Happy Friday, GPODers! We visited Jane Donelon’s garden in Maine back in February (refresh your memory HERE), and back then, we only got a tiny glimpse of what her garden looks like in summer amidst a bunch of photos if it under snow–which was great. But today she’s showing us more of what’s under the snow! Keep in mind that Jane sent me these photos and her words a couple of weeks ago, so don’t get confused when she says it’s almost June… 🙂
She says, “Our weather in Maine continues to be chilly and windy, slowing growth but allowing us to savor the special beauty of the spring garden. I’ve still a few tulips blooming and it’s almost June. These photos are of my garden in May. Sorry I don’t know the exact species-especially of some of the crabapple trees–30 yrs. ago I wasn’t as interested in knowing all the details as I am today.
“Along the stone wall you will see baskets of gold draping below double peach Quince ‘Cameo’ and kerria with double gold flowers. Lime spurge runs wild here–with some supervision and several variegated hostas they light up the shade. A redbud and several different crabapples flower in the distance. Above, an old ‘Crimson King’ maple towers with beautiful bark and foliage.
“Walking beneath a weeping crabapple in full bloom in the south side garden, one passes creeping phlox, grape hyacinths, tulips, and Pulmonaria ‘Rubra’ bordering the slate path. The garden shed in the back (no longer buried in snow!) is surrounded by blue camassia, colombine, Jacob’s ladder, and forget-me-nots, with pansies in the window box. White sweet Cicely blooms in the herb garden beside the shed. To the right, edging the bog, is blue creeping veronica, another lovely looking ground cover that requires very close supervision, like the spurge along the stone wall!
“The gold section of the bog shows trollius, Fillipendula ‘Aurea’ and ‘Variegata’, white candelabra primula, white shooting star, Hosta ‘Sun Power’, and a double gold marsh marigold. More white candelabra primul and a variegated hosta line the wooden walkway to a giant white pine. To the right is a curly willow and a few camassia and leucojum in bloom; astrantia and ligularia leaves show. The wine- and white-checkered bells of Fritillaria meagris were blooming earlier with the tiny leucojum bells, a light green hellebore, shiny ligularia leaves with deep red undersides, and assorted lime ferns.
“In the wildflower garden Epimedium ‘Lilafee’ with dainty purple flowers and leaves is joined by forget-me-nots and a pale pink Japanese primrose. And finally, along the woodland path, Solomon’s seal frames one of my favorites: lavender Glaucidium palmatum with maple-like leaves. Behind is blue lungwort and white corydalis blooming beneath long-gone-by bloodroot. Soon this spring scene will finally be changing–the temperature for the next few days is predicted to be in the 80’s!” Lovely, Jane! Give us another update soon!
***I’m getting so many great submissions, but I can always use more! Dig out your cameras, take a big long walk around your garden, and SEND ME PHOTOS! I love having more than I could possibly process to choose from. Thanks!!***
***One more thing…..have you always wondered what your fellow GPODers are like in person? Never thought you’d get a chance to meet them? Check this out…. While the GPOD isn’t officially a taunton forum, it’s close enough, and I wanted to extend the invite. Anybody at all interested? I’d be willing to search for some gardens to tour…
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Comments
jane, i love your garden. this , to me, is a garden that is alive not only with plants but with the gardeners personality and personal "stamp" on every inch. very tasha tudoresque and i think it's great. favorite photos,,,,,the flagstone path underneath the crabapple and of course the garden shed. i wish i could come to your plant sale
AS good as it gets.
So lush and picturesque! Great plants too!
Wonderful plantings! So light for spring. And Glaucidium palmatum is new to me! Thanks for sharing.
~Julie
Truly a beautiful space. Being a southerner and being a gardener, I can only think of two reasons I would move to the north: larix 'pendula' and primulas! Thanks for sharing.
Everyone, have a great weekend. I'm off to Asheville to hit a Japanese maple and miniature gingko nursery. Who knew a miniature gingko nursery even existed?
Jane, I agree with tntreeman, the photo of the path under the arching bough of the old weeping crabapple perfection. It brings out the inner child in me who was more inclined to joyfully skip and run instead of walk. Love the sense of history in the rock wall with all the plants spilling over. Everything is just beautiful. Please let us visit again in the summer.
Grooving over your lovely woodland style garden! (minus the
snow!) All naturalizing in so nicely.
Totally agree on the 'Georgia blue' creeping veronica. I find
too, it gets carried away in places, but love those tiny,
delicate bright blue flowers spreading themselves in May.
AHH, your lavender Japanese Wood Poppy is an exceptional
beauty! An offered elegance related to the hellebore. Wonder
how is your luck for growing them?
Jane, thanks for sharing a peek of your garden in May!:)
A spectacular transformation from winter.
Absolutely lovely describes this perfectly!
