Garden Design

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

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

Steve in the UK is sharing a very cool, very small garden space with us today. My wife, Emily, and I followed our dream of moving to the seaside from Surrey nine years ago. We were looking for a period house, and much as we didn’t want to take a project on, we fell in

Today we’re in chilly Zone 4b, visiting Susan Warde’s Minnesota garden. Before my husband and I bought our current home in 1981, we’d pass it on neighborhood walks. Gazing at the sunny front yard, I’d say to myself, “Now if I lived there, I’d put an edging of marigolds up the front walk.” And so

Today we’re in Altadena Meadows, California, visiting Andrea Donnellan’s beautiful garden. This is a space she created with the designer Arturo Pedroza. He designed the garden and put in the initial plants. That has evolved into a gardening partnership over the years. When her son was small, they put in a lawn and then later

Today we’re headed to Newbury Park, California, to visit with Wayne Jones, who has been gardening there for 30 years. Wayne’s mother was a very impressive gardener, and he is clearly carrying on the tradition! Gorgeous lush leaves of leopard plant (Farfugium japonicum, Zones 7–10) give an almost tropical feel to this corner of the

Cherry Ong is taking us on another trip, today to a beautiful public garden in Surrey, British Columbia. She says, “Been itching to visit Darts Hill Garden Park to see the spring ephemerals and the alpine garden. Got my wish today!” Darts Hill was the home and garden of Edwin and Francisca Darts, and they

Every garden has gaps that need to be filled from time to time. Whether you are looking for a short-term stand-in while a bed is being reworked or a quick fix after another plant dies, it is nice to have a list of pinch-hitters that can step in and fill space quickly. Listen in as

Today we’re visiting with Suzanne Pearce in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. My husband, Bruce, and I submitted photos to GPOD in 2021 (Spring in British Columbia). At the time I did not include photos of our lower garden, so here are a few. Bruce passed away on May 30 last year, and I

Today on the GPOD we’ve got photos from Laurel Prothro, gardener at Arrington Vineyards in Nashville, Tennessee. We just went through an exhausting reset of the hardscape, removing masses of dead laurels after the catastrophic freeze we had earlier in the year. We had to remove our main front and center deodar cedars (Cedrus deodara,

We’re back today visiting with Susie Zimmerman in her beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska, garden. The garden beds are planted densely and are overflowing with flowers. Just because you garden in a cold climate doesn’t mean you can’t have incredible gardens. Susie calls her husband “the Undergardener. He’s contributed a lot of hard work in the creation

Today we’re headed to chilly Fairbanks, Alaska, to visit with Susie Zimmerman. Here are a few shots of my garden. I’ve been at it for about 40 years (with a good deal of help from my husband, lovingly referred to as “the Undergardener”), whose main job was to build the house. Where it all started,

A living wreath is a fun and beautiful way to decorate your home with color and texture. In this video, learn the steps for making your own living wreath. Materials Box wreath frame Small plants or houseplant cuttings Sheet moss Bucket or tray Pliers U-pins Potting soil String Green floral wire Scissors Instructions for a

Friend-of-the-GPOD Cherry Ong is taking us along today to tour a beautiful greenhouse. Serendipitous visits are fun! In a recent trip to Ontario, we saw a street banner that advertised the Spring Bulb Show at the Gage Park Tropical Greenhouse in Hamilton, Ontario. I didn’t even know about the greenhouse, so after Googling it I

Steve, who gardens in Los Angeles, keeps sending in beautiful photos, so I keep sharing them! If you missed his previous posts, you can catch up here: Steve’s Southern California Garden. He certainly takes full advantage of the beautiful plants that his climate allows him to grow, and they are thriving despite the odd weather

IF you’ve experienced a flood, a wrong move after the water recedes can make a bad situation worse. To minimize flood damage in the garden, take these steps:  1. Identify the survivors Most plants, with the exception of seedlings and new transplants, can take flooding for up to a week. When standing water lasts longer, however,

Last year Howard Nemeroff, the owner of Plant Parenting in Chicago, shared some gorgeous images of a window box he designed through the four seasons (One Window Box, Four Seasons), and today he’s back to share some incredible spring container designs. Pussy willow (Salix discolor, Zones 4–8) stems bent into a beautiful trellis elevate this