Late Summer Garden Pictures Are Essential!
A friendly reminder: late summer garden pictures are essential!
After a slow start to the planting season, we have had a fantastic year for gardening! Many years, Crab trees are defoliated, grass is brown and sharp, and leaves have been made lacey by Asian beetle foraging. Although the garden is pretty, I still find myself longing to add more color and enjoy the beautiful kaleidoscope before the next season arrives. This is easily done by adding hardy chrysanthemums, kale, fall pansies and cool loving flowers. Before shovel is put to ground to add that fall color, there’s one step that will benefit you in the next spring season. You need to photograph what you planted this year!
Save this year’s garden pictures!
If you’ve got a phone, you’ve got a camera suitable to take pictures of what’s currently best– and not so great– in the garden. Do you want to replicate the perfect container garden mix next year? Do you want to avoid planting marigolds in a spot that was too shady? Did you see something in your neighbor’s yard or at the botanical garden that you can’t live without? Take a picture! Store it, save it, refer to it next year when everything looks beautiful in the greenhouse.
If you’re really tech-savvy and want to add to your pictures, just use the drawing tool to add a heart to your favorites, or write across the picture “this didn’t work!”, “too shady”, “the deer eat this” or whatever helps you to remember and plan for the best garden possible next year. Another benefit: you’ll love to look at your outdoor pictures during that next polar vortex or anytime you need a flower fix. Your pictures will give you hope and joy to power through another Wisconsin winter!
Here are some of my late-summer garden pictures. I know by January of 2020 I’ll already be looking forward to planting once again.
This was a nice combination of plants to take the shade and included coleus, impatiens, begonias and coffee cup plant center. Incredibly, no critters ate it (so far).
This angel wing begonia was ok, but next year I may try a different flowering plant, or perhaps Caladium.
Petunias and impatiens combined in a back planter that gets mostly sun. I was pleasantly surprised that the impatiens could handle the heat.
Marigolds planted in shade were thin and did not perform well.
Marigolds planted in full sun did very well.
Sedum combination planter did well on stone ledge wall in full sun. Some of the foliage turned different colors, which I like.
Nasturtium planted on a sunny wall did well and provided flowers for salads.
Mandevilla Vine was in a 6″ pot when planted into a larger container. It grew nicely in the sun, up some bamboo poles placed in the container tee-pee style.
This beautiful green sedum plant was super in 2018 and played well with other plants.
The Kong coleus was beautiful and the deer usually don’t nibble.
Petunias were exceptionally nice in 2019.
A nice mix of petunias and calibrichoa in this hanging basket, primarily shade!
About the Author: jane
