Hi GPODers!
Today we get to see another garden transform over the course of the last year. (If you missed yesterday’s 2024 garden highlights, check that out here: Phyllis’s Garden in New Jersey) Karen Safford has submitted an incredible month-by-month tour of her new rock garden in Bend, Oregon. In just three years with this space, you’ll be amazed at what Karen has been able to create.
Hi. I saw your call for photos and decided to be brave and send some along. This is just a section of my garden—I’m sending photos that start in early spring and end just yesterday (Nov. 15). We moved into our house 3 years ago and the backyard was a blank slate other than established trees and massive lava rocks and a large slope. We had a lot of structural work done and I did all the plantings. This section can be seen the best from my kids bedrooms—so I’ve really focused on butterfly and hummingbird plants that they can watch from their desks. Also, being in the high desert, I’ve really concentrated on low water— I’ve installed drip irrigation on all of these plants and run it between 30-60 minutes, 3 times a week depending on how hot it is. I am also working on keeping everything deeply mulched to try to help conserve water and protect the roots.
The first photo is mid-April. You can see all the rocks I’m dealing with (I have even bigger ones in other parts of the yard). The snow has cleared and things are really starting to green up.
Next photo: Mid-May. Plants: Helen von Stein lambs ear (Stachys byzantina ‘Helen von Stein’, Zones 4–9), bearded iris, Raspberry Wine bee balm (Monarda ‘Raspberry Wine’, Zones 4–9), Royal Candles veronica (Veronica spicata ‘Glory’, Zones 4–9), FlowerKisser® After Midnight English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘WWG002’, Zones 5–9), Siskiyou Blue fescue grass (Festuca idahoensis ‘Siskiyou Blue’, Zones 5–9), Princess Louise oriental poppy (Papaver orientale ‘Princess Louise’, Zones 3–8), poet’s daffodil (Narcissus poeticus, Zones 3–8), Globemaster allium (Allium ‘Globemaster’, Zones 5–8) and creeping veronica (Veronica prostrata, Zones 4–8).
End of May.
Mid-June.
Early July: Big blue Bryngium (Eryngium × zabelii ‘Big Blue’, Zones 5–9) and my favorite geranium, Ann Folkard (Geranium ‘Ann Folkard’, Zones 5–8). Darlow’s Enigma rambling rose (Rosa ‘Darlow’s Enigma’, Zones 5–9) climbing the tree in the background.
Mid-August: The bee balm and hollyhock (Alcea rugosa, Zones 4–8) are putting on a show.
Late September: Blue Boa agastache (Agastache ‘Blue Boa’, Zones 5–9) still going pretty strong along with PowWow® Wild Berry echinacea (Echinacea purpurea ‘PAS702917’, Zones 4–9).
Mid-October: The tree that I got for free that I don’t know what it is is putting on a great show.
And finally, mid-November.
Thank you so much for this glorious tour of your garden through the seasons, Karen! It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished in three years in this space.
Have you documented your garden through the seasons this year? We’d love to see how your landscape has evolved over the course of this year. Follow the directions below to submit your photos.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Corona® Multi-Purpose Metal Mini Garden Shovel
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Longer Service Life: The blade of this round small shovel is made of carbon steel, which can effectively improve the hardness by high temperature quenching, and the surface has anti-rust coating to avoid rusting. In the process of use when encountering hard objects will not bend and deformation.
Sturdy Structure: The small garden shovel with D-handle, ergonomically designed grip can increase the grip of the hand when using, the handle is made of strong fiberglass, will not bend and break under heavy pressure. Quick Digging: Well-made digging shovel has a sharp blade, and the round shovel head is designed to easily penetrate the soil and cut quickly while digging to enhance your work efficiency.
Plant Covers Freeze Protection 10 ft x 30 ft Floating Row Cover 0.9oz/yd²
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Lightweight and Breathable MATERIAL Good for protecting Plant: the plant frost cover material is 0.74 oz/sq non-woven polypropylene fabric, which is lightweight, breathable, and durable. The plant blanket frost protection allows sunlight reach the plants, perfect for protecting plants from the damage of freeze or frost. Wide Application In your Garden Work. The plant row cover not only can work as a barrier against frost, but also can be a great tool for germination and good for rapid seedling growth. By using the fabric plant covers over your plant, you can start the plant earlier in the spring and extending the growing season of your plants. How to Use the Plant Covers: you can cover the plant covers for freeze over your the plants loosely directly and then secure the plant frost blanket with soil, stones or staples. You can also support the floating row covers with a hoop, make enough room for plants to breath and grow. You could also cut the plant covers into different sizes for different purposes.
Buffalo-Style Gardens: Create a Quirky, One-of-a-Kind Private Garden with Eye-Catching Designs
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Buffalo-Style Gardens is a one-of-a-kind, offbeat garden design book that showcases the wildly inventive gardens and gardeners of Buffalo – and offers readers “the best of the best” ideas to use in their own small-space gardens.
