Garden Photo of the Day

Katie’s Garden Redesign

Reworking a much-loved garden

hanging basket full of pink flowers over the garden pond

Today we’re visiting with Katie Kagler in Hudson, Ohio.

My garden was first featured on the GPOD in 2013 (Katie’s Garden in Ohio). In 2019, we put an addition on our house that resulted in having to transplant a large portion of our main perennial garden into the vegetable garden for an entire season while the house was under construction.

vines with pink and purple flowers growing up trellises on a garage wallAs you can see in this photo from the old garden, our four clematis vines were previously trellised directly onto the garage wall, so we needed a new solution for those.

garden bed next to a patio with foliage plants and pink and yellow flowersWe decided to add four tuteurs to support the clematis. However, the first season I was very unhappy with the overall results of the new garden. I ended up having a deeper space, which made planting trickier, and the clematis were barely filling the new structures. I asked my neighbor, who is a fabulous gardener, to come over and help me redesign the garden yet again. She suggested putting in a row of boxwoods to not only frame the patio but to take up some of that extra space.

purple clematis growing up a tuteur in front of a bird bathShe also suggested acquiring a few more clematis varieties that would grow over the tuteurs more aggressively. This new Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ (Zones 4–8) covered one tuteur nicely in the first year. I made a complete plan of the garden on paper and then executed the new design.

small garden pond with waterfall surrounded by plantsWe also removed our old-fashioned pond with a pump and plastic liner and replaced it with a new waterfall.

garden patio with plants along the left sideThere is always something in bloom in the garden from May to September. Between each of the tuteurs are hardy dinner-plate pink hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrids, Zones 5–9), which do not come into their full size and bloom until August, when many of the other perennials are finished.

close up of garden bed with tuteur covered in pink flowersThe new boxwoods frame the front of the new bed beautifully.

hanging basket full of pink flowers over the garden pondA hanging basket of pink petunias (Petunia hybrid, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) adds color to the blooming perennials.

close up of garden bed full of pink and purple flowers and ornamental grassThe new garden design is a success!

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    cynthia2020 08/15/2022

    Katie - I enjoyed reading your gardening story and looking at the photos. Thank you for sharing!

  2. User avater
    treasuresmom 08/15/2022

    Could a page/website admin please contact me via email? I stopped receiving the emails nearly 2 weeks ago & would like to start receiving them again.

    1. User avater
      simplesue 08/15/2022

      Same here. No email notices anymore.

      1. User avater
        CAlexander 08/16/2022

        Hi Sue, sorry for the lapse! We are working on the issue and will hopefully have a resolution soon!

    2. cheryl_c 08/15/2022

      I didn't realize I'd not been receiving them until I read this note - and the link I did receive today in late afternoon triggered a warning from Outlook that it was an unsafe link, and the article was one from 8/9, about Cherry Ong's garden, not today's featured garden.

      1. User avater
        CAlexander 08/16/2022

        Hi Cheryl - so sorry about the lapse - will have it back up and running ASAP!

    3. User avater
      CAlexander 08/16/2022

      Hi there! We are looking into the issue with the emails not being received and will hopefully have it resolved soon - so sorry about that!

  3. User avater
    simplesue 08/15/2022

    You've really done a great job with your garden! So pretty and a wonderful environment for you and nature!

  4. cheryl_c 08/15/2022

    Katie, I'm sorry the link to your garden may not have gone out to the whole e-mail list - see my note above.

    I do like your garden, especially your solution to the clematis on your garage wall and the low boxwood hedge. You know how to access good resources in your problem solving.

  5. user-7020748 08/16/2022

    Beautiful garden!
    I accessed this through goggle and the Fine Gardening site. I too am no longer getting the GPOD in my e-mail. Hoping this can be resolved and I can return to getting a daily dose of beauty in my in-box.

    1. User avater
      CAlexander 08/16/2022

      I'll see if I can add you back in! If you don't get the emails soon, try signing up again here: https://www.finegardening.com/pages/newsletter-signup.php

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