Garden Photo of the Day

Laura’s Romantic Garden

A cottage garden in New Jersey

garden at sunset

Today we’re off to southern New Jersey to visit Laura Boissonnault’s beautiful garden.

front of home with light post and plantsLaura’s house is a colonial-style home built in 1920, and her romantic, cottage-garden design complements the building perfectly.

white fence with pink hyrangeaSoft pink hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 6–9) and blue clematis (Clematis hybrid, big-flowered group, Zones 5–9) glow against bright white fencing.

vegetable garden beds with calendulaEven the vegetable garden is beautiful, with a soft peach-colored calendula (Calendula officinalis, annual) blooming in the foreground. Calendula is beautiful, and the petals are edible as well.

plants growing along a white fenceAlternating clumps of salvia (Salvia nemorosa, Zones 3–8) and pink sea thrift (Armeria maritima, Zones 4–8) bloom against a white fence.

light pink flowers growing near homeThis part of the garden is all soft pink from roses and annuals.

potted plants on porch stepsPots of geraniums (Pelargonium hybrid, annual) bloom on the front steps. It is clear that Laura is very thoughtful about the colors she chooses in the garden, leaning heavily on pinks, blues, and purples to a create calm, unified color story.

rose-covered archIs there any more romantic way to welcome people into the garden than a rose-covered arch?

More climbing roses blooming on a white trellis. Climbing roses don’t cling to their supports the way true vines do, so each of the long stems has to be carefully tied into place to create a display like this, and Laura has done it beautifully. The light paint color on the wall and white trellis provide the perfect backdrop for the glowing rose blooms.

light pink dahlias in front of a gardenSoft pink dahlias (Dahlia variabilis, Zones 8–10 or as a tender bulb) open their huge, many-petaled blooms. The view of the garden beyond shows that this isn’t a huge garden out in the country but a smaller space with many close neighbor houses, but Laura has used that space perfectly to create a magical garden.

garden at sunsetWhat better way to end a visit to this garden than with a view of the glowing sky in soft pastel colors that echo the blooms in the garden itself?

If you want to see more from Laura, check out her instagram: @howsitgrowingnj

 

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Comments

  1. garden1953 07/16/2021

    Very beautiful!

  2. Rebeccazone7 07/16/2021

    Absolutely gorgeous. It looks like New Dawn growing along the front of the house. I'm curious what you used to train it. I have a couple new ones that I'm eager to get higher. Also love the clematis and would love the actual name of yours. It's obvious the amount of love and time you are putting into it...kudos.

  3. blondie3 07/16/2021

    Love the details, well done, the flower pots, baskets, light pole, vegetable garden wow, thank you for sharing, I love learning from other gardeners.

  4. nwphilagardener 07/16/2021

    It's fun to see a photo series with such a consistent color palette. Just scrolling from those peachy pink dahlias to the glorious sunset made me smile. So many of us lean toward a specific color or two by instinct. Using it to organize a garden takes our preferences to a next level.

  5. bunny2luv 07/16/2021

    Such a beautiful house and garden! The house colors evoke the colors on Monet's home in Giverney. Love the dahlias; do I see a Cafe au Lait, or one of it's darker cousins?

  6. User avater
    simplesue 07/16/2021

    I so enjoy seeing a gardeners house in context to the garden, it really gives you a feeling of being there, and you can see the big picture...yours is all just darling!
    Gee, I love your choice of plants, fences, details and all of it!!!!!
    You really do have a picture perfect garden- I really enjoyed seeing all the beauty you created!

  7. btucker9675 07/16/2021

    Love, love, love - your house and gardens. Everything is simply beautiful and I'm jealous of your NJ location (although my NJ gardens were in the north east area). Gardening there is such a pleasure but I've been working hard to learn how to deal with the clay and super hot summers here in the Charlotte area. Love the creative use of the basket for your house numbers - perfect with the cottage style! Thank you for sharing this charming space with us.

  8. User avater
    bdowen 07/16/2021

    Love seeing what you have done with your space. Such beautiful color combinations, especially when highlighted by the sunset colors. I want to know more about the clay pots upside down on the dark posts.

  9. User avater
    treasuresmom 07/16/2021

    Lovely!

  10. jerryboi 07/20/2021

    looks amazing! .

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