We’ve been in Kentucky visiting my parents this week, and their yard is especially pretty this time of year. (Plus, their house was recently on a local garden tour so they’ve been working extra hard on the details.)
As confident as I usually feel about my interior decorating decisions, I feel as equally unconfident when it comes to making things pretty on the outside. I spent some time following my dad around, asking him a bunch of questions and taking pictures. And, I talked him into sharing some of his best tips and ideas for all of us wannabe gardeners if I promised to add the disclaimer that he’s not a professional; just a very enthusiastic hobbyist. :)
Pinch the tips. (And water. Duh.) This is what he repeats to me more than anything else. Everything grows from the tips, so if you want your plants to get bigger, pinch off new growth and it will create more. And he still feels the need to tell me to water regularly. I can’t imagine why. . .
Shop with a list at your local nursery or garden center. While I usually go and pick things up on a whim because they’re pretty (in the store), my dad says he studies photos of pretty pots and looks for specific flowers when he shops. Preparing before a trip to the garden center is a new concept for me.
Shop clearance plants. My dad loves to rescue plants from the clearance racks (specifically at Lowe’s). He’s gotten some great deals because someone at the store has neglected to water. He also tries to pick up evergreen trees (like the Colorado blue spruce below) for a few dollars after Christmas. He’ll pot them for a few years and then transplant them to his yard.
This is a foxtail fern, by the way. I’d never seen one but now it’s on my list.
He uses blueberry plants for backdrops. He says this isn’t really a groundbreaking idea, but I took pictures so I would remember that there are really no rules for what you can mix into your beds. He tied his up to this trellis when it became too heavy. (The blueberries are a bonus if he can beat the birds to them.)
Mix in topiary forms. I remember when we bought these swan forms together years ago at a home decor outlet. I tried to grow ivy in mine and probably didn’t water it. Anyway, it looked terrible and I gave him mine. Now that he’s grown boxwood in his for years, I kind of want mine back. . . :)
Grow an herb garden in a couple of pots. Looks lush and is easy to grab for cooking. He reminded me (several times) to pinch any flowering parts off of my herbs.
Dahlias and zinnias are his favorites for adding color. I love how he’s added color all around, in beds and in planters. He says dahlias are also great for cutting. I tried a few of these this year and mine didn’t multiply like his. He says it’s because I’m not pinching the dead ones off or watering enough. . . I try.
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Great advice for all of us! Your parents’ yard is beautiful! Did your dad mention what kind of fertilizer he uses?
Answer from my dad: 1 Tbsp Miracle Grow, 1 Tbsp epsom salt to every 1 gallon of water–every 2-3 weeks.
Love! Love! Love Foxtail Ferns!! They are one plant that I can grow in my West Facing, mostly clay soil in California. They take the heat (with some afternoon shade) without missing a beat! Your Dad’s yard is amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips from your Dad! His yard looks amazing! He has my vote for ‘professional’ if he wants it.
Beautiful and great tips, but….lemme guess: he has loads more time to water all of that beauty and pinch it off than you do right now, haha!?
That’s the biggest parsley I’ve ever seen!
Love this post. What a beautiful garden. Did your dad build the white arch with the vines growing on it in the fifth picture? If so you should get him to do a guest post tutorial!
He did build it! Says he’s looking for his drawing but hasn’t found it yet…
Beautiful!! How does he keep the deer from eating his plants? I feel like I can’t have anything pretty at my house ( other than on the porch) because of the deer and other wildlife.
Thanks for sharing!!
I was going to ask this question!!
His response via text: “We do have deer, but they have not bothered the flowers YET. There are fields of crops all around, so they may be eating there. If they were eating my plants, I would stay up at night to create a solution.”
Wow! What a spectacular yard. Something interesting around every bend. Love it and thanks for sharing.
Wow, what a beautiful garden! I have never been able to grow basil that big… I am in awe… loving the swan topiary…
Pinch off new growth? I never heard that.
