Top Ten Garden Photos From 2008
In the spirit of "end of the year" posts, I thought it would be nice to post my top ten favorite photos from this year. These aren't necessarily my best photos, but they're definitely my favorites for one reason or another. Here they are chronologically:
In March I posted Signs of Spring that featured these peach and yellow primroses. Every time I run across this shot it makes me smile. It was one of the very first spots of color I was able to add to the blank slate of my new yard.
In April I got all gooey over the Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata "Kwanzan") blossoms, after delightfully discovering a fairly sizable one in my neighbors yard. One of my favorite flowering trees, I was thrilled to see it.
In May I discovered that the only other tree in my new yard besides the pear was this flowering pink dogwood, which I included in my May "What's Blooming" post.
In June I started to see blooms from the plants I had brought to the new garden, including this beautiful Sarah Bernhardt Peony (Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt'). Love those.
July brought another fantastic discovery. I inherited this spectacular monster of a clematis in my new garden. I just love clematis, and the color on this one was lovely. Don't know which one it is, but I love how it engulfs the back fence.
In my September "What's Blooming" post I showed off some spires of "Tutti Frutti" Hummingbird Mint (Agastache x 'Tutti Frutti'). It was my first time growing it and so rewarding! It just bloomed and bloomed for months, and attracted so many hummingbirds. If we sat quietly enough they would hover right next to us.
The weather this year was odd from one end to the other. We had such a late start on everything that we had our major harvest of tomatoes in October. October! So I included them in my October "What's Blooming" post.
November's "What's Blooming" post featured the gorgeous foliage on my newest favorite tree, the "Green Vase" Japanese Zelkova tree (Zelkova serrata 'Green Vase'). I planted three along the sidewalk in front of my house, and having never had them before was a little unsure, but they're very graceful and this fall foliage really convinced me I chose well. I can't wait to see how well they fill out in 2009.
My final "What's Blooming" post of the year was December, and included this shot of one of my favorite evergreens, Parney cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lacteus). It gets overlooked but it can be trained into a wall without additional support and such a profusion of berries. I have three that I still haven't settled on a final spot for. But I loved this photo.
Of course, no 2008 retrospective from the Pacific Northwest would be complete without photos of our bizarre snow. Not that we never have snow. We do. Occasionally. But this year we had snow and snow and snow and more snow. For days! With temperatures in the teens! I know for many of you that's very ho-hum, but for us, completely baffling.
I think those are my favorites for the year. I didn't spend nearly as much time gardening as I had hoped to, and I realized that wasn't healthy for me. So I'm refocusing on it for the year upcoming. Thanks to all of you for sticking with me this year, though I didn't post as much as I would have liked to. I'm rarin' to go for 2009--this is going to be a great year!!
What about you? Do you have favorites from 2008? Hopes for 2009?
Comments (7)
Its hardly surprising you havent had enough time to garden given all the work you have been doing on the house.
Posted by Helen/patientgardener | December 30, 2008 2:30 AM
Posted on December 30, 2008 02:30
Your retrospective sums your gardening year up beautifully.
Posted by MNGarden | December 30, 2008 5:30 AM
Posted on December 30, 2008 05:30
Wonderful photos and memories of your garden! Your clematis looks like it might be Jackmani, as they can have either 4 or 5 petals. If so it would be a type 3 which does best if pruned back hard each spring.
Yes, what a snowy year it has been! We are used to some snow here in Idaho, but this year we really got dumped on...and so early. My daughter lives in the Seattle area, and the weather there was much more uncharacteristic.
Posted by Connie | December 30, 2008 9:34 AM
Posted on December 30, 2008 09:34
Loved following the progression of designing the new garden. I am doing something similar on my blog each Wednesday. Your collage of best photos is stunning. After looking at it, I am ready for Spring!
Posted by LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD | December 30, 2008 1:02 PM
Posted on December 30, 2008 13:02
That last photo looks like a woolly sheep! What a great collection of images, made all the more special by your memories of why they speak to you.
Posted by Pam/Digging | December 30, 2008 9:44 PM
Posted on December 30, 2008 21:44
Hi Angela
Beautiful fotos on your garden year.
I be glad too when I see fotos on Preamroses, it,s remaind me of the spring and the first flowers who comes up.
Wish you a happy new year Angela
Ken
Posted by Ken from Sweden | December 30, 2008 10:20 PM
Posted on December 30, 2008 22:20
You can really see your professional experience with blogging on this post. The presentation is very attractive. Loved all the photos and it will be just as magnificent in the new home. yes, the two of us are really having to work in the garden this year aren't we? Lots to do. If we lived closer, we could buy and share. One for the price of two after dividing;)
Posted by Anna/Flowergardengirl | January 2, 2009 9:37 PM
Posted on January 2, 2009 21:37