Garden Photo of the Day

From Ivy to Flowers

Transforming an overgrown garden

close up of garden bed with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers

Today we’re in Springfield, Ohio, visiting with Bryan Bailey.

I bought a new house five years ago, and all the garden beds were covered in 20-year-old ivy (Hedera helix, Zones 4–9). I had never gardened before, so I took to the library, YouTube, and garden center employees to make it happen. Over the past four summers I have planted a different bed and I am working around the house. I was scared to start because I worried that I would put plants in the wrong place. Someone told me that you can move any plant at any time, which set me free to be as creative as I needed to be. I have moved a lot of plants since then.

large ivy plant taking over gardenHere’s the before shot—nothing but ivy.

close up of garden bed with bright pink, yellow and purple flowersHere is how things are in 2023 with ‘Limelight’ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Zones 4–8), ‘Glamour Girl’ phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Glamour Girl’, Zones 4–8), ‘Zagreb’ coreopsis (Coreopsis verticilata ‘Zagreb’, Zones 3–9), blazing star (Liatris spicata, Zones 3–8), dwarf Russian sage (Salvia yangii, Zones 5–9), and Kihori Dianthus (Zones 4–8).

pink, white, yellow and purple flowers beside a path‘Becky’ Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum ‘Becky’, Zones 5–9), ‘Magnus’ purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’, Zones 4–9), Royal Rembrandt Veronica (Zones 4–9), and ‘Zagreb’ coreopsis

mulched garden bed with flowers, ornamental grasses and garden bench‘Lucifer’ crocosmia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Zones 5–9), ‘Blue Bedder’ sage (Salvia ‘Blue Bedder’, Zones 8–10 or as an annual), ‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Stella d’Oro’, Zones 2–11), purple fountain grass (Pennisetum, Zones 8–10 or as an annual), with ‘Becky’ Shasta daisy in the background

close up of garden bed with ornamental grass and pink flowersMagic Fountain Mix cleome (Cleome hassleriana, Zones 10–12 or as an annual), ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora, Zones 4–9), ‘Grape Gumball’ bee balm (Monarda ‘Grape Gumball’, Zones 4–9), newly planted ‘Spilled Wine’ weigela (Weigela florida ‘Spilled Wine’, Zones 4–8)

annual plants in containers around a back doorAnnuals around the back door, with four-year-old ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’, Zones 5–9) in the background. Happy gardening!

 

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Comments

  1. MohawkValley 07/26/2023

    A great transformation ! Keep on truckin' ! There's ALWAYS something to do for an enhancement ---- subtle or not-so-subtle .....

    Peace from the Mohawk Valley in central NYS .

  2. bunny2luv 07/26/2023

    Wow! What an amazing transformation! You certainly have an eye for design. And it really is good to remember that plants can indeed be moved! Enjoy your beautiful garden.

  3. User avater
    user-7007816 07/26/2023

    A wonderful transformation. I'm particularly impressed with how robust your plans are and how you have combined them.

  4. User avater
    simplesue 07/26/2023

    Great make-over! Your neighbors are so lucky to have a neighbor like you with all those flowers! And your Crocosmia Lucifer will bring hummingbirds to the garden.
    Sure turned out nice!

  5. btucker9675 07/26/2023

    What a terrific job you've done transforming your garden spaces - everything is just so beautiful and healthy looking. Regarding moving plants, this fall I will be moving quite a few that have outgrown their original space - it's just too hot here to do anything other than deadhead and pull a few weeds right now!

  6. karen_holmen 07/26/2023

    What a wonderful job of reclaiming a spaces! Great colors, textures, variety of plants.
    Congrats on a job well done and ongoing and thanks for sharing.

  7. MeEliza 08/23/2023

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  8. User avater
    Sofia_Cole 08/25/2023

    A nice feature that makes experimenting with different cuts of meat simple is the moveable grates. This grill is now something I think I absolutely need for my outdoor cooking setup, How to Create a Biography Page on Wikipedia.

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