Hi GPODers!
Last year we were introduced to Kim Arcand’s garden in Rhode Island for the first time (check out that submission here: “Pandemic Gardeners” Four Years on in Rhode Island). As the title suggests, the garden was in its fourth season and already looking fabulous. A year later, the beauty is only increasing. In today’s submission, Kim included gorgeous photos from the growing season so far this year, as well as some interesting “before” photos that highlight the extent of the transformation.
Our garden is in its fifth year now, in Rhode Island, Zone 6b. With pretty deep shade, acidic soil, rocky areas, and some erosion issues from our location up on a hill, my husband John and I have had a long learning curve (and will forever have, as that’s gardening life). We had a drought and some deep cold temperatures over the winter, so we lost more plants than I would have liked, and I thought it was going to be a rough-looking garden. But with a very wet late spring, the area rebounded from the drought and the garden has filled out substantially. We’ve had the best luck with hydrangeas, hostasJapanese maples, heucheras, boxwoods, astilbe, lamiumetc., as you’d expect in this type of garden. I’m looking to tuck plants in some of the empty spots and hoping to add some additional ground covers, and experiment with more native plants as we can. And, of course, we can never have too many hydrangeas in New England! Here are some looks at the various rooms’ progression/changes.
Our garden entryway’s view is the area along the HH Wall—hostas and hydrangeas under a canopy of trees.
Next is a closeup of the pond. I find photographing the garden well harder than the gardening itself. The photos never look as good as it feels.
And here is that space during the construction process. A small selection of plants has now transformed this corner into a lush haven of tranquility.
Then over to the back right is the deep shade garden, in a keyhole shape. The hostas thrive there and have really expanded this year.
Back in 2020 this section of the garden started as a very different palette of plants before Kim decided that a lovely variety of hostas was the best option for this shady corner.
Next, there is a back fence wall connecting the deep shade area to the secret garden.
I included the inner patio region of the secret garden and multiple shots around it.
And that same area of Kim’s secret garden in 2020—incredible to see how much the plants have grown in.
Most every morning I’m in the secret garden, after I have coffee, to deadhead, water, fuss, and just enjoy and meander. It’s my favorite spot. It gets more sun than most of the rest of the yard, so the flowers do well there.
Lastly, the view from the patio showcasing Kim’s secret slice of paradise. Various hydrangeas planted both in the ground and in containers allow Kim to control the pH and aluminum levels in the soil, giving her a gorgeous variety of bloom colors. While a shady garden means plenty of planting obstacles, it has allowed Kim to create a diverse array of garden rooms that still manage to fit together.
Thank you so much for this incredible update on your garden, as well as the “before” photos that offer so much more insight on your hard work and planting process. It is always inspiring to see the vision a gardener has for a space and watch that vision unfold with each new growing season.
Do you have any before and after photos of your garden? Whether you started a garden from scratch recently, like Kim and her husband, or transformed a neglected corner of your landscape last spring, we would love to see your garden transformations. 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.
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