Garden Photo of the Day

Jane’s Illinois Garden

Growth so far this year

garden bed full of irises

Jane is sharing her northern Illinois garden with us today.

This year the weather has been favorable for my plants to flourish, with periodic rain and warmth despite the windy conditions in northern Illinois.

daffodils and tulips in the gardenThe show started with lots of bulbs as the garden woke up. You can see the weigela (Weigela florida, Zones 5–9) is still not leafed out in the background.

shrub covered in light pink flowers in springMy flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa, Zones 4–8) was pretty this year. And behind it the weigela is now awake and putting out leaves, though it’s still not in flower yet.

purple iris flowers in front of the gardenThen came the iris show. These old-fashioned bearded irises (Iris hybrid, bearded group, Zones 3–8) are vigorous and beautiful.

garden bed full of irisesMore irises fill out this bed, with the smaller-flowered Siberian irises (Iris siberica, Zones 4–8) joining the beardeds. A clump of salvia (Salvia nemorosa, Zones 4–8) echoes the purple colors of the irises.

shade garden full of hostas and foliage plantsSoon the back bed began to fill in with shade plants, including hosta (Hosta hybrids, Zones 4–9), bleeding heart (Digitalis spectabilis, Zones 2–8), astilbe (Astilbe species, Zones 4–9), and Japanese painted ferns (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, Zones 5–8). And my ‘Sun King’ aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’, Zones 3–9) takes center stage.

flowering shrub next to a deckNow the goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus, Zones 4–8) is showing off along our deck. It has grown quite large in the seven years it’s been there.

 

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Comments

  1. garden1953 06/29/2022

    Great gardens! Thanks for sharing.

  2. User avater
    treasuresmom 06/29/2022

    That flowering almond is beautiful!

  3. User avater
    user-7007816 06/29/2022

    Looks like you have had a great Spring.

  4. User avater
    simplesue 06/29/2022

    Such a beautiful grouping of irises and salvia, etc.
    Your Flowering Almond is really pretty, not sure I've ever seen one before, until now.
    Wow everything looks so healthy and happy, and your shade bed-it's really thriving!

  5. btucker9675 06/29/2022

    Love everything about your garden, but that flowering almond is stunning! Beautiful, peaceful space you've created.

  6. madcosta_7 07/07/2022

    Love, love your shade garden. What a collection!!

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