Garden Photo of the Day

Carol Ann’s South Carolina Garden

A paradise 30 years in the making

By GPOD Contributor
sun dial in the garden surrounded by plants

Today we’re visiting the garden of Carol Ann Bell in Greenville, South Carolina, with photos sent in by her friend Ellen Kirby:

My garden has been a respite during the 30  years we have lived here in Greenville, South Carolina.  As my three children grew up,  I had more time for gardening, although I have worked hard to accommodate children and grandchildren in the garden. I caught the gardening bug from my mother in eastern  North Carolina, where she was an avid gardener.  One of the tips she taught me was how to propagate hydrangeas from cuttings. This involves choosing a healthy stem and putting it in a pot until it develops roots, then transplanting into the garden. Because of this lesson I learned as a teenager, I now have many hydrangeas in a multitude of different varieties.

wooden trellis arbor covered in plants
This trellis was built to my specifications by a local carpenter for my daughter’s wedding. The roof was designed to remind me of the tobacco barns in Eastern North Carolina. The roses are ‘Zephrin Druin’, one of the only roses without thorns.  My latest love is the hydrangea ‘Shooting Star’ (Zones 5–9), which I discovered as a potted plant in a grocery store in December. I babied it until spring, when I planted it. It has now grown as tall as this trellis and with a multitude of blooms.

hydrangea with light pink flowers
‘Shooting Star’ hydrangea

sun dial in the garden surrounded by plants
This sundial is surrounded by an unusual lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9).

hydrangea with bright blue flowers
Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9

hydrangea with multicolored flowers
Multicolor ‘LA Dreamin’, which grows on new and old wood, prolongs the bloom period through the summer.

pink hydrangea flowers
‘LA Dreamin’

garden arch covered in plants leading to stone patio
A copper pipe was used to create the arch on which an akebia (Akebia quinata, Zones 5–8) grows. I prune it to keep it from trailing into the woods. In the foreground is Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ (Zones 3–9).

pink tulips in a container
My grandchildren gave me these tulips, along with a sign they painted.

begonia wreath
Every spring I make this begonia wreath from a wire frame, sphagnum moss, and soil.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

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.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Gardena 3103 Combisystem 12-Inch To 20-Inch Adjustable Metal Fan Rake Head

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

With adjustable tine spacing: suitable for raking coarse and fine material. Flexible, zinc-plated spring-steel prongs. Working width adjustable from 12-20 inches. Sold as head only, handle sold separately.
Buy at Amazon

Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.
Buy at Amazon

The Regenerative Landscaper: Design and Build Landscapes That Repair the Environment

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

2024 Nautilus Award Gold Medal Winner! This awe-inspiring guide weaves together permaculture design, food resiliency, climate adaptation, community organizing, and indigenous wisdom that you can implement in your own backyard.
Buy at Amazon
X
View 10 comments

Comments

  1. blondie3 07/12/2022

    The shooting star hydrangea is beautiful, and so is the wreath. Very nice garden.

  2. gardendevas 07/12/2022

    Those hydrangeas - magnificent!!

  3. rosebudal 07/12/2022

    So nice to see a garden from this region. Gardens of South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama just don’t have enough internet presence. Yours is beautiful. I think I’ll try the five leaf akebia in my woodland Augusta garden.

  4. User avater
    simplesue 07/12/2022

    Wow the sitting area with the arch of akebia (Akebia quinata) is perfect!!! A statue, benches, stone walls, woodland view, oh I love it.
    And enjoyed your story of being a teen gardener learning how to root hydrangeas!
    Oh I'm saving the vine seating area photo!

  5. gardenconcierge 07/12/2022

    Dear Carol Ann,

    Your garden is absolutely lovely. I am particularly inspired by your begonia wreath. I hope to try making one soon. Thank you for sharing.

    Sallie

  6. sheila_schultz 07/12/2022

    I think you should be crowned the Hydrangea Queen, your's are truly beautiful Carol Ann. I'm also very impressed with your begonia wreath, what a great idea! You have a beautiful garden, you must smile all of the time. Lovely.

  7. btucker9675 07/12/2022

    Your garden is absolutely glorious! It must be a wonderland for your grandchildren. Everything is beautiful and I'm going to get a shooting star hydrangea now.

  8. pplat 07/12/2022

    The beautiful sign that your grandchildren made you must make you so happy! The sign is a priceless gift from the heart and it looks wonderful in the gorgeous tulips.

  9. User avater
    treasuresmom 07/12/2022

    So very very lovely.

  10. madcosta_7 07/24/2022

    Love your garden and love Hydrangeas. That Star Hydrangea I saw at our local grocery store "Wegmans" and I just eyed it and said maybe next time....that was 3 years ago! I should have bought it! Yours is beautiful!!

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Related Articles

The Latest

Design
Gardening: The Original Outdoor Living | Letter from the Editor

Let’s talk about a phrase that never fails to make me laugh: “outdoor design and living.” As if gardening isn’t, at its core, the ultimate act of designing an outdoor…
Design
Is No Mow May a Good Idea?

No mow may, a movement that started in 2019 in the U.K., has challenged how we think about lawns. For at least one month of the year, we are encouraged…
How-To
Easy Ways to Make Any Lawn More Eco-Friendly

Replacing your lawn with a matrix of native plants might not be an option for you, but you can still move the ecological needle in the right direction in your…

Video

View All Videos
Design

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping—not because you’re likely to trip on something, but because you might be dive-bombed by a pair…
Design

4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder's Garden
How-To

4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 179: Most Beautiful Flowers  
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 178: Best Interview Moments from Let's Argue About Plants