Garden Design

Today’s photos are from Tom.

Hello from Zone 6 near Buffalo, New York! I’ve been growing with my garden for more than two decades, and my garden has been a playground, a canvas, and a classroom.

I’ve learned my ABCs in the garden:

Appreciate the amazing.

Be in the beauty of the moment.

Connect with the creation around you.

I became a grandfather this past year, and like a garden before it’s grown, my hopes and dreams for my grandchild began before he was born. Time moves forward, changes follow, but the ABCs remain grounded in the garden. This year I am experiencing a new gardening season like never before, getting to share it with my new grandson. My wish for my grandson and all of you is that you remember the ABCs the garden can teach you and that you too become grounded in the garden!

large planting of Rudbeckia flowers in foreground of garden bedsClouds of rudbeckia (Rudbeckia fulgida, Zones 3–9) in the foreground, with the garden beyond

large pink hydrangea bloom next to yellow flowers and a coniferA perfect head of hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9) shows off against the green of a dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’, Zones 2–8).

small child in the gardenTom’s new grandson is exploring the garden and taking it all in.

dense garden bed full of evergreen trees and shrubsDense plantings of trees and shrubs and perennials grow together into a wild tapestry of green.

garden planting along a fence with orange and purple flowersA planting of marigolds (Tagetes erecta, annual) brings a pop of bright color to the garden.

dense planting of ground cover, shrubs, and flowers with a crane sculptureA statue of a heron hangs out by the water garden. The bold green leaves on the right are pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata, Zones 3–10), a native plant that likes to grow in shallow water.

two frogs on a rock in the gardenA couple of frogs visit the garden.

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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