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March 23, 2013 / Linda Hartong

CARMEL’S COTTAGE GARDENS- Stitching the garden together with small flowers and ground covers.

Now it is time to knit the garden together with ground covers and smaller plants. 

Can you imagine what this path at Biddlestone Garden would look like without the blue bloom of the  campanula poscharskyana?

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Mixed with white bacopa, ferns 

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and baby tears.

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Over

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and over 

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Linda Floyd uses these tiny plants to weave her beautiful garden together. It is a “tour de force” of ground covers for a shady garden.

In the Monastery Garden of the Sisters of the Sea, the Sisters mix

Antirrhinum-Snapdragon

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And petunia in their sunny spots. How cheerful.

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Armeria is yet another versatile plant 

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with great foliage after the flower have gone.

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Baby Tears blanket the garden floor.

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Bacopa holds the soil nicely

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Santa Barbara Daisy is a hardworking native.

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I have come to love it’s determination

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Carmel Creeper

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Catmint

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Spilling over a path

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Cranesbill

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This creative gardener uses  Helichrysum petiolare in masses. How effective.

Hidden Garden of Carmel

Ice Plant

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Lobelia

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Oxalis

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Pansy   

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Primula    

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Succulents

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and Sweet Alyssum

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These plants can transform a dull space into a rich tapestry of leaf shapes, textures, and colors. They can spruce up challenging areas under trees, accent transitional locations along paths and foundations, and add visual interest.  

Add turf at your own risk and in small amounts. This gardener

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has better luck with her turf than I do.

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Next week we add some fun final touches. 

 

16 Comments

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  1. Tücsök / Mar 23 2013 3:56 pm

    Gyönyörű…. a fordítással megküzdök mindig, de a képek mindent elmondanak az én nyelvemen is…
    Szeretek itt lenni! Köszönöm!

    • Linda Hartong / Mar 23 2013 4:23 pm

      Oh how I wish I spoke Hungarian. Can anyone translate this for me?

      • Tücsök / Mar 23 2013 7:52 pm

        Beautiful .. Translation is difficult, but the pictures speak my language, too. I like it here .. thank you.

      • Linda Hartong / Mar 23 2013 9:12 pm

        Thanks Tucsok

  2. leilani / Mar 23 2013 4:05 pm

    [Sigh]

    Each time after reading these garden posts, I feel like I’ve just come back from a quickie vacation in Cap Ferrat or Ravello.

    Is it too early to put our names down on a pre-order for your book at Amazon?

    ‘Cuz I’m thinking the price might even be declared as a tax deductible medical expense. A whole book of these photos of the secret gardens of Carmel would probably be just as effective as any medication for lowering blood pressure.

    • Linda Hartong / Mar 23 2013 4:18 pm

      What a kind comment. I will let you know when the book is coming out. 🙂

  3. maureen hauck / Mar 23 2013 4:54 pm

    linda, what a wonderful,feel good site this is. i’m absolutely in love with the romance of the cottages and gardens.

    HELP PLEASE? i’ve studied the photos but i’m having a tough time borrowing from the masters when it comes to making changes to my own home. it’s time to add mega charm to the exterior with paint, trim, windows. the lot is 3/4 acre and despite much planting over the years, there is still too much grass and concrete drive.
    at the risk of sounding like the ugly old fat gal expecting her stylist make her look like a gorgeous star, i have to ask whether you’d look at my home and gardens photos and make a few suggestions.

    keep in mind the budget is fairly tight. paint and new windows will be done in april. not sure of colors and need an overall plan. i’ve been unable to find anyone in this area(n. atlanta suburb) who understands me saying i want a fairy tale cottage.
    thanks,
    MH

  4. Linda Floyd / Mar 24 2013 1:09 am

    Linda…how lovely to see Biddlestone Cottage’s garden on your post again. With Spring finally here, you can feel the pulse of the plants as they are getting ready to burst forth with all their stored up energy! Time to plant some more delphiniums and foxgloves to tower over those baby tears!
    Can’t wait to see your garden when it’s complete! Keep me posted!
    Linda Floyd
    Biddlestone Cottage
    Carmel-by-the-Sea

  5. Sue / Mar 26 2013 4:54 pm

    Loved seeing all the Baby tears and I have a lot of fond memories of succulents exactly like this that I planted, but got destroyed one year by accident.

  6. James Bird / Dec 19 2021 5:27 pm

    Where can I get plans for the red gate

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