Garden Photo of the Day

Sarah's library children's garden in Maine

Michelle Gervais, Senior Editor

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Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

2 WAYS TO ENLARGE: Click directly on the photo to enlarge in a pop-up, or click HERE to see this image, larger, in a new browser window. - See more at: http://www.finegardening.com/share/post/26761#sthash.EpQPXmgq.dpuf

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

2 WAYS TO ENLARGE: Click directly on the photo to enlarge in a pop-up, or click HERE to see this image, larger, in a new browser window. - See more at: http://www.finegardening.com/share/post/26761#sthash.5VQFjXWz.dpuf

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

Photo: Courtesy of Sara Wolpow

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Today's photos are from Sarah Wolpow in Brunswick, Maine. If you'll recall, we visited her garden back in February of 2012 (refresh your memory HERE). Today she's sharing another project near and dear to her heart. She says, "Here are some images from a children's garden I designed and installed for the Topsham Public Library in Topsham, Maine. They had an existing spiral path that was laid out by a boy scout several years earlier. They wanted a "rainbow garden" theme, with something going around the spiral. The site is very sunny, hot, and sandy, and they didn't want a huge maintenance headache. I picked tough plants that would not need irrigation after the first year. I planned the arc of the rainbow in four sections: red & pink, yellow & orange, green & white, and blue & purple. I used plants that would attract butterflies, birds & bees, and that had interesting textures. The garden was installed in 2011. Most of the pictures are from 2012, its second season. We had a terrible problem with asiatic garden beetles the first summer - they munched to the ground achillea, salvia, helianthus, heliopsis, echinacea, and centranthus. The second summer was much better -possibly because the garden didn't get much water and the beetle grubs need some soil moisture to hatch. I have a small business doing garden design/installation/renovation in Brunswick, Maine (ThistleGaard Perennial Garden Design)." So nice, Sarah! I love how you followed the line of the spiral, and the plants all seem like stalwart classics--sure to thrive and please. I'll be taking notes for my newly-sunny front yard that I'll be designing this spring. Thanks!

#1: End of pink & red, heading into yellow & orange. Hemerocallis 'Baja' or 'Chicago Apache', Sedum 'Maestro', Asclepias tuberosa, tall Verbascum 'Polar Summer' (one of the highlights - tho I doubt it will have overwintered), Heliopsis 'Summer Nights', which could have used more water, Coreopsis 'Moonbeam', Euphorbia 'Bonfire'.
#2: Before
#3: During
#6: Pink & red, Fall 2012. Potentilla 'Monarch's Velvet' and Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and possible 'Cloud Walker'
#7: Yellow/orange looking toward white/green and blue/purple. Achillea  - probably 'Coronation Gold' and 'TerraCotta' - it's hard to grow achillea in Maine because of wet winter soil - this is the best spot I've found for it. Panicum, Verbascum, and Nepeta in the back.
#8: Coreposis 'Moonbeam', Liatris 'Floristan White', Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears', Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'
#9: Liatris 'Kobold', Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus', Echinops 'Vietch's Blue' (darker blue) and the straight species Echinops ritro.

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Comments (20)

Antonio_Reis writes: Are you also clicking on the photo itself? That enlarges the photos too. Posted: 9:02 am on March 5th

tractor1 writes: gardengal42: some days the "Click to enlarge" feature is simply not enabled, there really is no logical reason why not, just like there is no logical reason why the "save log on" feature doesn't function. But what I gave you is an alternative to use on those photos you want to enlarge. Posted: 8:27 pm on March 4th

gardengal42 writes: TKS for the help BUT it does not say "chick here to enlarge or click on the picture" When you click on the picture it is not as large as the words "click here".. Posted: 7:46 pm on March 4th

tractor1 writes: gardengal42: Right click on picture, click on "Save Picture as", and then save it to wherever you save picture... then you can view full screen. However very often the pictures were not captured with a high resolution cameras so when viewed full screen will be blurry, but try it. Posted: 6:14 pm on March 4th

tntreeman writes: all my "clicks" work perfectly as they always have Posted: 4:52 pm on March 4th

gardengal42 writes: Why can't we click on the (here) word to enlarge the picture??? Where did the click here choice go?? The picture was larger and much better to view the gardens.... Posted: 4:12 pm on March 4th

JaneEliz writes: Lovely garden you created , Sarah. I shall stop by and see it , in person, in the warm weather. Posted: 3:55 pm on March 4th

ThistleGaard writes: The Dianthus is 'Bath's Pink' and is one of the toughest around here. It must have doubled in size by the second season. Posted: 1:10 pm on March 4th

rwotzak writes: Beautiful job, Sarah! Kids' gardens are great. Gotta get 'em interested early, and what better way?

