Mary Spencer is sharing her garden with us today.
I have lived in Westminster, Maryland, for 22 years and have been gardening the entire time. My garden has been a lifeline for me this year. I have a lot of shade.
Nothing says spring like pansies and violas (Viola × wittrockiana, cool-season annual). With an enormous color range, complex flower patterns, and a cheerful tolerance of cold weather, they are a delight in any garden!
A huge ‘Sun King’ aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’, Zones 3–9) takes center stage with glowing yellow-green foliage. The darker greens of the hostas around it really set off the bright color of the leaves.
A beautiful scene of spring with a dogwood in bloom above azaleas. The dogwood looks to be one of the hybrid varieties, perhaps Cornus ‘Aurora’ (Zones 5–9), that boast excellent disease and pest resistance along with over-the-top flower displays like you see here.
I love the subtle color combination in this pot. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas, Zones 10–11 or as an annual), coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides, Zone 11 or as an annual), and a heuchera (Heuchera hybrid, Zones 5–9) all bring foliage in subtle shades of copper and brown, making a great backdrop for the white New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri, Zones 10–11 or as an annual).
In this bed, an edge of colorful pansies glows against a backdrop of variegated foliage.
Looking through the blooming branches of a doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum, Zones 4–8), we can see a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) and more of the woodland garden behind. I love views like this in a garden, where the scenes beyond are partially obscured, giving a sense of surprise and anticipation to the whole view.
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