Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[SquarePeg]

Has anyone here planted Ninebark (Physocarpus)? They are part of the rose family. I been looking to get a several of them to be used as bank stabilization as they grow fast and have extensive root systems.

Not familiar with that one. I’ll have to look it up.

I'm not familiar with ninebark, but after reading up I've added it to my list of candidates for planting on the east side of the house.

Here are a list of other plants you can use to stabilize the bank as well, if you want some variety.

• Willows (Salix spp.) – Excellent for erosion control and wildlife habitat.
• Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) – Thrives in wet conditions and helps stabilize soil.
• Cattails (Typha spp.) – Grow densely, filter pollutants, and prevent erosion.
• Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) – A vine that helps bind soil and provides food for birds.
• Lobelia Cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) – Adds beauty while supporting pollinators.

Cardinal flower is one of my favorites. I read it can survive in several inches of water so it’s good for around ponds and streams or for low lying areas. I bought one and split it at the beginning of the last season. It stalled out a bit after that but seems to be coming on strong this year. We had a drought last year so that could have been it. The hummingbirds love it and so do the bunnies so protect it accordingly.

 

[SquarePeg]

Hello lower back pain--hah! Luckily I've got a husky freeloader kid around to help out!

My freeloader will be home from college in a few weeks lol. But I managed to get the whole yard distributed on my own without too much effort. Actually I could have used 1.5 yds…ran out before I could top dress the roses. I’m going to have to supplement with some bags. Although the bunnies have been working overtime making Harlie’s favorite meatballs in that area.

 

[cgw]

My freeloader will be home from college in a few weeks lol. But I managed to get the whole yard distributed on my own without too much effort. Actually I could have used 1.5 yds…ran out before I could top dress the roses. I’m going to have to supplement with some bags. Although the bunnies have been working overtime making Harlie’s favorite meatballs in that area.

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Dem bunnies...Mine are hard-core gourmands who prefer tender bark on newly-planted trees and shrubs. Found some Kevlar-like webbing I zip-tie on trunks that foils the little darlings. They do nibble down some things but, pound-for-pound, are harmless compared to resident rodents--squirrels and chipmunks.
Busy day yesterday at the family ruin. Cleared old, half-dead shrubs to make way for woodland plantings and perennials. Five new old variety roses planted. Skipped pix since they're just green sticks now. Lots to do still but this way late spring actually slows things down, allowing us to clear beds and open new ones unhurried. Think we've finally reached consensus about the difference between "yard" and "garden." Big difference between them in terms of labour and capital inputs.

 

[jeffashman]

In addition to the volunteer Korean mulberry I have, I now have a volunteer Chinese willow in a pot. The willow will get transplanted in the Autumn once our brutal Summer is at an end. I have a couple of volunteer Chinese pistache in the front flower bed that will have to go, because they are much too close to the house and will cause issues with the foundation. It's too bad because they actually look beautiful in the Autumn, but like the Bradfor Pear trees, are an invasive pest in this area.

 

[jeffashman]

Things are starting bloom! A little victory; I’ve been trying to grow hydrangea for years but they never bloom. Last year in the spring I took a grocery store hydrangea that I had purchased as a centerpiece for a dinner and stuck it in a large pot. This past winter it was obliterated by a freeze, and I thought it was a goner, but one little shoot popped back up.

The hibiscus is doing well as well.

 

[Ysarex]

I periodically grab a snap of my flower garden to document what's where when (helps find perennials next season). Here it is from the front 5/16/25 am. Oly Pen E-PL9 w/14-42mm

 

[cgw]

I periodically grab a snap of my flower garden to document what's where when (helps find perennials next season). Here it is from the front 5/16/25 am. Oly Pen E-PL9 w/14-42mm

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Nice. I wised up some time back by doing photo doc maps of the many beds and woodland planting spaces at the family ruin. Combined them with drone shots to keep MIAs, new stuff's progress and established perennials straight.

 

[Rickbb]

Saw a hummingbird for the first time this year today. Yesterday had a monarch, first one of those in several years. Good sign.

 

[SquarePeg]

Saw a hummingbird for the first time this year today. Yesterday had a monarch, first one of those in several years. Good sign.

If you plant it they will come.

 

[cgw]

Primroses. Spring at the family ruin. A bed planted by my much-missed MIL in the early 70s and likely nurtured by her ashes for a decade. Finally hit me that the old place has been owned by five generations of women since 1860.
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[cgw]

Just in case you missed it:

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 / RHS Gardening

The world's greatest flower show reveals cutting-edge garden design, fabulous floral displays and simply the best shopping, 20-24 May 2025

www.rhs.org.uk

 

[RayboyUSMC]

Beautiful shots Peg. I will have to get some of my roses as they bloom.

 

[RayboyUSMC]

Here is a picture of my favorite rose. Will post more when they bloom. Also just started strawberry patch in one of those raised metal containers. The strawberries you buy in the store are pathetic.

 

[RayboyUSMC]

Today’s garden visitor…my first monarch! Lived here 21 years and never had anything other than the occasional little cabbage white butterfly flitting around.

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Plant milkweed and you will see them come more often.

 

[SquarePeg]

Plant milkweed and you will see them come more often.

Yes, I do have a lot of milkweed in the pollinator garden! Hopefully will have some monarch cats again this year.