Wendy Quereau of Pennsylvania has built up a garden full of many rewards.
"I've gardened here in Wayne, PA on one acre for 38 years and started from scratch with much needed evergreen privacy screens. My favorite is the woodland which will peak next month, although I manage to find space for a little of almost everything that strikes my fancy. My attempt has been to combine all types of plants I can't resist in a pleasing and welcoming way. This garden has been a very important and rewarding part of my life."
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Comments
Wow! Lovely combinations Wendy! I especially like the "Pink" garden with Hydrangeas, Leucanthemum, Lythrum, & "Tiger Eye.' I am also very fond of purple grasses and would like to know if your Pennisetum setaceum "Rubrum" is hardy where you live? I tried it once in a pot, but it didn't make it through the winter – what zone do you garden in?
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Marsha, I am in 6A. No, the Pennisetum is an annual here for us. I buy 5 of them every spring- a total of $20 spent. I don't typically buy annuals other than for containers, but in this case the grasses serve as a colorful 3' tall x 15' long border along the width of a slate patio. They provide a sense of enclosure. So I think it's worth the cost. They take off fast as soon as the hot weather arrives.
Thanks for your compliments!
What a lovely garden, and Wayne is a lovely place. I especially like the pennisetum photo and how the foliage hues work so well with the siding on your home. Great job!
Thanks Jay. This has been a hoot reading all the favorable comments. I might just go easy myself from this point forward as it relates to my prowess in the garden.
Beautiful and thank you for naming the plants,, makes it easier if I see one I love like the Azelia red, to go and buy one.... without a name a gorgeous plant is just a picture that cant be added you own garden... Thank you
Absolutely beautiful. Your combinations are stunning. Well thought out, and well-placed as well. I am envious!
Your Calycanthus is a show stopper!!! Also love the combination of the Lillium and Rubrum! Thanks for sharing your lovely gardens!
Good morning Wendy! You have created a beautiful garden. It looks quite large. I know your zone is 6, as is mine. Kevin, do you hear that? She lives near Chanticleer!!!! Road trip!
I would be up for it.
Wendy, I love your photos. What a beautiful garden. Agree with others, the Calycanthus is stunning. I love your herb garden. Aesthetics's plus functional. Great drifts of color.
Wayne is nearby for me, and the home of my favorite and inspiration garden, Chanticleer. I try to get there 4-5 times a year. As Rhonda mentioned, she is also close (near Longwood). I am jealous since you both are so close to great gardens. If you are ever up to give a garden tour, IRhonda and I would love to stop by. It is fun to meet othe GPOD posters.
I too live in Pa and your garden is beautiful. I have planted the spring flower/perennials but I find that the deer eat all my tulips and Hyacinths. How do you manage to keep them away, or don't you have any deer near you? I miss having these early colorful plants.
I am going to put up a deer fence because they get worse every year. My back yard is fenced in because of a former swimming pool, but the deer jump it. I have used a product called Deer Out ( made from essence of peppermint) It really works and doesn't wash off as readily as the urine product. After the new growth is complete, spray every 5 weeks. Expensive though and it is difficult to spray everything they eat. Don't forget to spray the Christmas wreath on your front door!
I checked out Deer Out on Amazon Prime. Might try that. Do you think its the peppermint smell they don't like? Could I plant some peppermint that would discourage them from coming in to my garden? I might try that too. Fencing is not an option here. Thanks for the advice!
peppermint is very invasive and you don't really want to plant them in the ground.
Thanks, I guess that idea is out. I have never planted that, so I guess its NOT time to start now! I will stick with the spray.
You could plant the peppermint in a bucket without drainage holes so that it cannot escape. I find that daffodils also dissuade deer - the bulbs must exude a scent which nearby plants pick up thru their roots thereby making them not so tasty to the wildlife. I promise this really works.
I will definitely try this. I have 4 deer that hang out with us all the time, love my garden, so I hunt things they don't like, but usually any bulb plants, they go for. I will try your suggestions, and many thanks
Deer also dislike Alliums. Here in the PNW they don't eat my hyacinths, but they mow my Heucheras - @#$%^&*!! and my
hardy geraniums. Annoying beasts!
