Today we’re in northeastern Ohio visiting with Criss. We’ve visited Criss before (Criss’s Ohio Garden), and it is always a pleasure to return to this beautiful garden.

A planting in the east yard of the garden includes roses in front of a dappled willow (Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’, Zones 5–7).

In the back of the east yard, an arbor is covered in orange mandarin honeysuckle (Lonicera ‘Mandarin’, Zones 4–9), a Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’ (Zones 4–8) blooms to the left of the arbor, and Weigela ‘Red Prince’ flowers in the foreground.

Toward the front of the east yard, a bench invites you to stop and enjoy, with a weeping redbud (Cercis canadensis, Zones 5–9) behind it.

Moving into the west yard, this is the secret garden, with paver circles that Criss installed this summer. Tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium, Zones 3–9) and hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 3–8) are in bloom.

This picture is in the west yard and was taken while standing at the green chair that was visible in the previous photo, looking toward the house.

A stumpery has a resident fairy. Criss put the fairy there, but the stump grew the tiny perfect mushroom in front of her all on its own.

A look inside the more formal, fenced garden in the west yard

Round topiary boxwoods (Buxus sp., Zones 5–9) contrast with the strongly vertical Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’ (Zones 6–8).

A small pond is in the fenced garden too.

Finally, a swallowtail butterfly stops by to add even more beauty to this garden.

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