Garden Design

I am Surinder Chadha, I live in Old Tappan in northern New Jersey. Gardening has been my hobby since childhood. In Old Tappan, we are overrun by deer, chipmunks, and squirrels, who do not make growing flowers easy. Most of the annuals I plant are in more than 150 12- to 24-inch planters on the

I enjoy the brightness and warmth of true red in sunny garden designs, although I prefer it in moderation. ‘Strawberry Fields’ globe amaranth (Gomphrena haageana ‘Strawberry Fields’, Zones 11–12) has been part of my landscape designs for over twenty years. While actually a tender perennial, this plant is generally grown as an annual. The stunning,

My name is Alice and I live in Sweaburg, which is in southwestern Ontario. This year I had trouble again finding all the bedding plants, such as salvias, that I would have liked. But now the yellow marigolds (Tagetes sp., annual) are putting on a show, and they look cheery with the hot pink geraniums

Patricia Eckels is sharing photos of one of the most extraordinary gardens in the United States today, which was created by Pearl Fryar, an entirely self-taught sculptor of trees. The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in Bishopville, South Carolina, is a 3-acre garden with 400 sculpted, trimmed, and shaped shrubs, trees, and plants. Mr. Fryar has

It is Friday, so time for another garden tour with friend of the GPOD Cherry Ong! Today she’s taking us to Tofino Botanical Gardens, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The 12-acre garden has different garden rooms, many with unique themes and beautiful pieces of garden art. According to the garden’s guide, many of

Today Julie Esteves, a garden designer in Massachusetts, is sharing a garden she restored for Susan Lemkau in Osterville, Massachusetts. We were hired to restore her garden starting last fall, so it’s been a process, with many planned steps for an evolving spring, summer, and fall garden. This was a restoration of an existing parterre

Today we’re visiting with Bonnie Plikaytis. Here are a few images of spring arriving in our Zone 7 woodland garden in North Georgia. Nothing denotes spring as much as the blooms of bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis, Zones 3–8). In late March or early April, the blooms of this native plant bring immense joy with their stunning

My name is Beth O’Brien, and I live in a Zone 6b location in Fort Erie, Ontario. We purchased this new home five years ago, and the yard was a blank slate. It has been a constant learning experience to find plants that rabbits don’t eat, that are fairly drought tolerant, and that can grow

Today we’re off to Laufersweiler, Germany, to see Dani’s beautiful garden. I am sending some photos of my little rose garden. I am an American living in Germany and have become a plant hoarder. My garden is 15 years old, only one-tenth of an acre, and already is stuffed with 385 roses, hundreds of bulbs,

It’s best to let seeds ripen on plants until they are almost ready to disperse on their own. Any seed harvested too early will not be viable. Seeds usually change color (from light to dark) when they are ready to be harvested. Cut off the entire stem containing the spent flower head or the entire

We’re out on the road again with friend of the GPOD Cherry Ong, who has sent in photos of another of the many beautiful gardens she’s had the chance to visit this year. Today I’m sharing some photos of this charming garden we serendipitously found on our road trip on Vancouver Island this August. The

Nothing says fall in the garden more than the sight of ornamental grasses pluming. It goes right along with all other things that signal the season change—the kids going back to school, pumpkin spice everything, and turning the heat on for the first time. Gardeners seem to have a love/hate relationship with ornamental grasses. They

One of the first chores to undertake in the spring garden is cleanup. For perennials, this mainly consists of cutting back any spent stems and foliage from the previous year and clearing away debris that might have accumulated. You can do this anytime, really, but if you are a bit unsure, wait until you see

Winning Tip: Propagating winter basil plants from cuttings Before my basil plants succumb to freezing temperatures, I take several cuttings about 4 inches long and remove all but two or three of the leaves. I place the cuttings in a clear drinking glass with filtered water that I refresh every few days, and in less

My name is Mary Harkacz, and my garden is located in northeastern Ohio. I’ve been gardening for over 30 years, but I’ve worked on this one for over 20! It really is one of my greatest passions. The patio is our favorite backyard lounge spot. I love trying something new here every year. In the

Hello, this is Peggy Rupert from Brookings, Oregon, on the coast. You have twice published my garden (Giant Snapdragons!, and Gardening on the Oregon Coast). I am sending you photos of a friend’s garden because I believe you and your readers will be as amazed as I am how my friend, Vickie Jewell, 70 years

Cherry Ong, friend of the GPOD, has enjoyed traveling to wonderful gardens lately and sharing incredible photos with us, so we’re starting today what is going to be a semi-regular Friday feature, “Where’s Cherry,” featuring her visits to inspiring gardens. Today she’s taking us to Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia—more specifically, the Japanese

My name is Hayden Brown, and I am a 28-year-old gardener in Hillsboro, Oregon, Zone 8. Having grown up on a farm, gardens and the outdoors were a huge part of my childhood. I was often tasked with weeding the vegetable patch and spreading mulch, so it was a special treat to accompany Grandma to

My name is Linda Corinaldi. This is my second year sending my photos to you (previous post is here: Putting Down Roots, at Last). In a normal year here in West Vancouver, British Columbia, we have summers with pleasant temperatures, never very hot. This summer we had heat like the West Coast has never felt

Today we’re visiting Kathleen Hooper’s garden. When my family and I moved from two acres in Connecticut to our Winnetka, Illinois (near Chicago) house, I inherited a small landscaped yard. My plan was to turn the space into a garden where my family and friends could enjoy sitting around the fire and dining outdoors. There