Favorites from Anita’s Garden

We’re in Yorkville, Illinois, visiting with Anita Drendel again. We saw some photos of her garden in the GPOD recently, and she’s back to share more of her favorites from the past few years.

I’m seeing a red theme here—bright red Mandevilla (Zones 10–11 or as an annual) in a red pot in the foreground, echoed by red flowers and foliage from shrubs in the distance.

What a great way to display a harvest of vegetables and herbs from the garden! They are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious and nutritious.

Here’s where some of those vegetables come from—a productive raised bed. This bed is full of cool-season vegetables like lettuce and cabbage, no doubt to be switched out for summer crops like tomatoes and peppers as the weather warms.

A statue helps to water the garden.

Red native columbines (Aquilegia canadensis, Zones 3–8) look beautiful with a deep reddish-brown bearded iris (Iris hybrid, Zones 3–8).

This weigela (Weigela florida, Zones 5–9), in peak spring bloom, is paired with the tall spires of lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus, Zones 3–7).

How’s this for a beautiful garden visitor? A scarlet tanager rests in an oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, Zones 5–9) in May, just as the hydrangea is starting to leaf out.

Spring in the shade garden

Deep purple blooms from Clematis ‘The President’ (Zones 4–8) at the top, and another double-flowered clematis variety at the bottom

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