This year, I made a 8 minute video that shows it all. My garden isn't perfect, professionally designed, or tucked away on lush acreage. It's a work in progress on a tiny suburban lot. This video was shot using an iPad and directly uploaded to YouTube. No special film editing software was used, which I'm sure is painfully obvious. :o)
The video quality isn't fabulous and since I had limited access to the iPad, it was shot when it was a bit too bright. But it gives you a general idea of what my entire garden looks like.
Stats:
Size: 1/4 acre, including the house, in an overdeveloped suburb in northern Virginia
Soil/Zone: Heavily amended clay loam in humid zone 7A
Age: 9 years but it's constantly being tweaked and redesigned
Because several parts of the garden are a bit out of focus in this video, I've added a few photos to give you a better idea of what the beds look like.
Peggy Martin rose
Peggy Martin is a small pink rose that blooms in large clusters.
David Austin's Jude the Obscure
This was taken while standing in the rain garden looking up towards the dog run.
Mason bee on the knautia
'Dark Towers' penstemon was just added to this bed last weekend.
'Pink a Boo' deutzia
Great shrub, dumb name!
'Pink a Boo' deutzia
Great shrub, dumb name!
That video was awesome! Thanks so much for making it. I've been thinking lately of doing something similar, but I think I'll wait till a little later in the season. Not enough blooming right now. Don't apologize for the sun, we don't see enough of it here in the PNW, so I loved it. You have a beautiful garden!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm actually a bit surprised anyone watched it. It was blindingly bright outside and I have zero film skills. :o) Glad I could send a little sun to the cloudy PNW.
DeleteBeautiful garden, Tammy. Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteS
xo
Thanks! You're welcome!
DeleteWhat fun -- now I have such a clear idea of your spaces and how they all fit together. You have great compositions in a little quarter acre, a lot of complexity and interest, and plenty of hardscape -- lush pots, fences, stone riverbeds, gates, patios etc., all making a small garden expand visually. The deutzia is gorgeous and your clematis are stars! I think your dog run behind the garden is inspired, it allows them a shady place to play and it is hidden from the main space. The whole tour was a blast!
ReplyDeleteAnd the best part --- I got to hear your voice : )
Thanks! You had a cameo! The dogs love the run we made for them and it gives me a chance to access the back of the garden without having to smash plants, which I appreciate. :o) I wanted to show the entire garden and might make another video on a less bright day next month.
DeleteAmazing! I am so jealous you have so many rain barrels. I have one in the back that I have to haul water to from my one dinky little 4 foot gutter. Ugh! lol. One day it will be better. Your garden is so gorgeous and I love how you've really got your front garden going. I never realized that so many of your posts where of your front garden. I guess because we are just now beginning to work on our front landscape I always assume everyone gardens in their backyard lol. Great video! I love how much variety you have going on. Super neato to hear your voice too!
ReplyDeleteThanks!! Rain barrels are a life saver for me. We can capture 356 gallons in a big storm. Most of my garden is in the back but I do have a butterfly garden in the front and beds along the side. I've crammed in plants everywhere I possibly could. :o)
DeleteYour garden is just wonderful!! I love seeing the full garden. That Peggy Martin rose is just fabulous and I love all your pots. I'm glad we saw your dog...he/she looks like a sweetie! I can't wait to see your new pond in the fall. Thanks for giving us a full monty tour (BTW I loved that movie!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have four dogs and was worried they'd all start barking while I was filming. I might make another video when it's a bit cloudier so it's not so bright. :o)
DeleteGreat to see your total garden on the video, it gives you more an idea how it looks like. Your Deutzia is magnificent and your Peggy Martin rose so beautiful. I was surprised about the quantity of pots you have, looks very pretty, but you have a lot of watering to do I suppose. Quite a good idea to have a dog run round the garden. My dog is running round the garden on the grass, which is by September muddy on the corners. Thanks for showing us around.
ReplyDeleteI do a ton of watering but it's worth to me because the pots give me a chance to grow more plants. The dog run is a real lifesaver. The dogs know they can go back there and dig. Plus, they like to lay in the shade and watch the neighbors. :o)
DeleteStunning, as always! I hope you don't mind, but I've posted a rebuttal of sorts.
ReplyDeleteThe video is a hot mess but thanks! Your rebuttal is hysterical. :o)
DeleteHow lovely to see your whole garden in a video! I had to chuckle when you said your garden is quite small, my garden could fit in a corner of yours and you would hardly notice it!! I also smiled when you had to explain what 'the full monty' means, I didn't realise that it's not an expression used in the US.
