Happy Monday GPODers!
Last week we got an update from Syd Carpenter and her sublime garden in Philadelphia (Be sure to check out that post if you missed it: Syd’s Artful Designs in Pennsylvania). After sharing her own lush and lively garden, she followed-up with photos of a friend and fellow artist’s “secret” garden in Westchester County, New York. This garden is no secret to family and friends who get to enjoy the immaculately crafted space, but Teresa Liszka is a humble gardener who doesn’t showcase her designs to the public. Today the GPOD community is getting a glimpse of Teresa’s gorgeous garden for the very first time.
These are photos of Teresa Liszka’s garden in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. She is a master gardener, but rarely shows her masterpiece. Only friends and family are privileged to see it. GPOD will be her debut to any kind of public viewing. It is indeed a secret garden.
Just as we saw in Syd’s tranquil garden space, it’s easy to see Teresa’s artistic eye in her plantings. Colors and textures mix and match in an enthralling manner, and she strategically uses containers to place additional color exactly where it’s needed.
Even in areas that haven’t yet come into full bloom and consist of mostly shades of green don’t lack interest. Various textures and forms are abundant, and the small pops of color are that much more eye-catching.
A closer look at the iris that’s along the path in the photo above. Teresa clearly has an eye for some incredible and uncommon cultivars. This looks to be a variety of Louisiana iris, one with an incredible purple-red color, potentially the cultivar ‘Cajundome’ (Iris ‘Cajundome’, Zones 4–9).
Dreamy garden paths give visitors ample room to explore the beds and examine each of Teresa’s fantastic plantings. And, again, we see her professional skills in composition. Despite a very diverse tapestry of plants, she manages to craft beds that are coherent and cohesive.
Layers of beauty also provides a sense of privacy and seclusion. Rather than a bland, boring hedge, these arborvitae are incorporated into the garden thoughtfully and add vertical interest to a section of lower-growing plants.
For Teresa, this sizable patio is just another great planting opportunity. I love that the grey weathering on these wooden containers matched the stones of the patio so well. Nothing is distracting or taking away from those bright and colorful plants.
You know your designs are really enchanting when guests are more interested in your plants than this incredible view. While Mother Nature does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to creating natural beauty, we have an undeniable power to take that beauty to another level.
Teresa clearly knows how to utilize every shade of green to her advantage. A collection of shrubs and perennials in the background are yet another example of how she works with texture to great affect, but the bright chartreuse ‘Golden Spirit’ smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Ancot’, Zones 4–10) in the foreground demonstrates how you can work in plenty of color contrast into a palette of green as well.
Lastly, another stretch of grassy path becomes a lush and colorful corridor that leads to a marvelous purple tree that stands out as an eye-catching focal point.
Thank you so much for sharing this incredible garden with us Syd and Teresa! We always appreciate when a GPODer feels inclined to give someone else’s garden some love and attention, and we’re grateful that Teresa allowed her special space to be shared on the blog for the very first time.
I’m a strong believer that gardens are meant to be shared. This can certainly be just the friends and family that you trust to enjoy your slice of paradise, but it can also be nice to share your hard work with other friendly garden-lovers that you know will appreciate it. We hope Garden Photo of the Day can be that outlet for you. If you have been unsure about sharing your garden in the past, I hope this growing season you take the leap and submit your garden with GPOD. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
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!
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