Happy Monday GPODers!
We have a very special week lined up on the blog thanks to Anne Eshelman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. This February we were introduced to the new garden Anne built in Florida after moving from the vastly differently climate of Michigan a couple of years ago (Check out that submission here: Flowers From Anne’s New Florida Garden). However, adding to and maintaining the plantings around her new home is not the only way she gets involved in gardening lately, she is also president of her local garden club. As president she helps arrange their Secret Garden Tour, and has very generously shared with us photos from all five gardens featured on the tour this past spring. So this week Garden Photo of the Day is staying stationed in the Sunshine State, exploring a new “secret” garden from this tour each day. Here’s what Anne has to say about the tour, and the first garden we’ll be exploring today:
I love Fine Gardening! I wanted to share our Secret Garden Tour, which is the premier event of our Garden Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Zone 9B. We visited 5 unique gardens in our neighborhood, that were not visible from the street, ending with a garden lunch. And the proceeds from the event benefited a local college scholarship fund.
Teresa Romero’s rear garden is serene and peaceful, with stately trees, and grass leading down to a quiet lagoon. It was designed in tribute to the Master’s golf tournament, with azaleas, which had already finished blooming. Notice the blue plumbago (Bulletproof headcutZones 9–11) and red Hawaiian ti plant (Cordyline bushyZones 10–11).
Teresa has created a lush border garden around the lagoon at the end of her property. Saw palmetto (Serenoa Repens, Zones 8–11) brings its tropical texture with fans of spiky foliage.
The intense heat and sun in Florida makes shade a precious commodity, and lots of mature palms and other trees on the property make it a shady oasis.
More fabulous foliage brings color to Teresa’s garden. This looks to be some pink-flowering Chinese fringe-flower (Loropetalum chinense our. Red Zones 7–9), which produces vibrant pink flowers in spring. If this is the case, it must be a radiant companion to the blue plumbago and Hawaiian ti plant poking out from behind.
Towering palm trees add their incredible tropical foliage and plenty of shade to this garden, but the interesting patterns and colors of palm tree bark often gets overlooked. The bark of some palms can look like scales, but I love the cool gray tones that are highlighted here.
These trees are not only interesting shade-producers, they also create a stunning wall of privacy behind Teresa’s pool. Whether she’s soaking up some sun or lounging in the shade, Teresa is in her own private oasis.
One final view of the vibrant blue plumbago and ti plants looking dazzling in the dappled shade. Teresa’s garden is a calm retreat, but it is not lacking in color or interest. What a fantastic introduction to this tropical tour!
Have you enjoyed any garden tours this year? I know many loyal GPODers are also loyal members of a local garden club, and we would love to hear about and see more of the gardens that get featured on these very special tours. If you’ve opened your garden to a tour or visited some exceptional neighborhood gardens this year, please consider sharing some photos with Garden Photo of the Day. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
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
DeWalt Variable-Speed Cordless Reciprocating Saw
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
You can fit a variety of blades to this saw to cut fallen branches or prune larger limbs from trees in a pinch. It’s fast, tough, easy to use, and extremely versatile.
– 18.31 x 6.13 x 4 inches
– 1-1/8-inch stroke length
– Variable speed trigger with 0-3000 spm
Wagner’s 52003 Classic Blend Wild Bird Food, 6-Pound Bag
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Classic wild bird food uses the highest quality grains to attract backyard wild Birds. A high-quality mix containing Millet, milo, cracked corn and Sunflower for a wide range of wild birds to enjoy. Perfect for tube, hopper, or platform feeders. Great to feed in all seasons! Perfect for the winter, when seeds are scarce; spring and summer for hatchlings; and autumn to give energy to migrating birds. This seed will help you fill your yard with birds such as Jays, cardinals, doves, Juncos, finches, goosebeaks, any many more.
Lee Valley Garden Knife
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
These knives have a trowel-like blade with a sharp edge to let you use the same tool for digging, planting and cutting. The blade is sharpened on both sides, with serrations on one edge to help with cutting tough roots or dividing perennials. Deeply stamped markings on the blade (in 1/2″ and 5mm increments) help you set the correct planting depth for seeds and bulbs.