ReplyDeleteYou have a really lovely garden and seeing it like this makes it so much easier to relate to your posts now that I have seen it in the full monty :-)
PS! The full monty is also often used to describe ‘showing everything’ or ‘revealing everything’, not necessarily anything to do with being naked. Like the American phrase ‘the whole nine yards’ or ‘the whole shebang’ – in that context your title is just as appropriate ;-)
Thank you for clarifying the slang phrase. :o) I like your comparison of garden size to country size. Everything here is super sized so my garden feels small to me. The video is a mess but I wanted my readers to get a better feel of how the garden is designed.
DeleteSo wonderful to hear your voice!!! I love looking at your beautiful garden this way! I really like that stained glass piece and how exciting that you are getting a pond!!! I was actually thinking about doing a video because I'm not the best with the camera and I can't seem to get good full view shots. Your beds are so lush and full and I really like that you have that dog run behind the garden...must be nice for you to be able to access your plants this way as well! Beautiful Beautiful friend!!!
ReplyDeleteI was worried I'd sound weird in the video. :P I'm going to do a post on the stained glass since it's hard to see the design in the video. The next video will be shot when it isn't blindingly bright. :o)
DeleteOh yes, I remember seeing Deutzia on one of your previous posts. It's a beauty! The Knautia and the Roses are standouts, too. Especially the Peggy Martin from a distance en masse, and Jude the Obscure as a macro. You've really packed in a lot of fantastic plants!
ReplyDeletePacked is a good way to describe the garden. No patch of soil escapes my trowel! Mwaahahaha!
DeleteNow I'm suffering from video envy. Do you prefer 'Dark Towers' to 'Husker Red'? I have Husker, plus the straight species. You've really done a tremendous job with the space you've got, it has the feel of a much larger garden. Can't wait to see your pond! With all that dry shade, have you ever considered planting big leaf aster (S. macrophyllum) or white woodland aster (A. divariticus) or Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulus)? By the way, you also did a really nice job shaping your Deutzia. I have a white one, not yet blooming, and it's really a mess.
ReplyDeleteI have woodland asters and solidago caesia (blue stem goldenrod) but have somehow missed the big leaf asters. I just Googled them and they are on my fall plant list! They are perfect for a few tough spots I'm still working with.
DeleteFor info on pruning your deutzia, check out this post from last summer: http://ts-casamariposa.blogspot.com/2012/06/big-chop-summer-pruning-for-spring.html
About the penstemon, I haven't had Dark towers in the ground long enough to know which one I prefer, but I like the darker purple foliage of Towers. It works better in the spot I have.
DeleteI really enjoyed your video. That's a nice way to visualize how everything works together. You have done a great job of landscaping the different areas of your yard.. It must be a big job, but it looks like everything is growing happily. The 'Juse the Obscure' rose is particularly pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Jude is super fragrant, which I love. He would probably love your garden, too. :o)
DeleteWell when you said 'The Full Monty', I thought we were going to hear more about the antics of your neighbours. One of our leading garden celebs is called 'Monty Don' (I think we've talked about him before) and he loves crumbling compost in his hands and saying how lovely it is so I also thought he might be coming round to talk to you about leaf mould.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I couldn't watch your video. This is entirely my fault as I need a new computer but am too cheap to go out and get one. I will try when on another machine.
LOL!! The video is a bit goofy and mostly blurry and overly bright. I have zero film skills. If I had neighbors that walked around naked, I would never stop laughing. Just the idea makes me laugh. :o)
DeleteI loved the tour of your garden Tammy and it is obvious that you are passionate about the nature you can find right on your doorstep. I also like the fact that you know all the names of your plants - I call mine by their colours. Do pollinators like roses? I have a couple but mainly keep them for the greenfly which provide food for the ladybirds. I had a whole batch of ladybird larvae last summer in their stripy black and orange suits and they really enjoyed the fact that I hadn't contaminated my greenfly with any additives. Your description of a 'small urban garden'though is pretty subjective. Here in the suburbs of London my 'small urban garden' is the size of your patio. But if you take as a ratio to whole country size I guess it about matches up. Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteI don't think pollinators like roses but I sure do. :o) I know the Latin names of most of my plants. But as a result of trying to learn and remember tons of Latin names I forget other stuff on a regular basis. Sometimes it feels like when I push one bit of info into my head, another bit falls out. Actually, ladybugs (ladybirds to you) love the aphids that attack roses.
DeleteLovely blooms are common for you. Your gardens are lovely.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Thanks!
DeleteI really enjoyed your tour. You have a lot packed in to a small space. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :o)
DeleteWhat a good idea, to give us a view of your garden, and a record of it for you.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so lush and green.
Good job.
