Garden Photo of the Day

Carla’s Cottage Garden in Connecticut, Revisited

Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton

Remember when I visited Carla Wheaton’s (cwheat000) garden in my town (New Milford, Connecticut) this spring (refresh your memory HERE)?

Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ and ‘Zebrinus’ and Echinacea ‘Milkshake’ and ‘Hot Papaya’. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton

I fell in love with its cottagey, exuberant style. Well, I meant to go back for some summer shots, but it never happened. How the heck did the summer go by so QUICKLY? Luckily, Carla took some photos and was kind enough to send them in to share.

Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton

She says, “Here are some pictures of my garden this summer. It is hard to believe it is the same space. It has really exploded and most of these plants are less than two years old. Next year I will have to do a little better job staking, as some things got bigger than expected. My Agastache got almost 6 feet tall, when I was only expecting 2 to 3 feet. The hummingbirds are going nuts. Believe it or not, there are still a lot of holes to fill. I’m having fun doing it and learning a lot as I go.” Gorgeous yet again, Carla.

Coreopsis ‘Zagreb’ and ‘Sweet Dreams’ and Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Perilla, barberry ‘Concorde’, bloody dock, Echinacea ‘Pow Wow Wildberry’ and thyme. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Betony, ajuga and sweet alyssum. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Achillea ‘Coranation Gold , Leucanthemum’ Broadway Lights’ and ‘Becky’. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Pulmonaria ‘Diana Claire’ , Heuchera ‘Berry Smoothie’ and ‘Sashay’, and Tiarella. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Cleome and some Karma series dahlias and Agastache. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
Salvia and eupatorium. Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton
The Mexican feather grass that survived my zone 5/6 garden since last year and Ceratostigma (plumbago). Photo: Courtesy of Carla Wheaton

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View 17 comments

Comments

  1. Annedean 10/01/2012

    You grow many of my favorite flowers-- I love the abundance of each variety in your garden! You've guven me several good ideas-- thanks.

  2. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 10/01/2012

    Your garden is so exhuberant and inviting! Love the plants and combinations. Somehow I missed the first post. Well done.

  3. User avater
    meander_michaele 10/01/2012

    There's the common phrase, "My cup runneth over" and in honor of Carla's wonderful pictures, I am inspired to create a new saying, "Her garden spillith over". What delightful and enviable abundance. I am not familiar with two of her named echineas Papaya and Milkshake but they look fun and interesting. I planted a couple of the Pow Wow Berry echinacea two years ago and was happy with how they stayed shorter and more compact.
    Carla, you really have an artist eye for great color combinations that echo and compliment each other.

  4. GrnThum 10/01/2012

    Nirvana for butterflies!

  5. plant_lady_55 10/01/2012

    Your garden is beautiful!!! I have been overcoming the desire to purchase Pow Wow coneflower all summer. Now I'm afraid I'm going to go looking for it before the nurseries are empty. It is stunning. How long have you had Hot Papaya? I added HP this year, but I have a hard time getting the hybrid coneflowers through our Michigan winters (zone 5/6). I love your plant combinations.

  6. annek 10/01/2012

    "Abundant", " exuberant", "nirvana", "spilling over"....yes, my fellow-bloggers have used perfect descriptors. What a complicated and deliciously colorful garden you've created! Well done!

    By the by, what are the red and white flowers in you third photo? They are so eye-catching!

  7. pattyspencer 10/01/2012

    Love all your color combinations!! Really nice garden!!

  8. tractor1 10/01/2012

    Fabulous flowers! Carla has created a magnificent palette of shapes and colors. More pictures with that azure sky please.

  9. rwotzak 10/01/2012

    Your garden looks better than ever in these photos, Carla! Michelle and I really do need to stop by for another visit soon.

  10. cwheat000 10/01/2012

    Good Monday morning everyone. What fun to see my garden here again. Thank you so much Michelle for going through all those photos I sent you. Annedean-if I have given someone else some ideas, that is the highest compliment. Vojt,grnthumb,pattyspencer- thank you so much for the kind words. Plantlady55,meander1 in reference to coneflowers- so far I have had no trouble with the hybrid cone flowers. Hot papaya and milkshake I planted the spring before last from small 4 inch mail order pots( santarosagardens and bluestoneperennials). Those 6 plants now fill a 6'x3' swath and are a good 36" tall. They have not only survived their first winter, but thrived. I counted and I figured out I now have 14 varieties of coneflowers, most of them newer hybrids. Some of them have increased nicely for 2 zone 5/6 winters now, the first one being quite harsh. I don't know how long lived they will be, but I hope they continue to do well ,because I love them. Even if they only survived 3 or 4 seasons I would grow them again. Some of the new colors are so vibrant. I got all of them deeply discounted at the above 2 websites in May. I second meander1's comments on pow wow wild berry and I have heard those can be grown from seed. Annek- if you are talking about the third photo straight down from the top corner, those are two similar varieties of coreopsis-heaven's gate and sweet dreams. Heaven's gate is the slightly more color saturated of the two in the background. So far they have been great, the deer haven't touched them, and they are for zones 5-8 . Tractor1-thank you for the kind words. That azure sky is from just last week , unlike most of the pictures which are from mid summer. I am sorry to see the summer go, but those crisp, clear autumn days are wonderful. I bet you will have some great autumn foliage in and around your property, later this month.

  11. TeriCA 10/01/2012

    I know this is simplistic but I love the combo of daisies and the Yarrow! Your garden is lovely!

  12. snollygaster 10/01/2012

    Nice plant pics, Carla, and thanks for sharing with us again. I really find the repetition visually satisfying. Also, interesting placement of the rumex, a plant about which I have been dithering. I will definitely snag some next spring!

    Burning question, please: Of your 2 daisies, which one repeat blooms the best? Broadway Lights or Becky?

    Thanks and Happy Fall to everyone!

  13. cwheat000 10/01/2012

    Rwotzak- is this Michelle's husband? I would love to have you guys back and meet Miyako too. As I was saying to Michelle, now isn't the greatest time in my garden, however. I have started to cut things back and I am letting the deer eat what they want, since we will probably have a frost within the next 2 weeks. I will definitely keep in touch.

  14. sheila_schultz 10/01/2012

    Carla, your gardens are spectacular and your combinations are exquisite. I'm drooling over your Echinacea, no matter how hard I have tried I can't get them to overwinter in my Denver gardens... it's killing me! I also agree with TeriCA, I love the yarrow and dasies that are intertwined! Lucky you!!!

  15. cwheat000 10/01/2012

    Thanks teriCa. That combo turned out better than expected. I thought it would be more blah. Thanks too, snollygaster. Both daisies bloomed all summer and finished blooming about the same time. Becky might have bloomed for a week longer. I would have to say I liked Broadway lights a tad better, however. It had a slightly neater habit and the new blooms start out a wonderful soft yellow.

  16. cwheat000 10/01/2012

    I am going to get a swelled head with all these nice comments. Shiela_Schultz- total bummer you can't grow those echinacea. Even if you are the same zone, I know you are not the same climate. I don't think our temperature extremes are as extreme as yours and we have a lot more moisture, as you know. I don't know the reason they won't grow there, but that stinks. I do feel blessed with the climate I have. You guys have better skiing, though. I have also seen some things on High Country Gardens website, that I can't grow, that are drool worthy.

  17. snollygaster 10/02/2012

    Carla, thank you so much for answering my 'burning question' about the daisies. You know, they both sound so gardenworthy I think I'll try both. Happy Gardening, all!

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