Garden Photo of the Day

Dorothy's garden in Maryland

comments (33) March 7th, 2013 in blogs

Michelle Gervais, Senior Editor

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'Regal Splendor' hosta

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Photo: Courtesy of Dorothy Bailey

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Today's photos are from Dorothy Bailey. She says, "These pictures are of my gardens at my home in Maryland where we lived for 25 years. I moved last summer and I am starting over. Our neighborhood lot was just under an acre and heavily wooded when we moved in. We had to remove a number of trees that were too close to the house. I was new to gardening and it was a challenge to find plants that would grow in the shade and the hard, dry soil. It was a challenge because so many of the shade lovers also like extra water. I fell in love with the genus Hosta, daylilies, and many woodland plants. Some of them didn't bloom as heavy or grow as large in the dry shade, but I loved them just the same." Doesn't look like you had much of a problem at all, Dorothy--your plants looked great! Please do tell us more about your new property, and what your grand plans are. Sometimes starting over is so much fun!

*****A NOTE ON COMMENTS*****
Hey all--just a reminder to be nice in the comments, especially to each other. Think about how your off-topic comments may affect the person whose garden is being featured. If it were me, I'd be royally BUMMED if, on the day the results my hard work was being showcased, everyone was distracted by not-so-nice stuff...I hate to be a censor, but, based on the emails I got yesterday and some advice from loyal GPODers, I have decided that I will delete contentious comments from now on. Again, we're not discussing politics here, people. Gardening = happiness and joy, right?? And dirt and deer, and worms, and sweat and aching muscles...but I digress.

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Comments (33)

mauritian_host writes: The 'El Desperado' daylily is so beautiful do show us your new garden Dorothy
tractor1 I would like to salute you for the wonderful info you give to others.. ;) Not everyone is like you, love your personality Posted: 1:30 pm on March 10th

passwords writes: Gorgeous daylillies. Just love the color. I've struggled with climatis for several years and finally got them to bloom for me after about 5 years!!! Most everyone else seems to find them so easy. Posted: 1:34 pm on March 8th

yardmom writes: tntreeman, my forest pansy redbud did not have that problem, maybe because it was still young. But I have had that happen to another redbud on the edge of the woods.
My new yard is also wooded in the back but the soil is better than at my other home!
The two clematis are Claire de Lune (the lighter one) and F.H.Young. Posted: 5:49 am on March 8th

santee writes: Beautiful puple colors. These are my favorites blends. Can you tell me the names of the two Clematis show together? I need to have these in my garden in Washington State. Posted: 12:38 am on March 8th

meander1 writes: tractor1, thanks for the helpful info on the more preferable placement for a Forest Pansy Redbud. Mine was out in pretty much full sun so I guess it's understandable that I didn't have a good outcome with it. Sigh...it was a beauty for a while! Posted: 10:04 pm on March 7th

JaneEliz writes: It must have been hard leaving this wonderful garden but I bet you are having great fun creating something new. My new garden is always my favorite garden.
It looks to me like you have 2 different clematis growing on your arbor-both gorgeous! Do you know who they are? Posted: 9:53 pm on March 7th

tractor1 writes: meander1: redbud forest pansy naturally grows under much larger trees where it's well protected from snow accumulating on its branches. However when growiing out in the open as a specimen tree where snow/ice can acculate on its branches it's prone to damage from the excess weight. It's best to do severe pruning so that its lower branches gain girth before they gain height and breadth and prune so acute branch angles don't form. And since its leaves tend to hang on into late fall/early winter it's a good idea to strip off as many as you can reach of its shriveled leaves before snow/ice can acculate on them which will add excess weight. Mine split too and so I asked the arborist at my favorite nursery and he explained what I wrote above. Posted: 7:59 pm on March 7th

mamemu09 writes: that daylily looks gorgeous...beautiful garden! Posted: 5:20 pm on March 7th

caymanmama writes: Dorothy, you have a great gift with color in the garden and what a great gift you left with the new owners! Not all of us get to start all over. Just think of the new combinations you can use in your new gardens! Send photos of before and after for us! Posted: 3:30 pm on March 7th

