Hi GPODers!
Summer is at its peak, and new gardens are taking on a whole other level of color and growth. Yesterday we enjoyed an update from Kim’s 5-year-old garden in Rhode Island (Kim’s Garden Before and After in Rhode Island), and today we’re being introduced to Cathy’s 3-year-old garden in Gresham, Oregon. Cathy had to downsize after the loss of her husband, but less space hasn’t been a hindrance on her ability to create a captivating garden. With the help of some well-loved plants she was able to transport from her old property, she has cultivated a small but mighty garden.
Below are photos of my garden in Gresham, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. I bought this home in the winter/early spring of 2022. Previously I lived in a close-by community and had 1 acre. When my husband passed away, it was clear I would never be able to care for the gardens, thus the move. As I have always done, I dug up plants to bring to my new home. The yard needed a lot of work, as almost all of the plantings were unhealthy or unattractive and were in heavy virgin clay soil. My landscaper installed a French drain in the back and did all of the hardscaping. The only plants that were left were the dogwood in the backyard and an azalea and mugo pine (Pinus mugo, Zones 2–7) in the front. When I was planting what I took from my former home, most of which were shade plants, I started to place them against a fence, which at that time was in shade. As the seasons progressed, it turned into a sun bed. In the days, months, and years since then, I have moved many plants to more appropriate locations. I also planted many too close to each other, a mistake I have been repeating throughout my gardening years. Maybe this time I will learn.
In the first photo is the dogwood (Cornus kousa, Zones 5–8) that was already there. It needed some loving care and now is healthy and beautiful when blooming and in the fall when the leaves color. There is also an autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora, Zones 5–9).
The next photo is of the backyard, with my favorite fern, the Himalayan maidenhair fern (Adiantum venustum, Zones 5–8) and a newly planted serviceberry tree (Amelanchier arborea, Zones 4–9) on the left. Farther back is a climbing Iceberg rose (Rosa ‘Climbing Iceberg’, Zones 5–10).
Next is a closer look at the rose and a Sun King aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’, Zones 3–8). I love the foliage color. The penstemon is the Red Riding Hood variety (Penstemon schmidel ‘Red Riding Hood’, Zones 5–8). The irises were here, but I transplanted them.
I don’t know the variety, but they seem to be doing well. (I’m not 100% sure of this stunning variety either, but it’s potentially the florentine iris [Iris ‘Florentina’, Zones 3–9]).
The next is from the front yard. The Rozanne geranium (Geranium ‘Gerwat’, Zones 4–8) has just started to bloom. A variety of penstemons, variegated iris (Iris pallida ‘Variegata’, Zones 4–9), and clematis.
The last photo is looking out from the front of the house. The dogwood was transplanted from the backyard just before an unexpected and unseasonal heat wave. I have been babying it ever since. The large shrub on the right is a Limelight hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Zones 4–8).
Thank you so much for sharing your garden with us, Cathy! It’s hugely impressive what you’ve managed to create in such a short amount of time, even if there are still lessons to learn along the way.
Gardens new and old are always welcome at Garden Photo of the Day! If you’ve never shared your garden, or if this will be your 50th submission, or if your garden is brand-new or decades old, we would like to see it! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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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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