Today we’re visiting the garden of Carol Ann Bell in Greenville, South Carolina, with photos sent in by her friend Ellen Kirby:
My garden has been a respite during the 30 years we have lived here in Greenville, South Carolina. As my three children grew up, I had more time for gardening, although I have worked hard to accommodate children and grandchildren in the garden. I caught the gardening bug from my mother in eastern North Carolina, where she was an avid gardener. One of the tips she taught me was how to propagate hydrangeas from cuttings. This involves choosing a healthy stem and putting it in a pot until it develops roots, then transplanting into the garden. Because of this lesson I learned as a teenager, I now have many hydrangeas in a multitude of different varieties.
This trellis was built to my specifications by a local carpenter for my daughter’s wedding. The roof was designed to remind me of the tobacco barns in Eastern North Carolina. The roses are ‘Zephrin Druin’, one of the only roses without thorns. My latest love is the hydrangea ‘Shooting Star’ (Zones 5–9), which I discovered as a potted plant in a grocery store in December. I babied it until spring, when I planted it. It has now grown as tall as this trellis and with a multitude of blooms.
‘Shooting Star’ hydrangea
This sundial is surrounded by an unusual lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9).
Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9
Multicolor ‘LA Dreamin’, which grows on new and old wood, prolongs the bloom period through the summer.
‘LA Dreamin’
A copper pipe was used to create the arch on which an akebia (Akebia quinata, Zones 5–8) grows. I prune it to keep it from trailing into the woods. In the foreground is Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ (Zones 3–9).
My grandchildren gave me these tulips, along with a sign they painted.
Every spring I make this begonia wreath from a wire frame, sphagnum moss, and soil.
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