When the series made its debut back in January 2010, the format was remarkably straightforward, featuring a single, carefully selected garden photograph paired with a brief, descriptive caption or story. By unearthing posts 11 through 20 from those early digital pages, horticultural enthusiasts are once again given a window into how the platform documented diverse landscapes, innovative garden designs, and fascinating plant specimens from across North America during the turn of the decade.
The journey through the archives resumes in the Catskills of Upstate New York, highlighting a secluded seating area nestled within the private garden of Dean Riddle. Captured through the lens of photographer Kerry Ann Moore, the pathway leading to this tucked-away escape is flanked by fine-textured, self-sown plants that spill gracefully over the edges of the walkway. These exuberant plantings create an informal, casual sense of privacy, turning a small corner of the landscape into a peaceful retreat.
Moving southward to South Kent, Connecticut, the retrospective showcases a creative approach to hardscape boundaries by garden designer Rebecca Batchie. Instead of relying on a traditional trellis, Batchie allowed a sprawling clematis to carpet a simple piece of chicken wire positioned atop a rugged stone wall. The technique serves to soften the transition between the cultivated garden bed and the surrounding stonework, demonstrating how flexible climbing plants can be integrated into existing structural elements.
In East Lansing, Michigan, the archives spotlight a vibrant meadow-style planting located within the healing garden at Michigan State University’s radiology department. Designed by Janet Gauthier and photographed by Michelle Gervais, sweeps of purple coneflower—scientifically known as Echinacea purpurea and hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 9—and drumstick allium, or Allium sphaerocephalon, hardy in Zones 4 through 11, sway together in the breeze, offering a striking display of purple and pink floral hues tailored for therapeutic environments.
Ornamental grasses also feature prominently in the historical lineup, specifically a specimen of ‘Gold Bar’ miscanthus captured at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson, Tennessee. Developed by Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, Oregon, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gold Bar’, which thrives in USDA Zones 5 through 8, is celebrated for its compact growth habit and heavily banded yellow foliage. The striking blades bring dynamic energy and visual verve to a planting scheme without aggressively overshadowing neighboring flora, typically reaching a mature height of four to five feet when provided with full sun and moist, well-drained soil.
Tree specimens with notable aesthetic traits take center stage at the Denver Botanic Gardens in Colorado, where a lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana, USDA Zones 4 through 7) was documented for its exceptional trunk characteristics. While evergreens are frequently appreciated strictly for their winter foliage, the lacebark pine—native to China—elevates landscape interest with its mottled, peeling, multicolored bark. Capable of growing up to 50 feet tall and 20 feet wide in well-drained soil and full sun, the tree provides year-round visual intrigue.
West Coast horticulture is represented by a secluded garden hideaway in Oakland, California, designed by Tom Nelson and Randy Bolin. Conceived as a private shelter for a hot tub just out of sight from the main residence, the structure is embedded within a lush tropical setting and adorned with artwork and mementos collected during the designers’ travels. An open roof framework allows occupants to observe the moon and stars through overhead vines during evening hours.
Back in Ohio, a vibrant color combination at the Toledo Botanical Garden highlights the intense hues possible in mid-season perennial borders. The fiery display brings together the bright yellow of black-eyed Susans, categorized under Rudbeckia cultivars for USDA Zones 3 through 9; the rich orange tones of sneezeweed, represented by Helenium cultivars in Zones 4 through 8; and the striking red spikes of ‘Lucifer’ crocosmia, hardy in Zones 6 through 9.
Culinary plants receive well-deserved recognition through a snapshot taken in the New Milford, Connecticut, garden of Michelle Gervais. Common sage (Salvia officinalis and its cultivars, USDA Zones 5 through 8), traditionally grown primarily for kitchen use, demonstrates its ornamental value when allowed to burst into bloom with delicate purple flowers rising above gray-green foliage, provided it receives full sun and sharply drained soil.
Another Oakland, California, private garden offers a lesson in spatial division through an alternative to traditional solid fencing. The gardener constructed an open net of wires and vines to establish a visual boundary that preserves airflow and light penetration, preventing a shaded garden room from feeling excessively dark or confined.
Rounding out the second ten posts of the historical archive is an antique hybrid foetida rose known as ‘Soleil d’Or’. Dating back to the turn of the 19th century, this historic rose produces extravagantly scented blooms with a distinct fragrance reminiscent of citrus. While gardeners have long recognized its susceptibility to blackspot fungal issues, many enthusiasts maintain that the intense fragrance and striking petals make the required pampering and full-sun placement worthwhile.
The ongoing retrospective into the earliest days of the digital feature has sparked renewed engagement among longtime followers and newer members of the gardening community alike. Interaction from original contributors, including foundational figure Michelle Gervais in the comment sections of previous posts, continues to shape the trajectory of the archive explorations, with hints of even more distant and unexpected geographical submissions slated for future installments.
Gardeners interested in sharing their own landscapes, cherished plant collections, or memorable travel visits with the wider community are invited to submit their photographs and stories through the dedicated submission channels provided by the publication, ensuring that the legacy of documenting personal and public green spaces continues to thrive.