I was hoping Emily could explain this! Do you pinch it off at the end of the season, after the herbs have flowered, or what? My oregano is flowering but I don’t want to pinch off the flowers because they attract tons of bees! And they look pretty!
I’ll see if he’ll explain more but basically everything grows from the tips so pinching the tips will make it grow bigger. On his herbs, he says he never lets them flower…
Beautiful garden. Can you ask your dad,why my zinnia leaves brown and die? They aren’t easy to grow for me. Thanks
I asked and his guess is they need more water. (He tells me that about everything!)
Just curious as to what type of fertilizer and how often he uses it? Beautiful yard!
Hi Laurie–see my response to JM’s question above :)
I’m so envious of anyone that can grow plants. Why is it so hard???
My neighbor has resorted to sticking fake plants/flowers in her landscaping. No one can tell when they’re driving by.
Great post and great yard. He is very talented, and does a great job – I know it’s a lot of work, especially being featured on a garden walk.
Your father’s garden is amazingly beautiful (#exteriorgoals :)
I have an older neighbor with this beautiful yard. One day as I complimented her lovely landscape and complained about my own yard she said the kindest thing. “Sweetie, you’re growing children. One day you can grow a garden.” Her comment gave me grace to enjoy “growing my 5 children” and hope that one day I could grow a garden :)
This is the sweetest little story and sentiment – thank you for sharing!
I just teared up at my desk reading this. What a lovely neighbor!
What a beautiful garden!that’s very true pinch and water your plants. I’m the same way rescuing plants at home depot. I love everything that bloom but my biggest enemy are rabbits they chewed almost everything I planted on the ground.
Thanks for sharing…
I love your dad’s yard! Thanks for sharing. I also love the siding (looks like cedar shake) that’s painted dark gray. Would it be possible to share what kind of siding he used?
He used vinyl siding and says he’s looking for the brand name. They replaced the white siding last year.
I’m so impressed you respond to questions!!! Thank you for being to attentive.
With all of these great questions, I’m beginning to wonder if your dad needs to start a gardening blog!
He read all of the comments and his answer to your question is (and I quote): “I’m not interested in anything about blogging except what Emily writes.” Ha!
Love this!
Just gorgeous, thanks for sharing
I’m the same way. My mom has beautiful flowers. I kill everything she tries to bring me or plant for me. I tell her I keep her grandchildren alive. This summer i have kept three pots of flowers alive…so far.
Your dad may not think he is professional but I think he is! Amazing ideas, plants, and such a beautiful home and garden. Thank you for sharing it with us.
As a Kentuckian also he has so many plants that I want to get now that I know they will do well here.
Beautiful yard and great of him to share advice with us!
I enjoyed this post about your parents yard. Beautifully done!
Emily, your dad’s yard is beautiful! That basil is amazing. Can you ask him if he knows what the spiky plant in front of the blueberry trellis is? We moved a few years ago and there is one in my yard. It never flowers and I have no idea what it is. I love the swans! Thank you!
He said it’s an iris. :)
ok. so I am probably worse than you are when it comes to gardening! but I have herbs growing out front for my kids right now (they love having things they can pick and eat!)… My daughter showed me yesterday where one had begun to flower. Good note to go pick those items off!!
That garden and yard are extraordinary! Thanks for sharing.
GREAT inspiration!! Would love a follow-up to this in the early fall and one next spring perhaps?? :)
Your Dad has a great eye — and a VERY green thumb? :)
Your Dad’s yard is gorgeous. I have a sister that may be related to him😂. She would be having elephant ear envy. I got the brown thumb, but I try. My sister has sent so many plants home with me and I kill them all. Thank you for sharing his oasis.
Beautiful and inspiring, thank you for sharing. This is my favorite post ever!
Like Libbi, I’d love to see seasonal follow ups!
I love this post, too. Your dad has a great eye for color and such healthy looking plants! Thanks! Must go water and fertilize now :)