My name is Rose Flanagan, and I have been gardening in Maplewood, New Jersey, for 20 years. I’m sharing photos of my front-yard garden from June of last year. It has a variety of settings. There is a long sunny flower bed to the left of the entrance to the house and a dappled lighted large garden everywhere else. It has taken a long time to really understand the concept of planting the right plants in the right place, but I believe I have finally done it. Gardening is my passion. I just renovated my backyard and am creating a small Zen garden along with a deer- and rabbit-resistant garden. I can’t wait to start digging.
My amazing people-stopping blue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9).
The stunning rich blue color of the hydrangea is a result of growing in acidic soil.
A mingling of crocosmia (Crocosmia hybrid, Zones 6–9) and coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3–9).
The crocosmia and coneflowers are joined by a red bee balm (Monarda didyma, Zones 4–9), and silver-foliaged rose campion (Lychnis coronaria, Zones 4–8).
Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9), lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantina, Zones 4–8), rose campion, hosta (Zones 3–9), and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, Zones 5–9).
This is the edge of the sunny border going into the shady area. A deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara, Zones 6–8) mingles with stokesia (Stokesia laevis, Zones 5–9) and pale lavender yarrow (Achillea millifolium, Zones 4–8) leading to the bed of shade-loving perennials.
A statue of a Tibetan monk is nestled in the hosta bed.
A vivid blue hosta sits next to an oakleaf hydrangea.
A close-up of some gorgeous white clematis (Clematis hybrid, large-flowered group, Zones 4–8).
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