Success and Failure 2022 – FineGardening


Today’s photos are from Lee Ann McAlpine, who is looking at her Ohio garden this year and determining what worked and what didn’t.

My husband and I moved to our 90-year-old house two years ago. I’m having lots of fun restoring the garden and learning what works best in my semi-wooded backyard.

brick pathway lined with tropical foliage plantsI thought I’d create some exotic drama along the walkway with tropical cannas (Canna hybrids, Zones 7–10 or as tender bulbs) and elephant’s ear (Colocasia esculenta, Zones 7–10 or as a tender bulb), but I almost needed a machete to use the path, so after overwintering, these plants will go elsewhere next year.

border garden bed with yellow and pink flowersThis was an already established bed of black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida, Zones 3–9), with boxwood (Buxus sp., Zones 5–9) and an urn filled with begonias (Begonia hybrid, Zones 9–11 or as an annual). I’ve added, and will continue to add, other perennials so this bed has more year-round interest.

large pumpkin plant growing in front of a boxwood shrubPumpkins volunteered on one side of the gazebo. I thought “How big could they get?” They have climbed over everything in their path and then some, with some smothering my daylily bed and boxwoods. At least there are a lot of pumpkins, so I’m not sure if this is a success or a failure.

sunny garden bed with yellow and pink flowers in front of a gazeboThe daylily bed with Rudbeckia maxima (Zones 5–9) before the “attack of the pumpkins.”

shady garden bed with lots of ferns and a bird houseOn the other side of the gazebo, the garden includes ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris, Zones 3–7), purple clematis, roses, boxwood, and burning bush (Euonymus alatus, Zones 4–8). A Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) looms in the background.

Have any successes or failures in your garden this year you’d like to share? We’d love to see them! It’s always fun to look back at the spring and summer past and learn from what worked or didn’t work.

 

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Originally posted 2022-09-27 17:43:12.