn't hardy here and I have failed at getting cuttings. It is such a hummingbird magnet I can't do without it! Do you propagate yours or buy plants in spring?

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thank you. I just listed the agapanthus names in a reply to GrannyMay. Unfortunately I have not seen them for sale since the nursery from which I purchased them closed. They are extremely hardy. Like everyone else here, last winter was definitely a zone colder (I'm zone 6) and both varieties came through unscathed. They are in the open garden, full sun, absolutely no protection. In fact, one grows perched close to a brick retaining wall, which probably is much colder than the rest of the garden. This is my first year with the salvia, a recommendation from Jeff Calton (tntreeman) as a hummingbird magnet. Definitely in a pot that I now have in our mudroom for the winter.

1. 
   Catasetumkid 01/02/2015

   Thank you very much for the reply - I'm a zone 6 also, north of you near Ann Arbor. You have given me hope for agapanthus in my garden! Our horrible winter last year made me fearful of what I would find (and wouldn't find!) come spring, but the great snow cover (and lots of it!) seemed to keep everything happy. The only losses I had were a couple butterfly bushes. Cheers!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   We rarely have reliable snow cover down here, so I'll wager you're good to go on these Agapanthus species!

2. 
   gringopeligroso 01/03/2015

   catasetumkid, Have you tried root cuttings for propagating the Black n Blues? My garden also doesn't fly with out this workhorse. I've not had to purchase replacements in years using this method. Even in colder climes, there'll be time after Indian Summer to search just below the crowns and just below the soil's surface to locate the bright, squarish runners trying to explore and colonize new real estate. I've also dug whole crowns out after the hard frosts have pruned the tops and overwintered them in containers an un-heated space, protected from the full force of ole Man Winter. They've actually proven quite forgiving, even for this gardener wanna-be! Hope this helps ya!

1. 
   Catasetumkid 01/03/2015

   No, I haven't - but I will try next fall. I'm usually so busy in fall spraying my orchids and bringing them inside for winter (more like trying to find space to bring them in!). But this year, I resolve to find a way to overwinter the Black and Blues. Thanks for the tips!

16. 
    sheila_schultz 01/02/2015

    Happy New Year, Tim, all of my GPOD friends!
    What a lovely treat to find some of your delicious plant combinations on GPOD this morning! Of course the first photo sucked me in, I am a huge fan of Agastache's, no matter the size or color...and the surrounding plants in this photo make perfect supporting players. I really like the blue sedum (?) to the right of the Agastache for the same textural interest Angelina always brings to a setting, but I was really sucked in by the bronze grass. It's the perfect foil to the blue tones of the Agastache leaves and the sedum, plus it works beautifully with the Agastache flowers. I'm just going to have to steal that idea Tim!
    The last few years I've had problems keeping my main Agastache plants going, too, no matter the variety. That said, I've had no trouble at all with most varieties reseeding. It's always an adventure to see where my next plants will surface!
    I can't wait to see more vignette's next week!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks, Sheila! Happy New Year. I never really liked the bronze and orange grasses until I saw a photo of one paired with 'Angelina'. This one, Carex comans 'Bronzita', looks especially great now with the sedum getting orange tips. Sticking the Agastache there was a serendipitous event that I wish could be called my genius. If they both give up the ghost this winter, I might have to put them together in a well-drained pot next year! Here's hoping the Agastache seed like mad! I do like the calming effect of the blue sedum with them as well.

1. 
   sheila_schultz 01/02/2015

   Tim, do you remember what Bronzita is zoned for? I have trouble with Carex overwintering even if it supposedly can handle zones 4 or 5. I generally just plant them as annuals, then get really excited if they make it through the winter. Worth it for the texture and colors. I'm also going to add in some of the blue sedum's next year. I've really got to get my lists going!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Crazy. I'll have to find my tag, but a quick internet search says that 'Bronzita' is either C. comans or C. flagellifera; some say hardy to zone 4 others to 7. 7 sounds more like it, but I am fairly certain the only reason I bought it was the tag was zone 6 or maybe colder.

