Lotus Garden in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Native American lotus, Nelumbo lutea, growing naturally in Virginian freshwater.

Hello all!
Summer is flying by here at Havenwood, with garden plans progressing on most days. We did take a break, however, and enjoy some beach time in Virginia this month. We were able to see some beautiful nature lotus gardens along the way and I knew that you all would enjoy them too!

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ July 2014 GBBD

A bee sampling the nectar in the last foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, of the season in the Shade Path garden.

Welcome to Gilmore Gardens in July!

Work is in full swing still over at our new garden, Havenwood, as I try to prepare new beds to hold our flowers at Gilmore in the fall. There are a lot blooming over there, so here are just a few glimpses this month!

360 "Before Flowers Tour" at Havenwood

Laying out the Pergola Garden this week.

I am working between rain showers this week to layout the Pergola Garden, which I posted original before photos of last week. I realized that a certain window upstairs would give me a really nice view to look at the developing proportions of my design, and I thought you might like seeing it too! So out came my camera. Then I realized that I could get good views of most of the garden by walking out on one roof and looking out other windows...

So, ta da! Here is your (almost) 360 degree, aerial tour around Havenwood Gardens this week.

Clematis Up a Tree

Clematis 'Perle d' Azure' growing near the Shade Path garden at Gilmore Gardens.

This Clematis is the star in one of my most popular posts of all time: How to grow a Clematis on a tree trunk. If you like this look, that post is a great place to start looking at getting one going in your own garden!

It is also popular in our own family, each of us waiting to see how high it is going to bloom this year. It is still doing well! Even though we no longer see it out our windows during the day, we still drive by Gilmore Gardens to check on how things are going. Often, the children ooh and ahh louder than the adults, as they instinctively feel that this garden is still a part of them as well. We look forward to bringing some of our flowers over to Havenwood this fall!

Beginning the Pergola Garden

Hedging surrounding the new Pergola Garden at Havenwood.

Hello all! It has been a full month!

A few weeks ago, we were down in West Virginia to work on a garden I designed for a family there... more on that soon. :) Then we were back down south to Charlotte, NC for the inspiring Inkwell family conference. It was sponsored by all the wonderfully creative people at the Story Warren, including my husband, the gifted author of The Big Old Garden, behind the Big Old House series... humm.... wonder where he got those ideas ;)

Then we ran home (actually, a 10 hour drive) so that I could take three RHS exams to complete their Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation & Development. I think that they went well! Now I just need to wait patiently until September to find out for sure. :)

In the mean time, we have been planting up a storm of yew bushes around here to working away at our final plan for the new gardens at Havenwood. We have 50 in the ground as I post these photos today...