Gardening for 50+ Years

Decades of work create a perfect happy place

Today we ’re visit with Linda Colson in New Jersey .

I have garden on the Cape between the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Cape May County , New Jersey , for 30 years since move here from the deal of western Pennsylvania . All I bed from my 20 year of gardening in clay and loamy soil was dispute by the sandy dirt of this seashore area . It look at the addition of a lot of manure and other amenities to enrich the soil , and a pot of tender loving care to enhance the soil . What fun it has been !

This is in early spring , before any blooms have appeared . In the foreground is a border of miniature cotoneaster with the variegatedCarexoshimensis‘Evergold ’ ( Zones 5–9 ) and overshadow Alberta spruce(Piceaglauca‘Conica ’ , Zones 3–6 ) that invite debut into a birdbath surface area . Iris spike await their blooms , andautumn ferns(Dryopteris erythrosora , geographical zone 5–8 ) along with hostas meet the desktop . The building in the setting is The Shed , a pole barn construction build by the Pennsylvania Amish . It houses my artwork studio and my husband ’s workshop .

Here ’s the same garden at the same time of yr , but photographed from the other side . Azaleas burst . To the left is aviburnum , and behind that is a pinkPierisjaponica(Zones 5–9 ) that has hit 7 feet in acme and just proceed on gift .

Theazaleasare in bloom . seeable in the back is a hedge ofboxwoodthat privatise the garden from the walking / bike path that passes the back of our property .

This side garden shows offrose campion(Lychnis coronaria , Zones 4–8 ) , moonlightcoreopsis(Coreopsis‘Moonlight ’ , Zones 6–9 ) , endless summertime hydrangea(Hydrangea macrophylla‘Endless Summer ’ , zona 5–8 ) , and random planters of New Guinea impatiens(Impatienshawkeri , Zones 10–11 or as an yearly ) added for color . I am lofty to say that my gardens have earned credential from theNational Wildlife Federationfor many age .

My husband built theraised gardens , which in this leap picture are establish for the season .

This is just one of the critter that I so appreciate in my garden . I have photograph tree toad , snakes , toads , angry turkeys , implore mantis , butterflies , and a variety of fowl too numerous to advert . It ’s a pleasure to come across a visitant while I ’m working and know that they all take part in keeping my gardens healthy . My garden are organic . I have never used any toxic intersection .

Just a few of the fruits of our labors . Of course , part of the joy of gardening is looking forward to reward like this throughout the season .

This bottom ofhostasandfernsenjoys a shaded area of the gardens .

This register ‘ Autumn Joy ’ sedum(Hylotelephium spectabile‘Autumn Joy ’ , Zones 3–9 ) with coleus insert in behind . The coleus is an heirloom from my mother that I have saved from season to time of year for 30 years . The rock wall was build by yours truly with the help of my husband . In the desktop is just a peep of my treasured garden planetary house , which my hubby built as an anniversary talent in 1994 . There is n’t any place I ’d rather be than on my knee in the garden . It ’s my “ glad topographic point . ”

Have photos to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular aggregation of plants you love , or a grand garden you had the prospect to visit !

To submit , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some entropy about the plants in the picture and where you pick out the photos . We ’d eff to listen where you are located , how long you ’ve been garden , successes you are gallant of , failures you learned from , hopes for the future , favorite plants , or fishy stories from your garden .

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