1. 
   sheila_schultz 01/02/2015

   Don't worry about the tag, I was just being lazy ;) I'm definitely going to do this combo next year... annual or perennial, it doesn't matter! Thanks!

2. 
   Nurserynotnordstroms 01/02/2015

   My Agastache never reseed I wish it would,I would be very happy to have more. I love it and I have been growing it for years and years and lately there are so many new cultivars so not so hardy. What ones do you have that tend to reseed?

1. 
   sheila_schultz 01/02/2015

   The only one I can say that that reseeds with regularity is 'Sunset'. That said, I plant many varieties of Agastache with abandon and who knows which ones reseed then revert to their original 'parent'. I adore whatever I can get, but 'Sunset' is a very exuberant 'reseeder' and it's offspring tends to be the healthiest... maybe?

1. 
   Nurserynotnordstroms 01/03/2015

   Thank you for replying I will purchase 'Sunset'as soon as they are available this Spring.

17. 
    annek 01/02/2015

    Gorgeous. Like sarah218, Your photos make me itchy to get out into the garden! The burgundy coleus is mesmerizing...as well as the black and blue salvia. Brilliant! Sigh...more snow for me. Happy New Years!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Happy New Year, Kielian! Thanks so much. Let's see...... If I could combine my zone with your scenic vistas, I think we'd have a winner! Happy looking-forward-to-spring!

1. 
   annek 01/03/2015

   Ha! We'd have the best zone ever...for sure!

18. 
    user-6891665 01/02/2015

    A beautiful garden

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   many thanks!

1. 
   user-6891665 01/03/2015

   You are very welcome

19. 
    user-7007327 01/02/2015

    Love the different shades of green and flower mixtures. The cornus kousa berry and the anemonopsis m. each make a fashion show of one.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/02/2015

   Thanks, Elizabeth. Usually those dogwood berries are devoured by squirrels before they hit the ground. They actually have a nice flavor, too!

20. 
    perenniallycrazy 01/03/2015

    Your summer garden is simply wonderful Tim! These are some of the best specimens I've seen on this blog. What is the secret to growing Agapanthus? Can you tell me more about Anemonopsis - this is the first time I've seen this plant. Are all these perennials (referring to Agastache, Agapanthus, Salvia, Anemonopsis, and Gladiolus) for your area? Having your garden featured for three straight days will definitely be a real treat. Looking forward.

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/03/2015

   Hi Cherry. Thanks for your kind comments. It's really meaningful to have positive comments from everyone on the blog when they have their own beautiful gardens! The "Black and Blue" salvia is the only plant in your list not hardy here in zone 6. The Agastache are difficult to site because they like good drainage and dryer winters. Gladiolus "Boone' is one of my favorites and is super hardy, although regular glads that I buy at the garden store perennialize here, too. The only thing special about the agapanthus is the species: A. campanulatus and A. campanulatus ssp patens "mooreanus' (pictured on the blog). Both are super hardy and get no special care. They are smaller than the tender varieties. The straight species blooms earlier, is bigger and much paler. I'll attach a photo.
   The Anemonopsis is a Japanese woodlander that is getting easier and easier to find. It is supposed to be hardy in zones 4-7. It likes it cool and moist. I've moved mine several times. Awesome plant and blooms in August. I'll attach some more pictures from this year and from last year in it's old position, where it started to burn after we cut down a tree that was giving shade.

1. 
   GrannyMay 01/03/2015

   The Anemonopsis looks like a real winner. I found that Fraser's Thimble Farms (http://www.thimblefarms.com/) lists it, and they will ship not only to Canada but the U.S.A. as well. I have only ever ordered bulbs by mail, so don't know how well that works.

2. 
   perenniallycrazy 01/03/2015

   Goodness, I think I am in love!

21. 
    foxglove12 01/23/2015

    My favorite photo is of the gladiolus with the white flowers in the background. Stunning!

1. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/27/2015

   Thanks, Lori. The glad is one of my favorite plants and the white flower is a double flowered balloon flower. It sort of flops there, but I love it!
   cheers.