Today we’re visiting Cindy Lindstedt’s garden in Wisconsin.
I have been gardening for 25 years, am certified as a Southeastern Wisconsin Master Gardener (SEWMG) and am a member of the SumMerDel Garden Club (towns of Summit, Merton, and Delafield in southeastern Wisconsin).
My husband of 52 years and I live on 142 acres in Jefferson County, a rural area west of Milwaukee, where he drives to our family business, Advanced Plating Technologies.
I have approximately 20 separate “themed” gardens on the property, from the entranceway drive-through log archway to the rock wall garden to the bear garden, rock garden, hosta gardens, ice house garden, gardens surrounding the log home decks, and, yes, even a vegetable garden. This keeps me happily busy throughout the growing season.
Most of my plantings are labeled not only because I’ve donated plants to the annual Southeast Wisconsin Master Gardeners plant sale and needed to know the cultivar, but because, like children, I want to know their identity—names and habit.
My husband is the trees-for-tomorrow poster boy, having planted hundreds of trees on our property. Two of our favorites are the Princeton maples (Acer platanoides ‘Princeton Gold’, Zones 3–7), which almost glow in the spring, and the fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus, Zones 3–9).
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE peonies, the old-fashioned herbaceous kind you have to “hoop” lest their heavy blooms flop, tree peonies, and Itoh (intersectional) crosses.
My gardens are a dynamic, ever-changing, ever-being-refined work of art. They have come a L-O-N-G way from my early days of enthusiastically saying “yes” to whatever plant anyone wanted to give me and plopping it into my hodgepodge thickets. Many of my more aggressive plants have been relocated to what I call my prairie garden, where they can fight it out on their own.
We have hosted several garden tours through the years, some as fund-raisers for local causes, some just to allow others to savor the beauty of God’s creation.
The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth;
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.
I have a sign I picked up while traveling in Germany that reads, “Andere gehen zur THERAPIE. Ich gehe in mine GARTEN.” (Others go to THERAPY. I go in my GARDEN.)
That says it all!
Iris ‘Cherub’s Smile’ (Zones 3–9)
Joseph Rock peony (Paeonia rockii, Zones 4–8)
‘Guardian of the Monastery’ tree peony (Paeonia ‘Guardian of the Monastery’, Zones 4–8)
‘Princess Saho’ tree peony
‘Leda’ tree peony
‘Armageddon’ iris
‘Scarlet O’Hara’ herbaceous peony
Fern leaf peony (Paeonia tenuifolia, Zones 4–8) is the first peony to bloom in springtime.
Baptisia ‘Carolina Moonlight’ (Zones 4–9), with Amsonia (Zones 5–8), ‘Coral Charm’ peony, white gas plant (Dictamnus albus, Zones 3–8), ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’ peony, Siberian iris (Iris siberica hybrid, Zones 3–8), ‘Cameo Lullaby’ peony, and ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ peony
Peonia lactiflora ‘Largo’
‘Coral Charm’ peony with white gas plant
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!
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Comments
How beautiful. Peonies work so well in your climate, much better than here. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful gardens and setting. Must be a full time job keeping them in such great shape.
Love the peonies.
Thanks for this showcase of some of your peonies, Cindy. It's clear from your intro statement that there could be many more photo series to share with us and I hope you'll curate more. They would be great inspiration, and we are glad you're labelling and sharing the cultivar names with us
You have a fabulous garden and log home!
Wow, and it's all set in beautiful surroundings of trees, and nature and great views.
Perfection!
Absolutely gorgeous. (And your home is beautiful too!)
Thank you so much for sharing. Wish I could attend a garden tour there .... It's swoon worthy! 🍃
Lovely gardens. You must have an army of helpers! Hard to imagine the whole garden covered in snow and having it all come back in the spring! I feel sorry for my poor garden here in Redding, CA, triple digits daily and no rain the whole summer…I’m thankful to have anything green! And nice to enjoy your lush garden…thanks for sharing and great photos…
Where to start.... those peonies.... that fern leafed peony.... that baptisia... Everything is just spectacular! Thank you for sharing your beautiful place with us.
So beautiful!!! Fern leaf Peony ???? Never heard of such. Be still, my heart. Beautiful garden & I thank you for sharing.
Cindy, your gardens make me smile with their lush beauty. The peonies you featured are so full and wonderful, but the queen of the group is definitely the fern leaf peony with her feathery leaves. She is magnificent! The rest of the garden you have shown us is equally impressive, especially as a frame for your awesome home! I second the request for more photos showing your different garden areas, the views you have teased us with are beautifully curated. More please!
Really appreciate all those cultivar names, which we usually don't get. The gas plant is one of my favorites; very underused. Mine has just finished here in Jersey. As beautiful as the flowers are, I love the giant swallowtail caterpillars which come after the flowering. I did not know it is a host plant for them when I bought it. Those caterpillars are so goofy looking, I get such a kick out of them. Thank you for sharing.
I was reading your article about gardening and I loved it! I feel like we have some common interests. You’ve got the right idea when you said “beautiful gardens are both a rite of passage and an expression of who we are on the inside.” It sounds like you love flowers too, which is awesome because my family owns a flower garden that would be perfect for hosting weddings or events! We grow peonies in our garden year-round (and they're very popular!) but our specialty is August to November with over 5 acres filled with these gorgeous blooms around every corner. hedge trimmer
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