Garden Photo of the Day

Hugh’s Long Flower Border Last Summer

A talented gardener and photographer weaves together a beautiful tapestry of colors in an impressive 80-ft. border

another section of flower border with dark foliage plant focal point

Hi GPODers!

Today a contributor has answered our call for summer color with a collection of blooms in just about every shade imaginable. Hugh Locke in New York has shared some seriously colorful photos in his previous submissions (Hugh’s Celebration of Annuals From Seed, Some Plants Worth Growing, Close-ups in Hugh’s Garden, etc.), many of which are his stunning ‘flower portraits’ that he also shares regularly on his Instagram (@hugh.locke). In this submission he’s diving deep into an absolutely impressive border he created last summer:

I created a vibrant 80-foot-long flower border in Westchester with an array of annuals and perennials, the majority of which I grow from seed. The photos here are from last summer.

English style flower borderMy approach is based on the classic English flower border that mixes colors and textures with a gradation of height from front to back. It is also deep enough to accommodate a wide variety of flowers that are positioned to ensure a continuous show all season long.

close up of yellow and orange snapdragon flowers
One of the highlights of last summer was this orange and yellow snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus ‘Potomac Orange’, annual) that was grown from seed and rebloomed on cue.

carpet of purple flowers next to multicolored zinnia blooms
Part of the fun is putting different flowers together to see what happens. Here the experiment worked out with a purple blue dwarf ‘Aloha Blue’ ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum ‘Aloha Blue’) (Ageratum houstonianum ‘Aloha Blue’, annual) that bloomed continuously until frost. The zinnias were similarly in full bloom until frost, from left to right: ‘Profusion Double Hot Cherry’, ‘Profusion Double Deep Salmon’, ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’, and Profusion Apricot’.

another section of flower border with dark foliage plant focal point
The focal point of a different section of the border is ‘Musifolia’ canna (Canna ‘Musifolia’, Zones 7–10). This is the world’s tallest known variety, which topped out last summer at 8 feet tall. While it has modest red blooms late in the season, the leaves are its best feature.

flowers flowers in front of dark foliage plant
White flowers can sometimes get lost, but these two stand out against a hedge and some canna: Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum, Zones 3–8) on the left and woodland tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) with its fireworks of trumpet flowers on the right.

bright red foliage with peach colored flowers
Hugh has been experimenting with coleus, with this variety a clear winner ‘Colocha Rose’ coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Colocha Rose’, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) when grown next to ‘Profusion Apricot’ zinnias.

yellow pink and purple flowers in border planting
This image shows off the range of colors and textures to maximum effect. Pink cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Rosetta’, annual) and blue salvia (Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’, Zones 8–10 or as an annual) are in front of striking yellow goldenrod (Solidago), next to which is lacy white yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Zones 3–9)… all grown from seed, with the perennials now a few years old.

white lily flowers with pink cleome flowers
‘Casa Blanca’ Oriental lilies (Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’, Zones 5–8) steal the show, with a backdrop of violet cleome (Cleome hassleriana ‘Violet Queen’, annual). To the right are perennial Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum ‘Madonna’, Zones 3–9) grown from seed last spring and happily flowering their first year out.

large foliage plant with red stems in flower border
Yet another section of the border is dominated by this giant castor bean (Ricinus communis ‘Zanzibariensis’, Zones 9–11 or as an annual). An annual grown from seed, this tropical beauty eventually reached 14 feet by the end of the season. At that point the stem was the diameter of a small tree trunk and digging up the deep root system was a major undertaking.

close up of bright red celosia flowers
This celosia (Celosia plumosa ‘Yachiyo Hiryu’, annual) was a new addition last year and is now on the permanent list of annuals.

trays of plant seedlings outside for transplanting
Each year I starts seeds indoors under lights, beginning in February. While most are annuals, each year there are a few perennials (some of which admittedly take two years to put on a show of flowers). Last spring the result was close just over 350 plants in 4 inch pots ready for transplanting.

various flower close-up portraits
Here are just a few examples of the closeup flower portraits from my garden you can see on my Instagram.

Thank you so much for another memorable submission, Hugh! As many of us look out into gray, white, and brown landscapes of winter, your plant portraits and colorful garden combinations are a much-needed reminder of the warmth and color that awaits us later in the year.

 

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Comments

  1. MohawkValley 01/30/2025

    Excellento ! Your photos remind me of my turf here in central NY except you have really taken it to another level with your your annuals . Congrats on having some crazy areas . I love to have a dedicated area and then fill it up . I see that you concur . This spring is going to be a sizeable "splitting season" for my daylilies and orientals .
    Once again , excellento ! Peace .

  2. User avater
    musabasjoosue 01/30/2025

    Bravo, Hugh! Your strategic use of bold foliage tropical plants gives the border great textural contrast. I also plant Cannas in my borders but haven't planted C. musifolia in years. I'll have to look for some.

  3. btucker9675 01/30/2025

    Stunning color combinations - a living rainbow!!

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