I'm not much of a gardener but my partner does quite a nice job - thanks to his efforts, this is what I see when I enjoy my morning coffee on the weekends.

 

 

Not quite sure what this is:

 

A Russian zinnia - a friend brought some seeds back from a trip to St. Petersburg:

 

One of the beautiful dahlias:

 

Cleome:

 

Birds enjoying their swimming pool:

 

A moonflower:

 

Macro dahlia:

 

A robin stops to check out the topiary:

 

Dahlia - this version is called Snowbound:

 

 

 

Morning Glory:

 

More dahlias (Marne)

 

Russian Sage:

 

A bumblebee on the Nicotiana:

 

Another dahlia (Orchid Lace)

 

Coneflowers (echinacea)

 

Hollyhocks:

 

 

 

Before/after:

 

A moon flower furled up - it'll open later in the day:

 

 

Yeah, you can't have a nice yard in the city ;-)

 

Wow .. amazing! Talk about a green thumb.

That bird shot is fantastic.

Great garden MayDay!  :clap: :clap:

 

Give your SO props!  I am going to have to steal some ideas from him!  Against, my better judgement I recently had my backyard filled in and now have grass (ick) and my cold yard looks pathetic compared to the colorful and lively urban garden you have.

 

Is the moon flower hard to grow?  I think I might plant that with the bambo I have.  Anything else would be disastrous.

Well, the moonflower isn't hard to grow but it's 1. sometimes invasive, and 2. one big-@ss plant. See the plant with the *really* big leaves on the lower left? That's it. The blooms can be anywhere from 4 to 8 inches in diameter:

 

Gorgeous garden and wonderful photos!

Very nice garden!

Well, the moonflower isn't hard to grow but it's 1. sometimes invasive, and 2. one big-@ss plant. See the plant with the *really* big leaves on the lower left? That's it. The blooms can be anywhere from 4 to 8 inches in diameter:

 

 

My backyard looks like an outdoor unit at an insane asylum .  The moonflowers size doesn't bother me.  I  need some ground follage and I want some color but I'm afraid I'll kill everything, as I have no gardening skills and don't want to do any yard work.  In addition, I don't want anything to fragrant that will attract animals since there is a pond you walk over to get to the grass

 

The Dahlia & Nicotiana are also very beautiful.  Your garden has definitely inspired me.

Incredible pics. I like your backyard.

those are great pics. Since my household does not have a green thumb in it -condo living it is. My hat is off to people that make it look effortless. I am sure SO needs to put a couple hours in every weekend?

I always wanted to do my own landscaping and dig my own pond in my backyard. Then stock it with fish.

Since my household does not have a green thumb in it -condo living it is. My hat is off to people that make it look effortless.

 

I second that!  No green thumb here either!

 

I always wanted to do my own landscaping and dig my own pond in my backyard. Then stock it with fish.

I want to do that but I'm affriad it will attract animals.

You're actually very right about that. I've dug a pond before; you know those plastic ones that are only a few feet deep? I placed it in the hole I dug, added stones around the edges and added plants...made it look really nice. But a few weeks later there was a dead squirrel floating on top. I heard that if you want to add fish, it has to be over 20(something) inches deep to have fish, so that if it freezes over in the winter, it's deep enough for the fish to still survive.

"I am sure SO needs to put a couple hours in every weekend?"

 

Not really at this point - granted there was a Saturday (and part of a Sunday) in the spring that was pretty much the "I'll be out planting, you go ahead and spend time on your geekboard". With these results, I don't mind so much :-)

 

Aside from the once-a-week 15-20 minute tidying, and with our lack of rain setting the sprinkler (the area is small enough that you can 'set it and forget it') once in a while, it's not as much maintenance as you might think. Granted, I ain't about to buy matching gardening gloves and boots, but it's nice to enjoy the rewards. What's really nice are the dahlias are all in one area so in the past few weeks it's like watching fireworks in super-slow motion (I wish I had time-lapse footage).

Dahlias are among the most showy of flowers. If you and your SO find yourselves traveling across Northern Indiana in the growing season, keep in mind Bonneyville Mill County Park. It's near Bristol, just east (I think) of Elkhart. In addition to the 1880 water-powered mill and dam and crystal-clear Little Elkhart River, there are large trial gardens where new Dahlia varieties are developed and tested. It's very scenic and a nice place to take a break from the highway.

Pretty!  That first bird shot is my new desktop.

 

Your partner does a fantastic job.  Please let him know that his work was appreciated.

 

Wow, impressive garden!

 

I once grew a dandelion without trying.