n2hostas writes: Very lovely garden. I am just am so jealous of your beautiful blue clematis. Wondering if you were able to take any of your treasures to your new home? Posted: 2:41 pm on March 7th

tntreeman writes: i had the same splitting to happen in a big snowstorm to a Seiryu japanese maple. makes me wary of planting anything with a branching habit of outstretched hands twig fingers catch a lot of snow. i am envious of Dorothy's clematis Posted: 11:58 am on March 7th

meander1 writes: Happily Gardening, I sure know what you mean about the close-up shot of the varying blue shades of that lovely large flowered clematis. After I made it larger, I stared at it like a starving woman just presented with a bountiful buffet! I am soo ready for spring to really kick off and the cycles of flowering to begin.

tntreeman, boy, do I know what you mean about the heartache of trunk splitting Forest Pansy Redbuds. We had a glorious one...ha, I referred to it as my "vanity" tree because I loved where we planted it and I was so pleased with picking out one with great bones. It stroked my ego for 3 or 4 years and then, one day, when I was toodling past it on my golf cart to do some chores a little further on in that bed, my jaw dropped and I literally gasped with horror as I saw it broken apart. One half had split almost totally off and there was no rescuing it. I was really bummed to say the least! Posted: 11:49 am on March 7th

JanisCort writes: One of my favorite color combinations. I also like the plant Pulmonaria which has a varigated leaf and blue /purple flower in early spring. If you want to learn more about Hostas and a chance to see or collect more hostas check out the American Hosta Society. There may be a local group near you. Posted: 11:16 am on March 7th

wittyone writes: Dorothy, the plantings you have nurtured are absolutely lovely, well placed and lush. One would think you had wonderful soil and water conditions to work with from the get-go.

What fun you will have in your new location---starting from scratch with plants but with a 25 years of accumulated gardening knowledge to work with.

Be sure to take "before" pictures of your new place so we can keep track of your progress in the future. Posted: 10:47 am on March 7th

Happily_Gardening writes: My goodness the Clematis is superb, the colors candy to the eyes. The second picture down, left side stole my heart, I am in love! As the old saying goes, you've taken lemons and made lemonade. Speaking of lemonade, wouldn't it be wonderful to enjoy a glass on that lovely screened porch. Posted: 10:47 am on March 7th

yardmom writes: Thank you all for your lovely comments! You made my day!
Shineeday, the shrub is a deciduous azalea, 'Rosey Lights' I think. That is a Forest Pansy Redbud. I miss it.
I never hesitated trying any plant in my dry shade. It got watered the first season, but rarely after that since we were on well water. The plants made it or they didn't. I had over 400 varieties of hosta, maybe 30 kinds of Daylilies and a dozen different clematis. Most of my garden beds were made after my kids got older.
And yes, it was hard to leave! Posted: 10:35 am on March 7th

tntreeman writes: dorothy, i do like the forest pansy redbud/ flowers and leaf color and small size but i have had a problem with them splitting with our wet snows here no matter how i carefully prune hoping to prevent that. haveyou had that problem? how did you solve it or has anyone else experienced that. what to do? Posted: 9:43 am on March 7th

bethnbijoux writes: Dorothy, I love your plant combinations and your color palette is exquisite! Can't wait to see what you do next! Posted: 9:22 am on March 7th

briandowns writes: To " shineeday"- The small tree that I believe you refer to is most likely Cercis canadensis' Forest Pansy'.The other picture, well I'm not sure. Posted: 9:21 am on March 7th

tractor1 writes: Wet soil can be just as much a challenge as dry, sometimes with wet areas all one can grow is a wildflower meadow.

