Hi GPODers!
We’re heading to the Mid-Atlantic coast today to visit a new garden—brand-new to Garden Photo of the Day and a relatively new creation on freshly developed property. These beautiful beds were cultivated by Teresa Eutsler in Worcester County, Maryland, after she and her husband moved from an extensive garden they tended for over 30 years. Looking to reduce the time she spent working in her new garden, Teresa aimed to create a low-maintenance landscape, but her passion for plants had other plans. She now has a stunning garden that is easy to care for, but she has too much fun experimenting to stay out of it for long.
Hi there. My name is Teresa Eutsler, and I garden on the eastern shore in Worcester County, Maryland, Zone 7b. My garden is about 15 miles from the Atlantic coast. I’ve been gardening over 40 years. My husband and I moved and built this home on a wide-open piece of farmland in 2017, so this is a fairly young garden. There was nothing here at all, and because I’m 65 and had left a garden I had worked on for over 30 years that was quite extensive, I was determined to keep it simple. Easier said than done!
Even though I’m getting older and trying to make things a little easier, one thing I’ve learned is that a garden is never really done, because when you love your garden you are always trying new combinations or making room for a new plant or changing something you don’t like. That’s what a gardener does! Thank you for letting me share a small part of my garden with you!
The skies have been generous, so the little ‘Limelight’ is enjoying the moisture, and I’ve been very happy with Milena Fleur dahlia (Dahlia ‘Milena Fleur’, Zones 9–11 or as an annual). It has returned for me despite a very cold winter and is a beautiful color with the Hameln grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’, Zones 5–9) as it’s neighbor and the Tuscarora crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica ‘Tuscarora’, Zones 6–9) behind, along with the Casa Blanca lilies (Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’, Zones 5–8) in the background.
A wider view shows the open farmland that the garden sits on. Just as small gardens are a challenge to plan, it can be equally difficult to build gardens that don’t look out of place in a large, open space. But building beds with a slight curve, like Teresa has here, is an effective way of making them feel more like more natural elements in the landscape.
The dry river-rock bed carries the water from our roof away from the house and when it rains really hard makes a beautiful little river running through it. The bed next to it is dry and pretty exposed, so the Hameln grass, alliums, Autumn Joy sedum (Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’, Zones 3–9), gaura, tall ageratum, and self-seeded verbena (Verbena bonariensis, Zones 7–10) don’t mind and are easy maintenance.
In the background are Emerald Green arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’, Zones 4–8), Little Lime hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Jane’, Zones 3–9), and burgundy-leaved dwarf weigela.
Lastly, a closer look at those successful Milena Fleur dahlia along with one of the Little Lime panicle hydrangeas absolutely covered in perfect blooms. It’s clear that Teresa has a special touch with plants if this is what she is able to create on “easy” mode.
Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous designs with us, Teresa! I can only imagine how beautiful your previous gardens were if you’ve been able to create these stunning scenes in such a short amount of time.
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