Jane’s Spring Garden in Upstate New York, Part 1
Hi GPODers!
We’re kicking off July with a garden update from Jane Watkins in Apalachin, New York. Jane has shared her colorful garden in central New York several times and throughout the growing season (check out her previous submissions here: Finding Plants That Work, Spring After a Hard Winter, A Colorful Perennial Garden, and The Pinks and Purples of Autumn). Jane has a wonderful collection of plants, some decades old and putting on incredible floral performances, and others carefully protected from the deer that frequent her garden. Today she has shared some sensational spring scenes.
After a chilly April and a rainy May, spring weather is finally here in central New York! I garden on 5-plus acres in very rocky clay soil, high on a hilltop in Zone 5b. Winter winds and voracious deer are a challenge, so I try to limit myself to deer-resistant shrubs and perennials that can withstand Zone 4b just in case we get a really cold winter. Some plants I love too much to give up, such as hostas, clematis, and hibiscus, so I drape them with deer netting held down with metal earth anchors. My beautiful pink tree peony is easily 20 years old and had 40 blooms this year. My Sarah Bernhardt peonies (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, Zones 3–8) are 35 years old.
I’ve been gardening since we bought our first house in the late 70s. I am a Master Gardener through Cornell Cooperative Extension, and spending time in my gardens is my source of relaxation.
First up is the 35-year-old Sarah Bernhardt peony that Jane mentioned in her introduction. Planted in the right spot, peonies need little care and will keep on thriving and blooming for decades. Some peonies have been known to grow for over 100 years, being passed from one generation of growers to the next.
While there are a lot of beautiful blooms in Jane’s garden, there is also a wealth of foliage plants that bring their own vibrancy to shadier spots. An aralia—looks like ‘Sun King’ (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’, Zones 4–8)—glows in the back of this shade garden.
A border bed along Jane’s driveway has a lovely arrangement of pink and yellow blooms, with the Bartzella Itoh peony (Paeonia × ‘Bartzella’, Zones 4–9) stealing focus in the foreground.
Black Lace elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’, Zones 4–7) is sensational in just about any setting. The lacy black leaves and clusters of tiny light pink flowers have so much contrast, color, and texture that it can create a captivating display all by itself.
Another look at Jane’s driveway border from another angle
Where large, mature trees are involved, a brightly colored hosta will always do the trick. Here, a First Frost hosta (Hosta ‘First Frost’, Zones 3–9) is perfectly snug between the roots of this tree.
An heirloom rose adds even more yellow to the landscape. Jane has a wonderfully bright and cheerful spring color palette.
What pairs better with yellow in the garden than some purple-blue blooms? Johnson’s Blue geranium (Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, Zones 4–8) looks lovely creeping out over the edge of this foundation bed.
Jane sent so many beautiful photos of her plants that we’ll be back in upstate New York tomorrow to enjoy more scenes from her garden this spring. Be sure to check back in on GPOD so you don’t miss Part 2!
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