Thanks all for your wonderful comments! It's fun to share your garden-even on a 'virtual tour'. ....to tntreeman, esp., I've been to Tasha's garden quite a few years ago and adored it. Sadly no pictures were allowed. Every year, in late winter, I re-read her inspiring book, Tasha Tudor's Garden, and dream.... and order...and plant! To all: my garden in Brunswick,Me. is usually open so give me a call if you are coming through. I love to share it...unless it's a beach day. My family recently acquired the inventory of a very small but special nursery-mostly rare and unusual woodland treasures- raised from seed from all over the world. Many of my plants came from there including both my lavender and, even rarer, white glaucidium. bee1nine-so far so good .They are both planted in pretty deep shade in spots protected from wind. The soil was not great, too much clay, so I added a lot of compost and peat. I have not tried dividing either and probably won't altho the demand is high-we sold about 10, grown from seed, I believe, at our recent plant sale. ..probably could have sold 25 if we had them!
Wow! Those wide shots look like well-composed landscape paintings! The just draw me in and I want to get a closer look or see what's around the bend.
What a beautiful garden Jane! I love your plant combinations and the naturalistic style. An inspiration!
Hi again, Jane- Thank you for responding to my question
regarding your care for glaucidium (J. Wood Poppy)! So wished
to have made it up your way in Brunswick for the plant sale,
but NO such luck!!
What a lovely, quiet and peaceful garden that you have created! So natural and such good choices to mix together. I want to be there right now asking questions and then reading a good book and soaking in all the loveliness! Thank you! Your photos are going in my "to keep" folder.
What a beautiful garden to take us thru the weekend! Just by looking at your photos I can imagine the butterflies fluttering through the air and birds of every color singing their cheery songs. Thank you!
Jay... take some photos on your field trip, I've never seen a miniature gingko ;)Have a great weekend everyone!
My favourite kind of garden, crammed with old favourites. Primula, forget-me-not, creeping phlox and blooming crabapple, to name just a few, are still used today for good reason, they are beautiful!
Sheila_Schultz: There are many varieties of dwarf ginkgo;
http://www.greergardens.com/conifers%20Ginkgo%20-%20Microbiota.htm
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/
I have two different full size ginkgos, they make lovely carefree trees.
The tree I have depicted now is my Kentucky coffee tree just leafing out... I have one of the very few in this county (maybe the only one), a wonderful specimen if you have the room. I'll look for photos of my gingkos and make the swap.
Gingko w/miniatures. lol
Perfection! Love the white candelabra primulas.
I love your garden and especially the way you take us through it. You are almost poetic in your description and I can picture myself walking with you. Thanks for sharing!
I love your garden. It is so romantic. I love the yellow bog section. I have been working on a small section of my garden that I am doing in yellow and golds. You have given me some great ideas. The primula there is perfect. The center of it coordinates with the color scheme and the white is perfect neutral accent. I also love the variegated fillipendula. Thank you so much for your beautiful and detailed descriptions.
I too am in love with the patchway picture - I think I even saw a fairy or two flit by. Beautiful garden and a beautiful way to end the week!
I see every day the photos of the gardens: yours is the best I sow. It is very very beautiful and it show a true love for gardening and tastefully. Congratulations!!
To tntreeman and others: Before the flagstone path, people had to walk around that tree sliding down a bankgrabbing hold of its branches- challenging and dangerous, too! My daughter and I had fun pruning the crabapple so we could walk under it, then she laid the wonderful flagstone path for me.
To cwheat000: I'm glad you got a few ideas for your yellow/gold garden. I just moved a yellow flag iris close to the rest of the crew. You can't see them but on the hill behind my gold area, azaleas in hot colors grow-orange, red, gold, and a big white w. a big gold blotch -just past their peak now..
Jane, please send your daughter to tennessee, i have 6 tons of flagstone waiting for me in my back yard,,,,,,,i will make the lemonade. your garden really is DElightful, DElovely and DElicious
Ahhhhhh. Love it. GORGEOUS! I would love to be there and drink in all the lovliness and admire up close all those wonderful plantings.
To Jay- Wish there was a nursery like that in my "neck of the woods". Do tell us about it!
Seeing these pictures after the ones in snow is like opening a magic box. Jane, you have a wonderful gift of revealing Nature's beautiful secrets! Thank you for taking us into your garden and telling us all about it.
Hi Jane--your garden, the setting, the mood, the natural and peaceful mix of plants that looks as though it happened to be there on its own and then someone came exploring through and discovered it--this is my dream garden and yard. I love the pathways so much and I have been thinking about what types I would most like to have in my own yard and gardens. Thank you for these photos that have inspired me, delighted me, and most of all, given me a glimpse into a dream I have always had about what my perfect garden would be like. It would be like Jane's Garden in Maine. Onward I go, into the yard today to move toward that vision!
Wow! Absolutely beautiful. I love the way the plants lead your eye down the paths.
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