• Home
  • ABOUT
  • VIDEOS
  • Contact
  • SHOP

The Impatient Gardener

Garden

GARDEN TOUR: A FAMILIAR GARDEN FULL OF SURPRISES

June 26, 2015

I love looking at photos of gardens. I study them and after a while I think I know them. I’ve been following Linda’s blog Each Little World longer than I’ve been following any other garden blog and I feel like I’ve become close friends with her Madison, Wisconsin, garden. 
But a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to see her gorgeous garden in person and what I found was that, although I recognized parts of it from photos, it had a completely different feel than I expected. What struck me most, was the variation in the topography on Linda and Mark’s very large city lot. Linda told me that topography is part of the reason they chose the property, which had no garden whatsoever when they bought it a couple decades ago.
The undulating terrain offers so much interest and creates garden areas with distinct personalities. What I also discovered is that Linda and Mark have a most interesting collection of plants, shrubs and trees. Several of them have been added to my list.
I MUST have this Carex ‘Beatlemania’. It has the most delightful thin foliage and it made the most beautiful groundcover. It was growing on top of a low stone wall, so it was the perfect height for petting and admiring.

At first I had no idea what this caged plant could have been, and then Linda told me: It’s an oak sapling (or maybe technically it’s still in the seedling stage). A giant Bur oak (which a local historian believes is from a time before Wisconsin was a state) marks Linda and Mark’s driveway and last year three seedlings made it through winter. This one made it through the following winter as well.

These pinecones caught my eye from 25 feet away. They were absolutely gorgeous. I’ll have to ask Linda the name of the tree again, as I have forgotten.

Alongside the driveway is a stunning forest pansy redbud. Linda explained that it has suffered some winter dieback over the years, but the pruning from this damage has created an interesting, open shape that is equally nice to look at from afar and from underneath. The leaves are the most lovely shade of purple with green veins. 

Linda’s ‘Golden Shadows’ dogwood is so lovely. I struggle so much with growing these.

golden shadows dogwood

The fence along the back of the property is one of the first things I fell in love with on Linda’s blog. It was designed and built by Mark. The property behind it is for sale. What a bonus for new owners to have a back yard that shares this lovely feature.

I loved this apricot foxglove that stood by itself among a great selection of foliage plants.

lone foxglove

This weeping  Japanese katsura, Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendula’, was so lovely in a back corner of the garden. They prune it to be able to walk under and it was such a charming moment. I intend to add one to my garden some day.

japanese katsura tree

Unless I missed, I don’t think there is any grass on the property. Everything is connected by a series of paths, some rock stepping stones, some mulched, but all wheelbarrow accessible. When you walk around to the back of the house, the most phenomenal (and large) pond fills your view. A waterfall leads into it creating a lovely sound.

idyllic back yard pond

There are upper and lower areas to the pond.

upper pond

Linda and Mark took great pains to select appropriate rocks for around the water feature. The result is a completely organic feeling. Sometimes ponds feel a little contrived (which is not always a bad thing) but this one really feels like it was always there.

organic pond

I so enjoyed meeting Linda in person and touring her beautiful garden. What a treat to see a garden I’ve been admiring for so many years. You can see more of Linda and Mark’s garden at their blog, and I highly recommend the “My garden odyssey” category of posts that detail the making of this great garden.

garden tour
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
5 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

View all posts by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

Related Posts

  • A test garden that truly puts plants to the test
  • garden walkwayFrom Mackinac, with color and love
  • evergreen espalierEspalier everywhere
  • The most inspiring moments from great gardens
previous post: MY FAVORITE NO-FAIL, WAY-TOO-EASY GROUNDCOVERS
next post: TWO ENDS OF THE COLOR SPECTRUM

Comments

  1. Kristi says: June 26, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    The evergreen with the odd cones looks like a Korean fir. I have a teeny tiny one in my garden right now, from Michigan Bulb I believe – I can't wait til it grows up!

    Reply
    • Erin Schanen says: June 26, 2015 at 6:21 pm

      I'm 99% sure you're right! Thanks for refreshing my memory.

      Reply
  2. Ms. Wis./Each Little World says: June 26, 2015 at 11:08 pm

    Correct; it is a Korean fir:Abies Koreana. Thanks for all those lovely words about my garden. I find it interesting how differnt it looks form another person's perspective and camera. It was so much fun to finally meet.

    Reply
  3. Lisa Greenbow says: June 26, 2015 at 11:18 pm

    Lucky you to get to see their garden and to meet blogger to blogger. I met Linda and Mark at a Blogger Fling but have still not be able to make it to their garden. I enjoyed seeing their garden through your lens.

    Reply
  4. Monica T. says: June 27, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    What a gorgeous setting!

    Reply

Leave Your Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About

The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

Here's some more about me.

CONNECT

Awards

Garden Comm award

MY FAVORITE GEAR

https://www.amazon.com/shop/impatientgardener

Instagram

impatientgardener

Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Pen These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Penhill Watermelon (first picture) and Penhill Dark Monarch are the best two HUGE dahlias that I grow. They share slightly twisty petals (Watermelon more so) and, when you look closely, subtle striations that add a beautiful depth of color. Watermelon grows taller than Dark Monarch (7 feet tall or more sometimes) and they both need serious staking, but it’s worth it because they produce a lot of flowers for a large-flowering dahlia. 

I like them both but if I was forced to choose (and who would make me do that?) I’d give the edge to Dark Monarch because it’s a little easier to manage size-wise, produces more flowers and has a bigger variation in flower color so it’s always interesting. 

Which do you like better?
I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But w I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But when there’s only one tool that does that one thing really well, I’m here for it. This pottery/container knife from Sneeboer makes it possible to actually get plants out of pots without breaking or damaging the pot. It’s also really expensive. 😀
A little snippet of a bouquet from the weekend. Zi A little snippet of a bouquet from the weekend. Zinnias, pycnanthemum muticum and bronze fennel shown here.
My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love tryi My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love trying out new varieties and I feel like they just work so well in my garden from both a design standpoint and a cultural standpoint (they are happy here). Because I grow so many, the ones that self sow can be surprises. 

All of these self-sown Nicotiana are probably at least partly the children of the F1 hybrid Perfume series, which grow to be about 24” tall or so. Last year I grew purple, pink, white and lime versions and these are likely new variations on those. 

Picture 3 is, in my opinion, a good example of how these self sown second-year hybrids can go wrong. I’ll probably rip that one out. 😀

And the last photo is of my favorite colorway, lime, popping up amongst the Zinnias. I find these self-sown Nicotiana popping up all summer, so there’s always a fresh-blooming supply. 

Are you as enamored with Nicotinana as I am?
Load More Follow on Instagram

SEARCH

Popular posts

  • HOW TO MAKE A HOLIDAY WINDOW BOX
  • How to find and deal with tomato hornworms
  • A summer of bouquets
  • Plant to know: Geranium macrorrhizum

Find us on Facebook

Archives

  • ABOUT
  • TALK TO ME
  • TERMS & DISCLAIMERS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Home

Copyright © 2023 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios

Copyright 2009-2021 ©The Impatient Gardener