Comments

1. 
   user-4691082 04/12/2017

   Dear Dan and Mrs. Dan! What a beautiful retreat you have created. I love the distant view in the 2nd photo. Your have chosen your plant materials well! Everything is orderly and well cared for. Thanks for sharing!

2. 
   vanhatalosuomi 04/12/2017

   Your hard work has surely repaid in dividends. I like the color you've chosen for your fence, it looks nice. :)

3. 
   NCYarden 04/12/2017

   Oh yeah. I like the setting and how you converted the yard to a garden. Great plants and placement - both aspects of a little wild and manicured. It only makes sense you spend as much time out there as you can. Thanks for sharing.

4. 
   user-7008461 04/12/2017

   Wow! The composition of your planting areas are spot on. And the view ... need I say more. Thank you so much for sharing ... but more pictures, please!

5. 
   Sunshine111 04/12/2017

   So lovely! Your passion shows! Thank you!

6. 
   sheila_schultz 04/12/2017

   Talk about having a 'room with a view'!!! Every photo shows off your vision of beauty and as far as I'm concerned your 'eye' is spot on. Your gardens and patio spaces are wonderful!

7. 
   treasuresmom 04/12/2017

   Love all your sitting areas. I would love to be out there.

8. 
   user-7007140 04/12/2017

   I have just browsed thru your pictures (Dan and Mrs Dan) and found myself dreaming of how to treat such a site. Did you, I wonder, decide to make the extended view your focus. Did you then plan how to create your oasis of a lawn, protecting with trees, shrubs and borders filled with beautiful plants. And, I further wonder, did you then decide that all of this beauty should be viewed from a lovely sitting area not too far from the house, shielded by fencing and paved with natural stone?
   This garden is a delight and I love it.

1. 
   user-7008463 04/12/2017

   i worked with a local landscape designer on the original plan. each winter, i have planned small changes. some of the distant views were created when i purchased land behind me and cleared out more space for gardens and by removing some trees, the view appeared.

9. 
   HelloFromMD 04/12/2017

   Gorgeous! and so well cared for. Which I appreciate after manually cutting an edge, weeding and mulching my beds. Your perfect edges enhance the garden and make it look top notch. In the last photo I think I spot steel edging. Your hardscaping is wonderful too. The brick circle for the table and chairs, love it. Please comment on how you like steel edging. Thanks.

1. 
   user-7008463 04/12/2017

   the edging is actually the best quality of plastic edging (brand is Cobra). it is the same as what the nurseries use. although, i would like to try the steel edging but i have concerns about the frost moving it

10. 
    cynthiamccain 04/12/2017

    Stunning, you two! And so inspiring--I'm getting up and going out in my garden now; I only wish it looked as lovely as yours. Thanks for sharing!

11. 
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 04/12/2017

    Your rich borders have a perfect foil in you well-manicured lawn. I'm sure it provides so much enjoyment. Looks awesome.

12. 
    LindaonWhidbey 04/12/2017

    Good morning, Dan and "wife". You have chosen a beautiful part of the world in which to live and have made it even prettier. I'll bet your garden even looks good covered in snow. Love your chartreuse touches and your dark fence. Do you have a view of the river up on that high bank? Thanks for sharing.

1. 
   user-7008463 04/12/2017

   linda, the view in picture 2 is actually the bluffs on each side of the Mississippi River, but we dont actually see the water.

13. 
    OneKSGardner 04/12/2017

    So beautiful! Love the combination of evergreens, bushes, and annuals. A garden is the best place to be and yours is lovely. I also love the beautiful green lawn which adds to the beauty of the flowers.

14. 
    meander_michaele 04/12/2017

    Goodness, between yesterday's and now today's pictures, I'm starting to feel some serious upper midwest gardening envy. Dan, you and your wife have certainly created a very gracious garden that is a visual treat and looks very welcoming. I think quite a few of us gpod-ers would love to lay claim to one of those inviting Adirondack chairs and enjoy all the delightful views. If you're inclined to stop back and answer questions, I would like to know the id of the chartreusy plant in picture #2 and it shows up again in #3. It's quite eye catching and goes wonderfully with all its neighbors.

15. 
    Wcuro 04/12/2017

    Wow! The love and care you've put into this garden is evident. The gorgeous long vista sets it apart from every other pretty garden. I would love to stop by, have a seat, and just enjoy. I'll bring the champagne and toast to the skill and perseverance of the garden workers!

16. 
    VikkiVA 04/12/2017

    Absolutely stunning. Love all the plant combinations and the hardscape artistry. In your last picture would you name the different Hydrangea you have and is that a purple smoke bush to the left of the astilbe? Vikki in VA

1. 
   user-7008463 04/12/2017

   vikki,
   i can get back to you on the hydrangea as i am not at home, next to the astilbe is a tree form Diablo ninebark.

1. 
   user-7008463 04/12/2017

   vikki,
   i think the hydrangea is strawberry and cream, but again, i will confirm when i get home.

1. 
   VikkiVA 04/13/2017

   Thanks Dan. It looks to me like you have more than one type of hydrangea? The strawberry & cream closest to the chairs, a ball shaped behind the astilbe and a cone shaped on the left side of the bench? Maybe these are not hydrangea at all but something else. Pray tell what are these?

1. 
   user-7008463 04/14/2017

   the ball shaped ones behind the astilbe are all Annabelle hydrangas. the group on the left side of the bench is Sem Sorbaria.

2. 
   user-7008463 04/14/2017

   vikki,
   did you see my reply in discussion?

3. 
   VikkiVA 04/14/2017

   Yes Dan thanks, saw your response. I'm intrigued with the Sem Sorbaria. Love the foliage color. I was just watching a You Tube video about the plant. Wondering how it would do in my zone 8a. Vikki in VA.

4. 
   user-7008463 04/14/2017

   not sure, but it is very hardy and requires little maintenance. only thing is, it spreads like sumac, so you have to control it. it does provide a lot of color.

2. 
   user-7008463 04/14/2017

   Strawberry Sunday is the name of the hydrangea.

17. 
    darylsavage 04/12/2017

    Meander, I think that is sumac 'Tiger's Eye,' a nice native shrub.

1. 
   meander_michaele 04/12/2017

   Thanks, Daryl. The leaf and branch formation looked familiar but I was pulling a blank... I think you are right on the identification.

1. 
   darylsavage 04/12/2017

   I think the other chartreuse shrub he has is aralia which also is nice, but not native I think.

1. 
   user-7008463 04/14/2017

   if you are referring to the shrubs behind the water fountain, they are Garden Glow Dogwood. the ones on picture 2 and 3 are both Tiger Eye sumac.

2. 
   user-7008463 04/12/2017

   that is correct Daryl. Tiger eye sumac. i cut it back to the ground every spring to control the size.

18. 
    Maggieat11 04/12/2017

    Well Done!!! Thanks for sharing pics of your gorgeous garden... and that is quite an enviable view! Your have done a fantastic job of bringing trees, plants, lawn, views, structures together to make a wonderfully cohesive "piece of heaven". Congratulations! Wish I could pop over with a bottle of wine!

19. 
    kgamel 04/13/2017

    Really lovely! Just curious, what is the ground cover you can see in the final photo?

1. 
   user-7008463 04/14/2017

   vinca

20. 
    Cenepk10 04/14/2017

    Dan & Mrs Dan have a touch of my ocd... Fabulous! My favorite of all is that blue pot fountain creation. We have a little English garden inspiration going ?