My name is Ann Klingele, and I live in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. My husband and I moved here with our two young children 25 years ago. My love of gardening began with my grandparents. Their love of roses was inspiring. Many years later I am now lucky to have my own little garden retreat in the suburbs of Illinois. And it is little. My yard is approximately 50 feet wide by 40 feet deep. One-half is full sun and the other half is full shade. It’s been a bit difficult to make it cohesive. I have a weakness for plants (as we all do), so if I find a plant I love, I’ll make room for it. Needless to say, I have packed my small space with many plants, but I love it and it makes me happy.

Entrance to the garden. Every space is packed with plants, to marvelous effect! Just because you have a small garden doesn’t mean you can’t have a lot of wonderful plants.

In the shady part of the garden, Ligularia ‘The Rocket’ (leopard plant, Zones 4–8) brings bold foliage topped with spires of yellow flowers.

Annabelle hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, Zones 3–8). This classic shrub is hard to beat for the sheer size of the flower clusters in summer, but don’t forget to stake it (as Ann has), because those flower heads are so huge they easily topple over.

A beautiful red-and-yellow Coreopsis (tickseed, Zones 5–8) flower.

Ann’s favorite garden sculpture.

Ann’s quiet spot in the garden.

Jackman clematis (Clematis jackmanii, Zones 4–8).

 

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To submit, send 5-10 photos to GPOD@finegardening.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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