We've had a cool, moist spring but I spent most of today watering. Summer precipitation is unpredictable here. This winter when it's dreary and grey, it will be fun to go back to my too bright video to remind myself of everything buried under the mulch. :o)
DeleteIt's nice to see that deutzia in full bloom. Beautiful! The Dark Towers penstemon is very striking and adds a lot of contrast to the bed. Is that a hybrid of Husker Red? I've never killed a Husker Red in my clay soil, so I hope Dark Towers does just as well for you.
ReplyDeleteI killed a Husker Red the year it rained for a month. :( But the Dark Towers is in a different spot and so far I like it better. The deutzia puts on an incredible show. I just wish the video had captured it better.
DeleteWow! Thanks for the video tour, Tammy. I couldn't get the video to run when I checked in yesterday but I'm glad I came back today to try again. I love that Deutzia - I didn't think they'd grow in my area but I just checked my Sunset Western Garden guide and it appears that I may be at the margins of the zonal tolerance for that variety so maybe I'll try one (if I can find one this fall during our planting season). I like the addition of that stained glass piece to add color - very creative. And I look forward to seeing that pond!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to do a post on the stained glass and the other art I've added to the garden. That way you'll be bale to actually see what it looks like. Deutzia is a very old fashioned shrub that I just love. I think zone 8 is the farthest it goes, unfortunately. It would look great in your garden. :o)
DeleteWhat a great idea and I love the look of your garden. I had a shrub exactly like your gorgeous deutzia, but it seems to not have made it through the winter. I was so surprised as it was fine last year although not as lovely as yours.
ReplyDeleteThat's weird that your shrub didn't come back. Do you have voles? I'm glad you enjoyed the tour, even though the video was a bit of a mess. :P
DeleteLoved the video garden tour a LOTTTTT!!!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lovely...truly lovely, small suburban or not.
Your commentary was interesting as well as funny, and I think your classroom kids are lucky to have you for their teacher.
I had quite a few boring teachers in my lifetime, so I should know....you did a great job!!
Thanks, Virginia! My classes are pretty wacky, but I am also much stricter than I may appear. I don't put up with any back talk or disrespect. I just imagined that the video was for a bunch a friends and chattered away. I'm glad you liked it. :o)
DeleteThat was lots of fun. Now I feel I know your garden much better, and I also know that you love your deutzia, roses and clematis! We have a hammock similar to yours only in green. It looked like a hot day too, whew.
ReplyDeleteIt was hot and brighter than the sun. Whew! I'm glad you liked the video. :o)
DeleteWhat a fun garden tour. It feel if I was there in person. I never paid any attention to Deutzia but I'm going to start. And did I understand you to say that you have monarda and phlox in dry shade? Surely not!
ReplyDeleteOh surely yes! Your ears heard right! when I first planted the phlox/monarda, that area was moist and sunny. 9 years later, it's dry and shady but I just refuse to move them. It would be a monumental effort. The shade receives several blocks of sun throughout the day is slightly filtered. The soil is watered heavily with soaker hoses. I water that area more than any other area. 'Dark Ponticum' is a monarda that does well in dryish partial shade. You can find it at Lazy s's Farm Nursery (online).
DeleteI enjoyed your video so much! The bright light didn't really matter too much, as you named so many familiar plants and it was easy to imagine what they look like in kinder conditions. Your commentary was so interesting, too. Now I have a better feel for all your garden areas, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lyn! :o)
DeleteWhat a great tour, especially enlightening as I start over. You done good, Tammy.
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to try making a video for a while. You've beaten me to it! It is a great idea and it does make it feel like you are there in person. I only saw only the quiet old fella on the porch steps. Did you restrict the others to the house? It would have been fun (and probably noisy) to watch them tear down the dog run.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and well-loved garden. You may have a promising videographer career when you retire from teaching...
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by the voice. I was expecting a Virginia accent.
Look forward to the pond.
And the academy award for cinematography goes to Tammy for "The Full Monty" garden video! It was great to see your whole garden and helped to put the various pieces from your posts into a more cohesive context in my pea brain! This is a great idea! Maybe I'll figure out how the video function works on my camera. I don't think that my hand will be as steady as yours. Your garden is beautiful & I love the way the arbor you made turned out!
ReplyDeleteNice job! And the narration-no stuttering or stammering and you have such a pleasant "screen" voice. What a great way to showcase all your thoughtful lush plantings and hard work.
ReplyDeleteAfter enjoying the garden tour I somehow ended up with a video of latin music and desserts flashing across the screen with what I assume were pictures of you. Now I'm hungry. Gardens and food-two of my favorite things.
Thanks for the tour of your garden. You have lots of beautiful plants, much more than I have at the moment. I like the idea of putting plants that are hard to control in the yard into pots.
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