Today we’re visiting Patty Eckels’s garden in Charleston, South Carolina. We’ve visited with Patty before, and it is great to see how the space has developed in the past few years!
The pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana, Zones 7–10) was gorgeous this year. A bit of pruning in the fall helped.
And here’s the full pineapple guava plant. Those beautiful flowers will develop into tasty fruit, and, unusually, the petals of the flowers are sweet and tasty as well.
The sedum [probably Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’, Zones 5–9] around the fountain just keeps coming. I pull it up and throw it in other areas of my gardens (without actually “planting” it), and it grows.
Probably five years ago the ditches were dug deeper to help with the flooding in the road. We planted around 100 Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum, Zones 7–11) plugs, and both sides are now covered.
My pride and joy—agava (Agave americana, Zones 7–11). I have given people many babies from her.
This is a new area. My hubby dug up cast-iron plants (Aspidistra elatior, Zones 7–11) that were back in a corner, and I transplanted them. We shall see what happens.
I can’t wait to see what flowers come up in the back bed. I just threw a bunch of flower seeds in there. Again, that’s Asiatic jasmine on the other side of the driveway. We dug up some from the other side and planted it in this ditch. (I hated those ditches!)
The Acanthus mollis (Zones 6–10), or bear’s breeches, is another favorite of mine. (But then aren’t all flowers/shrubs our favorites?) The leaves stay green, bright, and shiny all winter here. The flowers are almost 4 feet tall.
I had 32 flax lilies (Dianella tasmanica, Zone 8–11) along the right side edge here, but the frost got them this past winter. They are struggling. Oh, and there’s “Gargy” the gargoyle!
Years ago I planted a few ferns on the left. They have self-seeded to the bed around the palm trees. Love it! My flax lilies here are struggling from the frost.
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Comments
It looks so peaceful
Thanks for sharing your lush garden. That agave! And the acanthus. I have zone envy…
Oh, that agave!!! What a beautiful garden around your very pretty house - job well done!
It was so nice to see your pretty South Carolina house and garden! I could just smell the air looking at your garden photos, almost like being there again!
So wish I could grow Cast Iron plants up north in Pittsburgh (hear I could push the zone with them, but they would die to ground each winter?)
Your bear’s breeches, are new to me, and so stately almost Foxglove like and I see they grow in zone 6!
Your big tropical trees are amazing, you are probably used to seeing them but so exotic to me!
Your Agave is like living sculpture!
Really love what you are doing with your garden!
Wow! That guava is out of this world!
Hi, Patty. Thank you for your gardening updates. I like the guava description and how you told us about your successes as well as your disappointments and finally a teaser of what you are looking forward to (the mystery seed mix).
I have been loving visiting the Charleston area the past two years.
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