Worth all the trouble for sure!

@eclayne, that lily/coneflower shot would be a great candidate for the Image Set app, that way your gorgeous shot get added to both entries!
I just added that lily to my wish list.

Jo Ann, love that Lily Heart! It makes a statement. I thought I lost mine, (gopher country here, they love bulbs) but it showed up because I had caged it.

I agree with Sue,it is a great image.

Sue: I dont think I could deal with gophers.We rarely have woodchucks.The neighborhood is dog country.Its almost a requirement to have a black Lab or some large breed designer dog.
The parade everyday is quite something.Lots of dog walking.

Well, caging certain plants is just an added expense to the plants needing them (I do the roses, daylilies and bulbs) plus I flood tunnels and am trying traps now. No big dogs for me, when my daughter lived here with her two big ones they did more damage than a gopher. I deal with it and in 2 years since moving here have managed to create a happy and colorful lush garden.

Sahhhweeeeeet

Sue what great looking gardens.

I keep thinking I should have gone more tamed and formal, more shrubs, less chaotic blooms but I think I am a cottage gardener at heart plus I love bringing in vases full of flowers for the house. But a couple of years from now I know it will look different as I tweak things, I really need to try for a more mass effect rather than the scattered tapestry look.

Sue, amazing what you did in 2 years. Now plenty of time for tweaking, if you wish, but I think it looks perfect.

I always start off with the neat look , everything spaced out nicely. And then I find too many different things I want and end up with the scattered look , which I end up liking better anyway.

I re-did my mailbox planting this year. You can't see everything, but I was going for a red, yellow, and orange look. So far, I have the following planted:

Hesperaloe parviflora Red & Yellow
Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'
Echinacea Double Scoop 'Raspberry'
Gaillardia 'Moxie'
Gaillardia - Yellow
Kniphofia 'Papaya Popsicle'
Lemon Drop Primrose Oenothera
Agastache Summer Series (Summer Love, Summer Sky, etc.)

This hasn't filled in yet, but it should look good when my Agastache and Gaillardia get more full. The Hesperaloe has been there 4 years and the blooms last so long! I like the red and yellow together. I ditched everything but the Hesperaloe. Those are some awesome plants if you want red and yellow together! It's obvious that I don't like a formal look either. LOL.

Looking good, Clint!

NJBob:
Thats my gardening style.
Now its harder to find color combos when there is a new plant I want.
I need more discipline than ever in order to keep color families together when the only space left for something pink is next to something yellow,hopefully they have different bloom seasons.
The "what the heck" planting system has netted me some interesting combinations that really please.
The there is clever photography and cropping.

Thanks, Arlene! I lucked up because the weather is really cloudy for the past 2 days after I planted those plants. I had this big pot of Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit, and I had to separate the 5 plants from each other. Their roots were all together. I got a good deal on them though. So far so good!

Fingers crossed then! I have two echinaceas sitting in pots that have to get in the ground soon!

I always watch the weather and when they have cloudy skies and rain for a couple of days I run out and plop them in the ground. I have a few more things to plant. My pot ghetto is starting to get better just in time for my Foxglove and Gaillardia seeds.

Hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry' with some Surprise Lilies and Clematis.
This is all one Hydrangea. I didn't plan these though. LOL.

I love the hydrangeas that have a duel coloring on the blooms.
These are nice.
Phlox Mystique black with Astilbe purple Lance

I like that Phlox. I started to get it last year, but never did.

It has been hard to get established.I had 6 plug plants last spring 2012 and this is the only one that is living.

More Surprise Lilies.


These have a little blue on the tips. Do you see it?


Echinacea Double Scoop 'Raspberry'