Yesterday Teresa Watkins, who gardens in steamy Zone 9b, shared her visit with her husband’s family in Massachusetts. Today she’s still touring up north, sharing these gorgeous images from her visit to the Blithewold Garden and Arboretum in Bristol, Rhode Island.
The round entryway known as a moon gate is a traditional element of Chinese gardens. Here, that feature is beautifully reimagined into a New England version.
A long walkway flanked by two perennial borders is overflowing with flowers.
Here is a closer view of one of those borders, with tall roses and lilies in the back and shorter perennials in the front. A container of purple petunias (
Petunia hybrid, annual) anchor the front corner.
Careful use of
layers—from tall trees to shrubs down to smaller perennials—enclose this space, while comfortable chairs and neatly mown lawns invite you to either sit or stroll to enjoy the garden.
The TREES! There is nothing like huge, beautiful specimen trees. The simple grass around these emphasizes their majesty.
This is a spectacularly huge specimen of weeping hemlock (
Tsuga canadensis, Zones 3–7). Although hemlock is normally a tall forest tree, weeping versions of this species are always beautiful and just get better and better with age.
Stepping under the canopy of that same hemlock reveals the incredible sculptural form of the
branches and trunk.
The huge leaves of
butterbur (
Petasites japonicus, Zones 5–9) create a tropical effect in a not-very-tropical climate. This plant can spread vigorously, especially in
wet areas, so plant with care in small gardens.
A miniature
lotus (
Nelumbo nucifera) grows in a small pot. Even without flowers, the beautiful leaves make a wonderful statement. Though hardy to Zone 4 when growing in larger ponds, this small container will need to move out of the cold for the winter.
Elements of this scene can translate to even the smallest home garden—a shady
seating area, and the effect of a garden bed created by massing together tropicals and annuals grown in pots.
A pure white foxglove (
Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4–9) is backed by the cut, gold foliage of
Tiger Eyes sumac (
Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’, Zones 4–8).
Bear’s breeches (
Acanthus mollis, Zones 6–10) bloom against a stone wall.
And here’s one last view of the beautiful gardens at Blithewold. What a magical place!
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
If you want to send photos in separate emails to the GPOD email box that is just fine.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
You don’t have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Scotts Cordless Grass-Shear/Shrub-Trimmer Combo
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
With a built-in 7.2-volt lithium-ion battery, this little guy weighs less than 2 lb. and can zip through all your minor pruning tasks quickly and easily.
- 13.5 x 3 x 5 inches
- Uses a 7.2-Volt 2Ah high-capacity built-in lithium-ion battery; Includes a fast charger
Gardener's Log Book from NYBG
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features:
· Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil
· Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds
· Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when
· Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening
· Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting
· Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Doug Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.
Comments
Thanks for sharing. Love that hemlock, don't you?
Wow, beautiful photography and wonderful garden!
I love the stone "moon gate", so rustic and magical like a portal to a magical garden!
Thanks for sharing!
ps...and the white Foxglove photo is amazing photography!
That hemlock, that moon gate - what an absolutely beautiful garden. Thank you for sharing with us!
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in