I can try the Allums too. I have already ordered the Peppermint. I hope all this works!! The deer are nice to watch, but NOT in my garden!! LOL
Oh- I forgot to mention. You photographs are beautiful. What kind of camera do you use? The colors are so brilliant. I can see that you put a lot of loving care into your garden. A showplace to be sure.
I just use my I phone. I think it's a 7S.
What a lovely garden you have Wendy. Your eye for colour groupings really enhances and is inspiring. I love the azalea. We can't grow stunners up here and after leaving the west coast which they love, it leaves a visual void, in my estimation. The calycanthus is stunning and not a plant I am familiar with - at first I thought it was magnolia!
I don't think I have ever seen a deciduous azalea become what amounts to a multi stemmed ornamental tree. I think it's pretty cool and it's certainly quite stunning with that seasonal burst of bold color. Your garden seems to be very fertile ground for growing charm as well as plants. I love all your warm and inviting touches and you have been hugely successful in accomplishing your goal of creating a very aesthetically pleasing garden with lots of interesting plants.
This is a pleasant garden, and I know exactly what you mean when you say your "garden has been a very important and rewarding part of my life," and I'm only about 13 years into mine. I can only begin to imagine the work and memories you have wrapped up in its development. That deciduous Azalea is stunning, and I like the combination with the white blooms of the Deutzia - a little tribute to my school colors - Go Pack! And speaking of NCSU, the Calycanthus x raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine' is an impressive plant, isn't it. What it lacks in the traditional sweet fragrance is more than made up for by the giant blooms. In fact, I noticed the first bloom of the season opened yesterday on mine. I'm in awe with the number of blooms yours is sporting. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks NCYarden. NC is the best for garden touring. Especially liked Tony Avent's place.
Hi Wendy. It is nice to garden here in NC. Can really grow a lot. And Tony Avent is 9 miles from me...
That's right, David. Keep rubbing it in
Just lovely! Is that arum peeking up next to your teak bench?
Beautiful!!!! More pics, please !!!
Okay, Cenepk10, I'll try to submit some more in a few months.
Holy cats & crackers! I couldn't stop gasping with delight at the beauties of your garden! That azalea is stunning! I can see how this beautiful space brings you so much pleasure and wish you many, many more years therein, in health and happiness!
Thanks Anita. I began my day with a good laugh when I read "Holy cats and crackers." That's a new one on me. Where are you from? Thanks so much for your very kind comments.
I'm from IL - I came up with that phrase to ramp down some of mah cussin' (I have Serious Potty Mouth)
Gorgeous garden, Wendy. Love the hydrangeas with Becky daisy. Do you recall the name of the one in the foreground, such a rich color! I love your taste in garden ornaments. Happy spring!
I'm sorry I don't have the name. I've moved them too many times to count and the name got lost in the process.
Beautiful images from your garden, Wendy. I can see why it gives you so much pleasure! I'm particularly fond of the photo of the pennisetum and the lillium... there are a lot of wonderful color echoes going on in that shot!
Ditto as well ~ that was the picture that made me gasp. Do you suppose it's a Denver thing? I'm just NW of you and I tend to gravitate towards plants I know that do well here. Do you have lots of bulbs blooming through the snow???
Hey Linda... yeah, quite a few bulbs are up as are so many of the perennials. My allium's seem to be going nuts again this year, they tried to overtake the whole garden last year! We didn't get much snow, maybe 1", but what did fall was very wet and we sure needed the moisture. I'm pretty darn pleased it wasn't a heavy snow like we had last spring because the trees are leafing out like crazy!
Marvelous garden and great effect, combining your favorites. As others have commented, Hartlage Wine is an absolute stunner and a favorite of mine as well. Your tree-sized deciduous azalea is used to great effect. I have three and I did not know they could attain such a stature, although they probably vary by cultivar. I see what looks like some Arisaema seed heads behind the bunny in the herb picture. Very cool. Thanks for sharing your treasures and pleasure-garden here.
Ha, yeah, if your deciduous azaleas reach this size, you got some tough decisions to make.
Hi NC Yarden- What do you suggest? It has already been cut back hard several times. They are shallow-rooted so maybe transplanting would be in order. I have many in the woods which aren't half this size. They really do prosper in this south- facing all day sun as opposed to a semi shaded location. I do water in droughts.
