Hi GPODers! Today we’re visiting Dan, who didn’t let a yard with a small footprint stop him from creating a magical garden that has become the perfect space to create special memories with his young family:
My name is Dan Pilla. I am 34 years old and have been gardening for around 7 years. When my wife and I set out to buy our first home, I had visions of owning acres and acres of land with mature trees, pristine lawns, and lush gardens. Unfortunately, our budget only allowed for 1/10th of an acre with one tree, sandy grass, and no gardens in Runnemede, NJ. I was disappointed but determined to make the best use of what we had. So, I grabbed my shovel and proceeded to dig up roughly half of the property.
Knowing that this likely wouldn’t be our forever home, I have used the property as a trial garden with the hopes of trying one of everything. On our little tenth of an acre, I have tried nearly 1,000 different types of flowering plants, shrubs, and small trees. I keep a list of my favorites that will one day be a part of our future gardens.
That said, the garden has been far more than just a place to try plants. As a Christian, the garden has been a place to enjoy the beauty of what God has made. And as a parent, the garden has been a place for my wife and I to make memories with our two daughters…picking cherries and grapes, drying lavender, planting seeds and bulbs, and letting them start gardens of their own.
We may never own acres and acres (and after seeing how much work 1/10th of an acre is…I don’t think I want to), but we are rich on our little plot of land.
Thankfully, we don’t have to guess about all of Dan’s fabulous plants, because he sent close ups of some of his favorites (though I’m still wracking my brain on how we can narrow it down from the nearly 1,000 he has grown!!).
First up, an absolutely out-of-this-world tiger flower (Tigridia pavonia, Zones 8–10).
Finally, and as Dan mentioned, most importantly, are the memories he has created in the garden with his family:
Thank you so much for sharing your little piece of paradise with us, Dan! I hope we get another update long before you trial another 1,000 plants 😉
Have a garden you’d like to share?
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To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com 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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Comments
What a wonderful story! This is what gardening is all about - making beauty, teaching children, memories, making the world a better place. Well done!
Hi islandlover, thank you and totally agree with you! The garden has been such a blessing to my family and I!
Beautiful! In my 40+ yrs of gardening, I'm not sure I've grown 1000 different plants. Now I have something to aspire to. Among all the beauties, May I recommend adding native plants? They are beautiful as well. Good job!!
Hi TheBarefootGardener thank you so much for your kind words! Totally agree about the beauty of natives! I have many of those in the garden as well, just was limited in the number of pictures to send in. Here are some of my favorite natives in my garden...buttonbush, virginia salt marsh mallow, and california blue bells.
Sharing the story of your garden, family, and faith made my day. I love your adventurous spirit in trying so many different plants. You obviously have the gift of gardening - your plants are thriving. Teaching your daughters about the garden and the creatures who live there is what gardening is all about, sharing the love.
Hi user-7821942! So happy the story of our garden made your day. The garden has brought so much joy to our little family and I thank the Lord for that. Blessings to you!
Love that foxtail lily.
Me too...Such a striking bloom and the bees love it!
Beautiful garden, beautiful family! That foxtail lily is a showstopper... Glad to see that your daughter doesn't shy away from creatures in the garden.
Thank you for the kind words btucker9675!! I am a big fan of the foxtail lilies...I have also tried the yellow flowering Eremurus - Stenophyllus Bungei.
Love what you have done in a relatively small space. Also like the involvement of the whole family. Well done!
Thank you user-7007816! I like how you described it as a "relatively" small space. At one time I would have viewed 1/10th of an acre as a VERY small space....but now that I have to maintain it, I don't feel that way anymore haha.
It's always so nice to see the gardener behind the garden- and garden before & after photos! I enjoy Fine Gardening's GPOD because it's real people making real gardens, and learning as they go without expensive landscape designers or big budgets.
What a wonderful & inspiring garden, and what lucky little kids to have this influence in their lives...my fondest memories of my family & grandparents are gardening together! I'm sure you are making great memories for your kids too!
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