http://i48.tinypic.com/1hth7c.jpg Posted: 8:30 am on March 7th

bee1nine writes: Dorothy- I too, agree that selecting plants for dry shade IS
a challenge. I have to deal with this myself! Your lovely
photo's have enlightned me with other creative ideas to put
into use. By the way, absolutely LOVE your most captivating
blue clematis!!
Wishing you lots of gardeners success in your new gardens!:) Posted: 8:26 am on March 7th

tractor1 writes: I'm guessing that to learn where Dorothy is moving we'll have to follow Toto through her superb pergola with its array of gorgeous clematis, pass what appears to be a lovely redbud forest pansy on the right, and follow the yellow brick road... okay, let's all pretend those bricks are gold! I love that screened porch with a view, a grand location for an enjoyable repast without buzzing biters. The soil is probably dry due to that crowd of large trees, their roots constantly wicking moisture from the soil, and with the house up a knoll water naturally runs downhill. But still the plants all look lush and healthy. With my property always wet I can emphatically say there's a lot to be said for dry ground. I'm always suprised at how what seems like half the contributers complain about their poor soil that they didn't discover until after they moved in... I would suggest that anyone into gardening go house hunting armed with a garden spade. Thank you for sharing, Dorothy, and good luck at your new digs. Posted: 8:05 am on March 7th

trashywoman62 writes: Dorothy, the lushness of your beds hides the fact you have dry shade. I too garden under 3 old (40+yrs) firs and native oak trees (100+yrs). You did a wonderful job on the winding brick pathway to the...ahhh...screen porch. Now there is a garden delight if ever I saw one! It must be fabulous sitting out there after gardening all day and looking at your hard work as dusk creeps in without getting eatin up by mosquitos! So relaxing just seeing that photo!

Is the tree in the bed by your arbor a dogwood? The leaf color threw me off but it's branching looks like a young one. I would love to see more pics of the woodland edge plantings, I can zoom in and see you have lots of hostas planted there. I too am a hosta and daylily lover. They are workhorses in difficult places.

Good luck in the new garden! Posted: 8:00 am on March 7th

Quiltingmamma writes: "Purple and green
purple and green
loveliest combo
I ever have seen"
Okay, I am not skilled in poetry, but I have always been drawn to that colour combo. Enough that others joke about it as it is also always in my quilts. So I love your P & G photos and empathize on the dry shade thing. Lovely garden, thank for sharing it. I hope your new garden will create as much pleasure as I am sure you had here. Posted: 7:52 am on March 7th

meander1 writes: What a delightful arbor for your beautiful, large flower clematis to scamper up...I won't dwell on how fortunate the new owner is. One of the nice things about screwing up one's courage and submitting pictures to GPOD is that now these images will live on in cyberspace and will only be a click away for anyone to enjoy. I, too, am interested in what challenges your new gardening situation is presenting. Hopefully, you still have places for lush hosta, delectable daylilies and stunning clematis. Posted: 7:42 am on March 7th

shineeday writes: I love the combination of texture and color. The blues just does it for me. The ornamental snail in the first pic is a nice surprise. The arbor and paved walk are nice as well. Can anyone identify the items in the first pic on the right side( I do recognize the hosta) as well as the small tree or shrub in the rear of the second pic on the right side? Thank you. Posted: 7:37 am on March 7th

Vojt writes: Great shots of some beautiful plants. Your trillium looks so healthy and vigorous: guess it's a very natural choice for a woodland! Posted: 7:28 am on March 7th

wGardens writes: Love what you were able to accomplish with your gardens. Looks beautiful- in fact- hard to leave behind. Would love to see what your area looks like now, and what you hope to do with it. Love the daylily that you showcased, I have one similar- they are awesome! Thanks for sharing- and do keep in touch about your developing new gardens! Posted: 6:51 am on March 7th

briandowns writes: Also, I love the combination of Hosta with Hyacinthoides hispanica; I have Hosta ' June ' with mine- the yellow and blue thing always works! Posted: 6:44 am on March 7th

grannieannie1 writes: Ah, the beauty and color of clematis! And I liked seeing your birdbath snuggled in amongst the foliage of hosta. Posted: 6:21 am on March 7th

briandowns writes: Love the glaucous blue in the foliage and then mirrored in the Clematis flowers. The more I garden the more I like Clematis- what a performer! Maryland, my Maryland! Posted: 6:14 am on March 7th

tntreeman writes: dry shade,,,,always difficult but that didn't seem to be a problem! great color and diversity. is your new garden also dry shade? or have you entered a brave new world. Posted: 5:30 am on March 7th

appaloosa writes: The daylilly is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Posted: 3:07 am on March 7th

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