Haha, hi Wendy. This comment was a response to Tim Vojt. I just visited his garden in Ohio this past weekend. He has a smaller lot than you, and has several deciduous azaleas, which if they all made it to the size of yours would present some spacial challenges. Keep enjoying yours.
Maybe I'll get to visit your garden some time:)
I think they are Arum Tim. The berries turn bright red if that is the plant I think it might be.
Now that you say that, I'd forgotten how tall the seed heads get on my Arum Italicum, and sans leaves at that. Thanks!
Wendy, great plant and color combinations; you have a natural eye and a really green thumb. The native deciduous azalea under planted with the Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko', even if too big for the area, makes a dramatic statement. Plant lust on my part. I also thought the Calycanthus was an unusually colored star magnolia until I saw the cultivar name you had posted. I have grown Calycanthus 'Floridus' before, but it suckered and seeded badly. Does the Calycanthus x raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine' do the same? Just lovely and thanks for identifying all the plants.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful garden. What I most envy are the tulips. The deer won't let mine bloom. The calycanthus and the red azalea are just stunning!
Thank you Lynn. Some like those hot colors. Try Deer Out for the deer. It has a pleasant peppermint smell and really works.
Love! Love! Love! I need to look into the Calycanthus. I I have never noticed this plant before but I am familiar with the name Carolina Allspice. Very lovely and a dramatic color!
Wow what stunning plants, flowers and garden. A very refreshing sight to see on a damp April day in the Northwest. Everything is so luscious and healthy.. Love to se more photos.
Is the deciduous azalea fragrant? In a previous yard, we had a small, straggly deciduous azalea that filled the air with the the most delicious fragrance. If your large, full one is fragrant, what a treat! Even if it has no fragrance, it's beautiful! Your garden is over-the-top lovely.
Yes Peggy, the azalea has fragrance but not overwhelmingly so. You can smell it on a humid day just walking by. Other than that, you have to put your nose into it.
Thanks for your kind comments.
Good morning Wendy from a very soggy PNW. Your beautiful garden was a much needed bright spot today since looking at photos from last year, we are almost a month behind what is usually flowering now. Your color schemes and plant choices are all so pleasing but I especially like the Pennisetum and Lillium pairing with the fountain and that Calycanthus is definitely a plant that I'll be looking to add to our garden. Thanks for sharing.
Linda- I think you probably live on the best place on earth for creating beautiful gardens .No ice storms to ruin everything. I envy you. Thank you for your praise!
Wendy, your garden is stunning. Since I've been there in person, I can appreciate the
beauty and uniqueness of each area and your creativity in choosing the specimens.
The deciduous azalea is especially spectacular. Your formal garden with herbs is a
tranquil spot to sit and enjoy. Beyond beautiful.
Hey Becky,
How well I remember you scrubbing your hands to the bone helping me to get ready for that garden tour here so many years ago. A true friend indeed! Things in the garden have gotten a little long in the tooth since you were here, but still enjoyable. Certainly, we can say the same for ourselves. Miss you.
Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing! That Lily works so well with the grass! I am going to steal that combination!
Absolutely stunning, Wendy. You've really got me thinking SPRING.
Simply Marvelous. Thank you for posting the names. That is a special touch many do not do. It is helpful and much appreciated.
THANK YOU so much for naming the plants, so many times I wanted to purchase a plant but could not without knowing the name. This is a most beautiful garden.
Oh My Goodness!!! All so beautiful. I can't even choose a favorite photo. Maybe the Hydrangeas, Lythrum and Rhus typhina the colors blend so well. Although the Callcanthus is a gorgeous color too. AND love the girl with the scarf... Great job!
Just beautiful!! Thanks for sharing
I so wish that azaleas and rhododendron would grow here in my Ohio garde. I have lost several Exburys and am barely hanging on to a rhododendron which is loyally protected and loved for it's few beautiful blooms. Your beautiful azalea is making me envious. I love the Calycanthus and must check if it may deign to live here. Beautiful, interesting plants.
Beautiful garden, I can imagine how much pleasure it gives you to take a stroll through your yard. Love it all!
Wow, a wonderful garden!!!
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