Organized Clutter

Deer seldom bother nicotiana annual plants but this year was an exception.  For several weeks (even with spray repellent), deer ate the blossoms off of the nicotiana. They were sad little plants.  But then, when the deer stopped eating them, they came in fuller and beautiful than usual.  It was like they were pruned. Here is Part 2 of the 2023 Junk Garden Tour, the Closeups!

Welcome to Part One of my 2023 Junk Garden Tour! This year I divided the tour into wider angle photos (part one) and the close ups (part two).  I hope you enjoy the tour!

Laundry tubs are just the best for planters, especially when they have a base to get them up off the ground for vertical interest.   This year the tub is planted with three  Kong Coleus plants  and two  Golden Creeping Jenny.   These plants continue with my theme from the large Mother's Day planter from my son and family, with coleus and lime green. This is the beautiful Mother's Day basket hanging on a homemade clothes rack.  (I didn't make it. I found it at an antique/consignment shop).  It works great for hanging plants. On top of the zinc covered patio table, repurposed as a potting bench, is a bucket planter with two  Calliope Geraniums in Magenta , along with a  Flamethrower Coleus Limelight. The magenta color didn't exactly match the Mother's Day plant but they can't all be the same! My barn door planter project was planted with two  Lanai Neon Rose Verbenas.   Trailing verbena grow about the best in the shallow plante...

This old stepladder has a new location this season! It has been in my front yard border for many years. See what's in the border this year to take it's place.

Welcome to my annual junk garden tour 2022 edition!   I am starting the tour at my front patio area.

Today I'm going to share more mid-July junk garden photos, along with May planting photos of the same flowers. Above, these red dragon wing begonias are really lush, filling in the whole seat of this wrought iron peacock settee.

I have managed to evade Covid until last week.  It started with a sore throat and progressed to a cold, along with fatigue.  Just starting to perk up. The deck landscaping photo above is from this season.  One of my variegated sedums is in bloom on the right.  A few dianthus and carnations are also blooming, but the sweet alyssums are not blooming. I think insects or slugs must be eating them.

The weather here in northern Minnesota has been cool, and a little wet, but these three  Supertunia Picasso in Purple petunia  plants in the laundry tub are doing great.  The   Lemon Slice Superbell Calibrachoa  in the watering can is too. See my front yard border planting photos over Memorial weekend and current early July photos below.

Here is this year's under the spruce tree planting.  The spruce tree is next to my deck.  The plants get dappled sunshine throughout the day so I usually plant shade loving plants here.  I also shared pics, of this area, from previous years below.  

My 2022 planting is finally done!  As in some past years, I have diagrammed my annual and perennial junk garden with plant names. I always plant annuals in and around my perennials for all season long interest, and of course, I continue to decorate with fun old junk.  This season my blue bird house returns to the front border after several years in the back yard. I also added more marigolds and calendulas this year, in addition to my favorite red annuals.

After many years of out of control ground covers along the west wall of my house, my husband and I re-landscaped the area with weed block and river rock.  See many more photos of this project before, during and after  HERE.

In mid June my front border looked like this, filling in but not a lot of blossoms. Scroll on down for more June, July and August photos.

Welcome back to my Cousin Sue's "Blooming Place".  In 2017, I shared a Blooming Place tour  HERE , and also in 2012  HERE. Scroll on down for the closeups and plant identification.

It's once again time for my annual junk garden virtual tour and video!  My laundry tub atop a restaurant table pedestal is bursting with calibrachoa, sweet potato vine, and supertunias, while African marigolds are planted in the ground beneath. As always, there have been challenges.  This year northern Minnesota is in a pretty major drought with very warm temperatures, requiring daily watering.  You will notice from the photos that we have NOT been watering our lawn. Water prices are pretty high in our area and very few people are watering their lawns.  AND, as always deer continue to be a nuisance.  I have had some pretty minor damage to plants with frequent spraying of both Liquid Fence  and Deer Stopper   used on alternate nights .

  Today I am sharing EVEN MORE Junk Garden Before & Afters.  I am so happy that these posts are popular because I LOVE SHARING my flower gardens. Above is a coco liner deck railing basket of succulents at planting time.

The front yard junk garden border is filling in nicely in mid June.  I live in northern Minnesota with a Zone 3 garden. Below, I have captioned the flowers planted with links to more information.

This area, just past my deck, was overgrown with groundcovers, like sedum and creeping Jenny.  The area has always been a problem. The previous owners left part of a cracked cement patio there and put a deck over most of it.   What started out as, me planting a few thyme plants in the cracks, became an overgrown groundcover mess with weeds and grass coming up within the clumps of sedums.  Thank goodness my husband helped me on this job! Be sure to check out the links to flowers, stencils and past projects too!

2012 Today, I am sharing front yard border photos from the last nine blog years. Some years have subtle changes, but I try most years to change up the junk and some of the flowers too.

 The red border (Asiatic) lilies are blooming! I purchased these lilies at the Littlefork Citywide Garage Sales a few years ago.  Last year, deer wiped out almost all of my lilies before they bloomed.  Below are more pics of the front yard border!  It's already looking great!

Every year I try to find some new unusual garden junk, or at least move the old stuff around the yard to make new themed vignettes. This spring was just so different.  Thrift shops were closed, and there were few rummage sales. Even finding bedding plants was different.  It seemed like there were less plant varieties available.   You may recognize some of my junk in today's  "Spring Junk Garden Tour". The left side of my big flower border is pretty much like last year.  The front row plantings include red verbena, white bacopa, white and blue chip perennial campanula, and a bucket of Alaska nasturiums . The middle area has both Asiatic lilies and a Stella d' Oro , and Marguerite daisies . Magenta Nemesias are in the kettle on the sawhorse, and a row of Allium bulbs is starting to bloom under the ladder.