My name is Ann, and I garden in Zone 6b in Newtown, Connecticut. I have been gardening since 2004 when I lived in Buffalo, New York. I moved to Newtown in 2014. My garden style is English cottage in pinks, purples, and whites. My favorite flowers are my grandmother’s ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peonies (Paeonia ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, Zones 3–8), David Austin roses, foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4–8), and Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zones 5–8).
Ann took this photo after she returned home from vacation and was checking to see if her flowers survived the heat. She asked her grandchildren to water the plants, and her two-year-old grandson thought he was a firefighter.
Signs of beauty in the late-summer garden: pumpkins and dahlias (Dahlia variabilis, Zones 8–11 or as tender bulbs)
This beautiful David Austin rose is the variety ‘Gentle Hermione’. She is a soft and delicate pink, with outer petals that are almost cream.
And here’s another gorgeous rose developed by David Austin. As is typical with varieties from David Austin, ‘Queen of Sweden’ combines the grace and form of old-fashioned roses with the vigor and rebloom of modern roses.
Ann’s careful color selection of pinks, purples, and whites gave the whole garden a soothing harmony in June when this photo was taken.
A regal spire of foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4–8) looks perfect and romantic in front of lavender bearded irises (Iris hybrid, bearded group, Zones 3–9).
Spring in a vase, with lilac (Syringa, Zones 3–7) blooms joining some wonderful tulips. These are double-flowered tulips, sometimes called “peony tulips” for the way their large, full flowers mimic the look of peonies.
It’s high summer in the garden with the blooms of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3–8).
Purple clematis (Clematis hybrid, Zones 4–8) is backed up by a cloud of lavender, pink, and white blooms behind.
If you want to see more of Ann’s garden, check out her instagram: @old_castle_cottage
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.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.