Today’s GPOD comes from Michelle Mensinger:
"I live in Derry, NH (Zone 5b), and my husband and I have transformed our property into a garden Eden. We bought the house in 1983, and it had no landscaping, just grass, weeds, and woods. We built two koi ponds and many garden beds, stonework, walls, paths, and planted beautiful shrubs, trees, perennials and wildflowers. Gardening is a true passion for me, as the fruits of my labor are so rewarding. Walking through the gardens gives me great joy and peace. Every day I notice the subtle changes as the seasons unfold."
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Comments
Hi Michelle - You and your husband have done a marvellous job creating your garden of 'Eden'. All the scenes shown are outstanding. Congratulations. Cheers from Oz
How beautiful! Are you ever part of a tour? You're not far from Haverhill.
Oh, so lovely! You have done a fantastic job. Are the rocks all from your property? Would love to see more photos!
Just beautiful!!
Amazing transformation. This is a brilliant garden oasis. Well done.
beautiful. amazing job. love the iris and the pond.
Wonderful transformation, Michelle. I love the large boulders breaking up the edging stones on the path. The ponds are beautifully integrated into the landscape and look like they were always there. I love the 2nd photo. Not only is the clump of Asclepias awesome, but the background is gorgeous with the Japanese maple and color echo of the heuchera. Thanks for sharing your garden .
stunning! absolutely beautiful
What a breathtakingly beautiful garden you and your husband have created, Michelle. The second picture shows that you have mastered all the elements that fill the books written by garden experts...I hope you share more photos in the future since your garden looks to be endlessly fascinating. That is the largest, most rounded clump of butterfly weed that I have ever seen. Do you do any early season pruning on it to make it so full? Your photo capture of the iris in front of the ferns is perfection...talk about sun kissed and radiant. Thanks so much for such a treat.
So lovely Michelle! I’d like to come visit sometime! I grew up in Derry and moved to Hookset about 30 years ago.
Michelle, I love the way you use colors, particularly the oranges. Great job.
More please, Michelle! Especially the ponds. I have been in withdrawal for the last four years and find myself addicted to pictures of other's creations. You've done a beautiful job with the gardens.
Great job! Thanx.
You and your husband have definitely created a beautiful garden. The Irises are stunning, as is the Asclepias tuberosa. It is overcast & rainy here in GA today and your sunny pictures brighten my morning. Thanks for sharing these pictures; please share more in the future.
What a fabulous set of photos you have send of your stunning gardens. I think my favorite is the one with the aesclepias, because that orange is repeated a couple of times in the background, complimented by purple punctuation marks! But your iris and fern combo is so striking as well. Fantastic job, thanks for sharing, and please send more.
Fabulous. I feel peace just looking at photos. I can imagine strolling through every day enjoying the changes from day to day. I can also imagine the amazing amount of work it takes to keep it looking so tickety-boo. Love it.
YOU DID THAT YOURSELF? I am freaking out at the amount of work you have done!!!!! It’s beautiful. Do you own your own landscaping firm? Fess up!
Stunning! How many acres do you garden on? Thank you for bringing joy to my day.
Good morning, Michelle and thank you for this tour through your very lush, beautiful garden. You and your husband have created a wonderful place to live. I like your color choices and the backdrop of large trees framing your ponds which must give you winter interest as well. Would love to see more.
Good morning! Your passion sure shines through, Michelle! It si so colorful and alive which makes my day in this dark and dreary day! You both have done a beautiful job in every photo! The water feature if fabulous! I sure hope to see more! Thank you!
It's lovely. I'm in awe. If those were my iris, they'd be falling right over, and I can't seea stake anywhere near those lovely blooms. Great to see, thanks.
Absolutely stunning! The use of stone, water and plants are so beautifully balanced and so elegant. Must admit, I'm consumed with envy right now... : )
Add me to the other GPOD'ers that want to see more photos of your beautiful gardens... you're such a tease! The layers of interest seem to go on and on with the great stonework and winding paths, stunning choice and combinations of plant material and then there's that pond. Wow! Many more photos please!
Oh, so beautiful, Michelle! I can almost smell that lovely pink azalea; it's one of my favourite garden scents. Your pond is beautiful and the sound of running water must add that special something to the whole experience of being in your garden.
Good grief! What a glorious place you have created. Considering you are in the "short" growing season of zone 5b (well short compared to my zone 8a) you certainly have a large variety of plants. I love it all and especially like to see the butterfly weed blooming at the same time as the astilbe. I need to see more pictures and include some of your snow covered landscape. Vikki in VA
So beautiful. I can feel the tranquility. Love the flagstone paths and that pink khedive iris is stunning!
Ahhhhhhhh. Wish I could slowly walk through your garden & enjoy. Beautiful!!!!
Ah, Ms. Mensinger!
To live in one garden for so long and watch it transform from a basically blank slate to such beauty and harmony....well, perhaps that's what we all envision when we plug in a 3 gallon tree and a few 6 inch containers of perennials; as I was doing this week! I've always thought gardeners have the bestest imaginations and are perhaps the closest spirits to time travel! We can almost see that tree as a 40 ft. specimen and those perennials blanketing the entire corner of our heavens on Earth, laughing in full technicolour year after year!
Your post this morning shows us that dreams DO indeed come true!
The fruit of your 30+ years of hard work is stunning and rewarding. Love your cover scheme and your iris. Would love to see more photos of your garden. Thanks for sharing! What are the glass ornaments in the second photo? Please show us a closer up photo. What is the name of the orange bloom shrub beside the maple in the second photo?
Your flowers are beautiful. I especially like the Butterfly Weed. I have never seen one so bushy/full and low growing....mine are always tall and leggy. Would you please give me the name and some growing tips...
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