On that note: Michelle, we need to see more pics from the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens!
http://www.finegardening.com/item/23966/scenes-from-the-coastal-maine-botanical-gardens Posted: 10:24 am on March 4th

SilkPurseGarden writes: Congratulations! A worthwhile project very well done and without a doubt enjoyed by your whole community. I especially love photo five with all the shades and textures of green. Can you tell me the name of that lovely dianthus with the dark purple bracts in that photo? I'm always looking for plants to combine with purple-leaved foliage and this seems like it would be a real winner, maybe with Sedum 'Purple Emperor.' Posted: 9:48 am on March 4th

tractor1 writes: Good job on that helix! I would interspace the perennials with dwarf conifers to add winter interest. And this garden needs a sculpture to keep your gorgeous fish company... perhaps in keeping with the nautical theme a nautilus... or a more thought provoking saucer like UFO. Unfortunately those granite sculptures can break your bank, those prices rock! Thank you, Sarah. Posted: 9:25 am on March 4th

pattyspencer writes: Beautiful! I'm suspecting that the Boy Scout did that as his Eagle Project and not from a love of gardening but that being said there are 130 Merit Badges a boy can do and there is a Gardening Merit Badge - http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Gardening Posted: 9:20 am on March 4th

kgamel writes: I'm curious to know the purple-lavender flowering plant in #5. It kind of looks like Dianthus but it's taller than what I'm familiar with. It's very pretty! Posted: 9:15 am on March 4th

ThistleGaard writes: tntreeman: I went and looked at the JaneEliz post - it is indeed the same Jane that I know. She has an absolutely spectacular garden! I've shopped at her Plants for Peace sale many times. Posted: 8:40 am on March 4th

tntreeman writes: JaneEliz was featured a short while back, winter garden and with a beautiful narrative to her feature. has a plant sale in may, Plants for Peace, i thought if you didn't know her,,,you should! seems like a good person to know. your Achillea story explains why the ONLY Achillea i have that will stand up grows at the edge of my burn pile in the back acre. it always performs with NO water, No care and burned over 3 times each year. have fun! and your garden there is beautiful Posted: 8:37 am on March 4th

bee1nine writes: Really nice spiral shaping design! Also wonderful, how you
chose all those free-flowing perennial plants to set the
theme!
Sarah, lovely work, and thanks for sharing!:) Posted: 8:35 am on March 4th

ThistleGaard writes: tntreeman: Thanks for the comments. Achillea grows well here but only in extremely well drained sandy soil. I can't grow it in the regular garden beds at my house - even the ones that get no water - b/c there is too much compost in the soil (too wet, too rich). The only place I can grow it at my house is in the hell strip between my yard and the sidewalk that gets tons of winter salt, is very sandy, and gets blasted by late afternoon western sun. I do know a Jane here who is a gardener - perhaps the same person? There are deer around - it just depends on exactly where you live.
meander1: The spiral still looks a little lost in the hugs lawn behind the library. They are fundraising to install a much bigger garden out back - with tables and benches. Posted: 8:34 am on March 4th

GrnThum writes: I love the concept of a rainbow garden! Makes me want to tear out my existing hardscape and start again with one of these lovely spirals (a stroke of genius from that boy scout - could be a budding Master Gardener!) Excellent job. Posted: 8:13 am on March 4th

meander1 writes: Wow, anyone who ever wonders if it's worth putting in a perennial garden need only look at these pictures to be reassured that the effort will be well worth it! Amazing that everything looks so bountiful and filled in by season 2. The spiral pathway now seems much more welcoming and generously sized. Maybe in the years to come, there should be a community fundraising effort to buy some great benches to place along the way and/or a special piece of artwork at the end of the spiral (ha, there I go with ideas of how to spend other people's money).
Anyway, Sarah, great job! Posted: 7:28 am on March 4th

tntreeman writes: very nice , lush and full of color! i love when a perennial garden first emerges in spring (breakfast), then all filled in and setting bud for flowers (lunch), and finally full of flower/color providing a full on gluttonous feast. i remember JaneEliz (also in Brunswick) saying she had no deer in her area, , do you know her? you said Achillea was difficult to grow there but yours look great. here by the time they flower mine are floppy and lazing around in every direction. Posted: 6:32 am on March 4th

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