Garden Design

We’re in Sweaburg, Ontario, visiting with Alice Fleurkens. We’ve been to her garden before (Alice’s Front Garden in Canada) so check out the earlier posts if you want to see more. This is the first year in about six years that I have been able to do more gardening again. It is so enjoyable to

We all love plants that have some personality. These are the ones that stand out and make us take notice, and when we see them at a nursery, public garden, or in a fellow gardener’s collection, they go straight onto the wish list or into the shopping cart. Which unforgettable treasures will jump to mind

Lou and Dell Salza’s front yard in Shaker Heights, Ohio, is living proof that a garden can be both beautiful and ecologically functional. Making the most of a modestly sized front lawn, designers Sabrena Schweyer and Samuel Salzbury of Salzbury Schweyer Landscape Design created a comfortable outdoor living space that tastefully incorporates permaculture principles and

My name is Glendon Elliott. My garden is in Jamestown, Rhode Island, on Conanicut Island, where surrounded by water, we are always a bit warmer (or cooler in the spring) than our Zone 6 location. I was trimming some new growth on Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’ (Zones 5–8) and noticed the shockingly intense blue of these

Yesterday, Carla Zambelli shared the abundance of spring in her Malvern, Pennsylvania, garden with us, and today we’re back to revel in even more of the beauty of this time of year. Newer weigela breeding has emphasized small, compact forms, often with colored foliage, but it is hard to beat the sheer abundant floral display

Carla Zambelli is sharing the abundance of spring in her Malvern, Pennsylvania, garden with us today. May means rhododendrons, azaleas, peonies, the first roses, and more! The garden is awash in birdsong and color. Every day is something new! A gorgeous dark, rich, red Rhododendron in full spring bloom White azalea (Rhododendron hybrid, Zones 5–9)

While we would all ideally have gardens that look at their peak in every season, the reality is often far from that ideal. Very few of us have all the time in the world to dedicate to our gardens, and the hard truth is the planning and work that goes into gardening means we often

Cherry Ong is sharing more photos of spring bloom at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. Today she’s focusing on all the beautiful daffodils (Narcissus hybrids, Zones 3–9) that caught her eye. It is a great time to look them over and think about what varieties you might want to order for planting this fall.

Joseph here, sharing some things in bloom in my northern Indiana garden from the first half of May. I’m not sure what species this wallflower (Erysimum sp.) is—it came from a mixed packet of seed—but whatever it is, it has been covered with flowers for a month, and all kinds of bees and other pollinators

While we would all ideally have gardens that look at their peak in every season, the reality is often far from that ideal. Very few of us have all the time in the world to dedicate to our gardens, and the hard truth is the planning and work that goes into gardening means we often

Joe sent in today’s photos, which feature the beautiful garden of his neighbors Julie and Mike in Baltimore. The gardens, started 20 years ago, were built on a rustic farm-implement theme. Julie and Mike have spent a lot of time searching antique shops for the right artifacts as well as garden centers for the perfect

Today we’re visiting with Carol Lim, who gardens in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where she grows some beautiful and unusual plants. Sarracenia ‘Daina’s Delight’ (pitcher plant, Zones 5–9) is in the large bog container, with a seedling of Prunus ‘Bonfire’ (Zones 5–8) in the background. I brought the two bog container gardens from Pennsylvania in 2009

Aloe vera (Aloe vera syn. Aloe barbadensis, Zones 10–11) is only one of many species in the Aloe genus. It is likely native to parts of North Africa where conditions are similar to many areas of Southern California. Probably the best-known species due to its medicinal uses for cuts and burns, aloe vera is also

If you’re looking to add some heft to the spring garden, but don’t want to overwhelm genteel bulbs or ephemeral perennials then dwarf, spring-flowering shrubs are the answer. These little powerhouses are quick to put on new growth in the early part of the season and often sport blossoms in soft hues which will compliment

Cherry Ong is taking us along to see spring at Butchart Gardens in British Columbia. This garden is famous for over-the-top displays of spring bulbs and annuals, which paint the whole space with giant swaths of color. One of the most iconic parts of the garden is the sunken garden, and often we see photos

Today’s photos are from Terri Bennink. We were not able to really work on the front and side yard, as there was a giant sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua, Zones 5–9) in the easement that was too expensive to take out. It had created significant damage to the driveway. A third of the tree fell into

Amanda Benick is sharing with us today from Cincinnati (Zone 6b). Amanda says that she has been having a bad spring, with lots of up-and-down weather, going from freezing cold to super hot, sometimes all in one day! Amanda loves making bouquets from the garden and is sharing those with us today. I cannot believe

Today we’re visiting with Kevin Kelly. Good morning, and welcome to my garden in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Zone 6b). I have posted on GPOD many times over the years (e.g., Review of 2022 in Kevin’s Garden and Late Summer in Kevin’s Garden). These photos are from my garden in April 2023. We had a dry and

Today we’re in the Mohawk Valley in central New York State, visiting with Lee. We’ve see Lee’s beautiful garden before (Back to the Mohawk Valley), but today it is from a very different perspective. Greetings again! I enjoy the early spring arrivals in the form of “sprouts” that introduce spring to our home areas. Here in

Cherry Ong has visited the beautiful gardens at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, which is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. More to our interests, however, it is set in 36 acres of beautiful gardens. Here are some incredible views that Cherry captured. Check out this floriferous explosion of lewisia