Garden Photo of the Day

Patty’s South Carolina Garden

Catching up on what’s thriving in this garden

agave plant

Today we’re visiting Patty Eckels’s garden in Charleston, South Carolina. We’ve visited with Patty before, and it is great to see how the space has developed in the past few years!

pineapple guavaThe pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana, Zones 7–10) was gorgeous this year. A bit of pruning in the fall helped.

View of the full pineapple guava plantAnd here’s the full pineapple guava plant. Those beautiful flowers will develop into tasty fruit, and, unusually, the petals of the flowers are sweet and tasty as well.

sedum growing around fountain The sedum [probably Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’, Zones 5–9] around the fountain just keeps coming. I pull it up and throw it in other areas of my gardens (without actually “planting” it), and it grows.

Asiatic jasmineProbably five years ago the ditches were dug deeper to help with the flooding in the road. We planted around 100 Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum, Zones 7–11) plugs, and both sides are now covered.

Agave plantingMy pride and joy—agava (Agave americana, Zones 7–11). I have given people many babies from her.

cast-iron plantsThis is a new area. My hubby dug up cast-iron plants (Aspidistra elatior, Zones 7–11) that were back in a corner, and I transplanted them. We shall see what happens.

asiatic jasmine on the side of the driveway I can’t wait to see what flowers come up in the back bed. I just threw a bunch of flower seeds in there. Again, that’s Asiatic jasmine on the other side of the driveway. We dug up some from the other side and planted it in this ditch. (I hated those ditches!)

bear’s breechesThe Acanthus mollis (Zones 6–10), or bear’s breeches, is another favorite of mine. (But then aren’t all flowers/shrubs our favorites?) The leaves stay green, bright, and shiny all winter here. The flowers are almost 4 feet tall.

flax liliesI had 32 flax lilies (Dianella tasmanica, Zone 8–11) along the right side edge here, but the frost got them this past winter. They are struggling. Oh, and there’s “Gargy” the gargoyle!

ferns around the drivewayYears ago I planted a few ferns on the left. They have self-seeded to the bed around the palm trees. Love it! My flax lilies here are struggling from the frost.

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Comments

  1. pattyspencer 11/18/2021

    It looks so peaceful

  2. gardendevas 11/18/2021

    Thanks for sharing your lush garden. That agave! And the acanthus. I have zone envy…

  3. btucker9675 11/18/2021

    Oh, that agave!!! What a beautiful garden around your very pretty house - job well done!

  4. User avater
    simplesue 11/18/2021

    It was so nice to see your pretty South Carolina house and garden! I could just smell the air looking at your garden photos, almost like being there again!
    So wish I could grow Cast Iron plants up north in Pittsburgh (hear I could push the zone with them, but they would die to ground each winter?)
    Your bear’s breeches, are new to me, and so stately almost Foxglove like and I see they grow in zone 6!
    Your big tropical trees are amazing, you are probably used to seeing them but so exotic to me!
    Your Agave is like living sculpture!
    Really love what you are doing with your garden!

  5. User avater
    treasuresmom 11/18/2021

    Wow! That guava is out of this world!

  6. User avater
    cynthia2020 11/19/2021

    Hi, Patty. Thank you for your gardening updates. I like the guava description and how you told us about your successes as well as your disappointments and finally a teaser of what you are looking forward to (the mystery seed mix).

    I have been loving visiting the Charleston area the past two years.

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