Garden Photo of the Day

Pallavi’s Garden in Illinois

Garden solace during a stressful year

Today we’re visiting Pallavi Divekar’s garden in Naperville, Illinois.

Once again it’s my pleasure to share the pictures of my garden with nature lovers and plant lovers. It gives me immense satisfaction and calmness when I spend time in my favorite place—my garden! I can work nonstop in my garden for five to six hours at a time dividing and moving perennials.

red tulipsThis picture is from spring, when my garden blooms start with numerous bulbs, including these tulips. Beautiful colorful blooms add cheer after the cold winters for sure.

This redbud tree (Cercis canadensis, Zones 4–8) looks so pretty in spring with pinkish red buds and the rainbow tulips I have planted underneath—a show-stopper for spring blooms.

bearded irisesNot much behind are the bearded irises (Iris germanica hybrids, Zones 4–10) that are waiting to show off their blooms once the tulips are done. Their timing is perfect, as there’s always something blooming in the yard to appreciate.

white daisiesRight around Mother’s Day the lavender and white lilacs (Syringa vulgaris, Zones 3–7) and the red and white crabapple trees (Malus spp.) are blossoming, adding a depth of color to the backyard, while the front yard gets these daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum, Zones 4–9) around the mailbox area that put on quite a show.

garden patioThis year I volunteered to teach basic gardening lessons online through Zoom. These Zoom sessions got really popular and brought people of similar hobbies together. I taught how to make your own pots with varieties of flowers by purchasing flats of flowers, as the planters with annuals get pretty expensive.

butterfly on a flowerIn this pandemic we really didn’t have human visitors, but I did have a few nonhuman visitors greeting me each day in my yard. I loved having bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

coleusThis coleus is from last year. Though it’s an annual in my zone, I saved it indoors through water propagation and planted it out again in the spring. It has been quite a delight to watch.

fenced gardenThis entire summer the yard has kept me pretty busy with chores, and it has been so relaxing and peaceful breathing in fresh air and hearing the birds chirp and being close to nature. My husband helped me design a small pathway, and it was an incredible DIY project.

pink dahliaAnd last but not least was this year’s show-stopper of my yard—this beautiful dahlia (Dahlia variabilis, Zones 8–10 or as a tender bulb). I saved the tubers from last year and planted them in June, never expecting the flowers to be as big as a dinner plate. Last year they weren’t this big.

 

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Comments

  1. bsavage 11/20/2020

    So lovely! Amazing how our gardens soother our souls...

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      Absolutely , that’s the most peaceful place for me , specially in the stressful pandemic times ❤️

  2. Rebeccazone7 11/20/2020

    The daisies at the mailbox look almost fake...what an eye catcher. This was my first year with dahlias, but none as beautiful as yours, so I left tubers in the ground and am feeling a little guilty about it. I'm sure your zoom gardening was beneficial to both you and new gardeners.

    1. Musette1 11/20/2020

      you still have time to lift them! I just pulled the last of mine (zone 5b-6a) and they are in perfect condition!

    2. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      You could dig them out now and store in a brown bag or box with little compost or peat moss layer 👍
      If you don’t have time to dig , just put some brick or layers of mulch over the tuber just if it snows too much in your area .

  3. Carolyn3134 11/20/2020

    Lovely! I wish I had your level of energy, LOL! Keep it up!!

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      I don’t know but i have a lot more energy outside while working in my garden , can’t keep up with same energy levels inside the house somehow 😩 No energy or motivation to fold clothes for sure 😜😜😝

  4. User avater
    treasuresmom 11/20/2020

    Love all the colors & that includes your lawn furniture.

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      Thank you 🙏 I love vibrant colors and hence colorful chairs too 😊

  5. Musette1 11/20/2020

    this garden is a delight! Thanks for sharing!

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      So glad to hear that ❤️

  6. User avater
    simplesue 11/20/2020

    All mail carriers should be so lucky as to deliver mail to a cloud of daisies!
    You've created a very pretty and happy garden and personal sanctuary!

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      Awww... yes those daisies are quite attractive , I had planted seeds and they haven’t disappointed me year after year 😊

  7. User avater
    cynthia2020 11/20/2020

    Pallavi - your exuberance for gardening comes through in your text and photos! I love all the cheerful flower colors. Your redbud is such a nice shape, too. What a great idea to connect people with Zoom gardening classes during a time when people might feel isolated.

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      Thank you 🙏 I loved teaching on zoom , making planters , best part that was challenging since it was first time online gardening session , was adjusting the camera . I used my hairdo mannequin stand , attached a selfie stick on it snd my phone to it and it worked for that session 😊

  8. btucker9675 11/20/2020

    Thank you for sharing your bright and beautiful garden. I've just planted two redbuds this year and hope they will become as pretty as yours soon! Kudos to your husband on the perfection of the walkway.

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

      The walkway in pictures is not done by us , it’s professionally done . The one my husband and I did together was a pathway . Will check if I can put that pic here . Thank you though ❤️🙏

  9. PallaviDivekar 11/20/2020

    Thank you so much for your lovely comments, sure motivating and encouraging for me to keep doing better ❤️

  10. sohappygardening 11/20/2020

    So much color! You’ve done a beautiful job.. No wonder it is your happy place. Keep on gardening. It is such good therapy for us.

    1. PallaviDivekar 11/22/2020

      Absolutely, thank you so much from one gardener to another 🙏

  11. carolineyoungwilliams 11/24/2020

    Pallavi, your garden is so beautiful. I especially love your use of bold colors. It really is cheerful and a great way to welcome all of the beautiful flying friends. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful creation. Blessings to you.

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