Garden Photo of the Day

READER PHOTOS! Roger & Mary's garden in California

comments (17) August 24th, 2012 in blogs

Michelle Gervais, Senior Editor

195 users recommend

Front driveway: Pennisetum orientalis, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum', Stipa tenuissima, Lavandula 'Provence', Stipa gigantea

TWO WAYS TO ENLARGE! Click directly on the image to enlarge in a pop-up. Click HERE to view the image in a new browser window.

Photo: Courtesy of Roger and Mary Greenberg

Add Comment
Print

Today's photos are from Roger and Mary Greenberg in Marin County, California. Roger says, "We started this garden from scratch 18 years ago, slowly amending the clay soil and planting drifts of ornamental grasses, lavender, and succulents. Other specimens were collected from our travels. We are located on a south facing hillside and used large boulders to stabilize the soil during the winter rains. The plantings were paired for color and texture and to give year round interest. The garden is frequented often by deer, raccoons, butterflies, hummingbirds and an occasional coyote." Wow, Roger. You guys have created a gorgeous garden! I especially love the drifts of grasses in the first photo. Thanks for sharing!

_______________________________________________
Want us to feature YOUR garden in the Garden Photo of the Day? CLICK HERE!
Want to see every post ever published? CLICK HERE!

**Check out the GPOD Pinterest page, where you can browse all the post in categories...fun! CLICK HERE!**

posted in: california

Add Comment Print

READER PHOTOS! Leslie's garden in Florida

Back to List

READER PHOTOS! Jill's garden in Michigan

Comments (17)

Deziner writes: This is a beautiful garden tended by some truly wonderful gardeners.
I live just up the road and have visited this garden at different times of the year during the various Open Garden Tour dates.
The owners do not know me from Adam but have always been gracious in sharing their garden with other like minded gardeners.
I love driving by their hillside garden , it it such a joy .

Posted: 8:15 pm on November 4th

KiahG writes: The grasses are GORGEOUS Posted: 12:04 pm on September 19th

idontwantone writes: AND your lovely garden is placed on quite a steep hillside - kudos! Posted: 10:20 pm on August 24th

GardenWhimsy writes: To Plant Lady 55: Our Sango-Kaku tree is about 6 yrs. old and almost 14' high...you could prune yours to desired height. The tree is deciduous and the bark turns a gorgeous coral red in winter...making it a focal point in the garden for months. Posted: 9:15 pm on August 24th

Sheila_Schultz writes: Your gardens are truly a work of art. I am in awe of your vision. Thank you for the inspiration. Posted: 8:54 pm on August 24th

plant_lady_55 writes: Your garden is lovely!!! I like the colors and textures and the hillsides. I cannot believe you have a Sango Kaku Japanese maple. I just bought one today for my son's home. I'm in the process of redoing their front landscaping. The nursery told me it would grow to 10 or 15 feet. When I got home and looked it up on the internet, it said 25 feet! That won't work. How old is yours and how tall is it? I heard that Sango Kaku means coral bark, and it sure looks beautiful in your picture. Thanks. Posted: 8:53 pm on August 24th

cwheat000 writes: Stunning. Exceptional . I especially love the ornamental grass border. Posted: 2:15 pm on August 24th

GardenWhimsy writes: Thanks to all for your nice comments...to answer your questions: Yes, Dogwoods can thrive in Marin County....we have a Cornus "Cherokee" and a Cornus Convolusa varigata that are doing well. The white flowered tree in the final pic is a Viburnum plicatum 'Tomentosum'-Doublefile (it has larger flowers positioned horizontally) Yes, we share our garden with groups from The Garden Conservancy, Pacific Horticulture,etc....and would be happy to give a private tour for anyone interested.The garden has slowly evolved over the years and continues to change. Mary and I do all the plant selection, garden maintenance and we love it. Posted: 12:46 pm on August 24th

Vespasia writes: Wonderful, what a lovely, eclectic mix of planting and artwork. I love the big rocks and the steps down to the door. It's obvious that your garden is a true labour of love! Posted: 11:11 am on August 24th

solana1234 writes: More more! Do you do tours? Wonderful pairings, delightful art and symmetry of plants and boulders. Posted: 10:43 am on August 24th

Formandfoliage writes: Love that agave! Posted: 10:20 am on August 24th

Wife_Mother_Gardener writes: Your Front Driveway planting is so beautiful - well balanced and perfect for summer's end.
Great job, Roger & Mary! Thank you for sharing!! Posted: 9:57 am on August 24th

tractor1 writes:

Fantastic stonework with a very broad array of unique and mature plantings, very professionally configured and maintained... my immediate impression is that it was started 18 years ago by writing a massive boulder sized check to a major landscaping company.

Posted: 8:01 am on August 24th

cwrosten writes: I just returned from a visit to northern CA and it hit 111 degrees while I was there. I love seeing what obviously thrives in climates so diverse from my midwestern world. I also am intrigued by the color contrasts Roger and Mary have created in a predominantly golden state. Posted: 7:57 am on August 24th

Jay_Sifford writes: What a great garden! It's so artistically laid out, and with such a beautiful plant palate. I also love the door.
Thanks for sharing. Posted: 7:16 am on August 24th

Vojt writes: stunning! great plant palette and cool stones, door, and art. thanks for sharing. Posted: 6:52 am on August 24th

meander1 writes: Roger and Mary, your have created a mesmerizing garden. I found myself lingering over each photo to enjoy all the intriguing and sometimes subtle details. Love the cast upon the ground statuary head in the picture featuring the succulents and Yucca rostrata. The swath of grasses and lavender in the first photo is intoxicating...my cup runneth over from the beauty of your efforts.
What is the luminous light colored tree in the final picture? I had initially assumed it was a dogwood in bloom but since your identification comments did not mention that, I'm now wondering. Is it a type variegated Japanese maple? And, by the way, do Dogwoods even grow in your part of CA? Posted: 6:30 am on August 24th

You must be logged in to post comments. Log in.

Advertise here for as little as $50. Learn how

Welcome to the Fine Gardening GARDEN PHOTO OF THE DAY blog!

Every weekday we post a new photo of a great garden, a spectacular plant, a stunning plant combination, or any number of other subjects. Think of it as your morning jolt of green.

Sign up to get new posts delivered to your inbox each morning so you'll always remember to take a look, or subscribe to our RSS feed. We look forward to sharing our garden travels with you.

If you think you have a photo that we should share on the Garden Photo of the day, email us. Send hi-res images to mgervais@taunton.com with GPOD in the subject line. We'll only respond if we plan to use your photo.