Hi GPODers and Happy New Year!
We’re starting the year off with a bang, and getting treated to the most sensational scenes from Sue Webel’s garden in 2024. Sue has shared her fabulous Connecticut garden with us several times in the past (Making a New Garden in Connecticut, Sue’s Favorite Foliage Plants, and Highlights from Sue’s 2021 Garden), and it’s astounding to see how her garden has evolved since her first submission in 2020. You might have also seen Sue’s supportive comments on many GPOD posts under the profile name @musabasjoosue (which matches her Instagram handle @musabasjoosue), so definitely consider showing some love to Sue in the comments below!
My garden is located at just over 800 feet in elevation in North Canton, CT (zone 6a). Pictures of the garden have been featured on GPOD a few times, most recently in February. Every garden season I take hundreds of photos, many are posted on my Instagram account @musabasjoosue. For this submission, I chose a selection of photos from 2024 that spanned the season and jumped out at me as exceptional. The image resolutions are high so I will have to send the pictures in three emails.
Like all years, garden season 2024 offered a unique set of challenges. In 2023 we received an obscene amount of rain giving most plants a leg up coming into 2024. Somehow I missed the shift and didn’t notice how parched the garden was getting until late summer and had to start a sprinkler rotation. Time will tell whether my efforts were too little, too late. No matter what, I’ll be back at it in 2025 as a newly retired gardener. I’m already dreaming about what I can do with all that extra time!
I love this happy early May combo of Slawa Triumph tulip (Tulipa ‘Slawa’, Zones 3–8) and Golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, Zones 5–9).
In order for Siberian iris to earn a spot here, they have to have unique flowers. Charming Billy (Iris sibirica ‘Charming Billy’, Zones 3–9) fits the bill.
Unlike my previous garden, shade is in short supply. Most of my (few) hostas grow in the north facing beds in front of the house. Featured here is Guardian Angel (Hosta x ‘Guardian Angel’, Zones 3–9). Love the blue patterned foliage!
Discovered Treasure bearded iris (Iris germanica ‘Discovered Treasure’, Zones 3–9) was a bonus plant from Shreiner’s. What a beauty!
For many years, I bemoaned my inability to get digitalis to reseed. Then they exploded. In the spring I dig up the seedlings and move them around the garden. If the seeding becomes too much, I yank and compost the extras. I rely on them for repetition, to knit the garden together.
After many years of pooh poohing daylilies, I now grow close to 100 different cultivars…hahaha…never say never. I focus on later blooming varieties and use them in vignettes with other non-daylily plants. Heavenly Angel Ice (Hemerocallis ‘Heavenly Angel Ice’, Zones 2–8) has been a great companion for Pinky Pollen Ring smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Pinky Pollen Ring’, Zones 3–8).
Oh Conca d’Or lily (Lilium ‘Conca d’Or’, Zones 4–8), I had to dash to get these pictures as the flowers only lasted a few days in the July heat wave. Better luck next year.
Mighty Chestnut daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Mighty Chestnut’, Zones 3–9) amid the abundance of mid July.
If you are looking for a relatively compact panicle hydrangea, I highly recommend Fire Light Tidbit® (Hydrangea paniculata ‘SMNHPK’, Zones 3–8). Deer “trimmed” the Jeana phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’, Zones 4–8) earlier in the season which helped keep it more compact.
Mid September in the back garden under a large oak tree. The drought took a toll on some of the plant residents that grow here, but not all. ‘Gibraltar’ bush clover (Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Gibraltar’, Zones 4–8) is a fabulous late season plant but man does it get big! That variegated Summer Carnival hibiscus (Hibiscus ‘Summer Carnival’, Zones 4–9) adds a contrasting pop of bold foliage. The grass is Little Zebra miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Little Zebra’, Zones 5–9). Coral Crème Drop phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Ditomdre’, Zones 3–9) rounds out the vignette.
A late September look from the back lawn into my patio garden. The Tetrapanax in the top right has been perfectly hardy here. I love bold, tropical foliage and this fits the bill. In the foreground, Summer Ice daphne (Daphne x transatlantica ‘Summer Ice’, Zones 5–9) blooms almost all year. Other plants are Laced Up elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘SNR1292’, Zones 4–7) (left), and Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’, Zones 5–9) which is apparently invasive in some climates but barely survives here.
October frosts mark the end of container season. Lately killing frosts seem to arrive later and later extending some of my container plants into November.
Julia Child™ rose (Rosa ‘WEKvossutono’, Zones 5–10) is only one of two roses I grow. I took this picture November 26th just before the first hard freeze. Now the garden sleeps and allows time to dream and plan for next year.
Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous garden update with us, Sue! It’s incredible to see what you’ve accomplished in a short amount of time, and with each new glimpse it is clear that your garden is getting better and better with age.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
The Regenerative Landscaper: Design and Build Landscapes That Repair the Environment
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
2024 Nautilus Award Gold Medal Winner! This awe-inspiring guide weaves together permaculture design, food resiliency, climate adaptation, community organizing, and indigenous wisdom that you can implement in your own backyard.
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Doug Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.
Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Featuring gorgeous photography and advice for landscapers, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can nourish in our cities and suburbs.
