My "secret garden" is a joke, but at least it's very secret. When we moved here there was no boundary to four of our five near neighbours, it was just one common lawn. We put up a trellis near one of the eastern lots to get some privacy for a table and chairs. Two years later that neighbour put up a cement wall along his garden, leaving a narrow strip up to our trellis. It's a shady spot so we planted hostas against the wall. There is a Climbing American Beauty and a Jackman clematis against the trellis. We sometimes put a small chair here so a grandkid can sit and meditate in solitude.

Wow, Portland, I sure like that arch, quite an addition to your garden. I have to add (just out of jealousy!) that you have it easy, with all your natural beauty and rain, what could possibly go wrong, lol! I lived in Eugene, then in Montana, and ended up here in dry, hot Texas (which I wouldn't trade for the world; love it here!)

Marionnese, That hosta is gorgeous. No way would I even try to grow it here in Texas...

I don't really have a secret garden, but my backyard is fenced in and sits lower than my front yard, so it appears to be secret. I was sitting on the patio (which is underneath our deck, and about 20 degrees cooler than out in the sun) and I saw this view that I just loved:

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The two deck posts are covered with star jasmine, which is now in bloom and goes all the way up to the top deck railing. The bottom is a japanese maple 'Waterfall'. In the distance are 3 Little Gem Magnolias, which are also in bloom and behind that are my neighbors trees, which give great screening for them and us.

Here is the jasmine close up:

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Here is what it looks like from the other side (jasmine was not in bloom when I took this picture and has grown to cover the whole railing on the left):

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This is the other side of the patio, that is Zepherine Drouhin with another japanese maple. When she is in bloom, she scents the entire backyard.

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This is the gate to my 'secret garden' that is Reve d'Or over the arbor:

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Here are the stone steps going down to the backyard. That is a hydrangea on the left and azaleas in bloom.

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Here is a shot from the bottom of the stairs.

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Too bad you guys can't hear me applauding.
Here's another.

How wondderful to sit here and enjoy all these beautiful gardens---My yard is so overgrown it is all secret----LOL---I will try to find some pictures to share---

Florence

My Goodness, Friends....these gardens are just lovely. Each of you have created your own special paradise.Each one special and unique . Gardens in Calif. Carolinas,Ky. all so different but each one lush and beautiful. I so appreciate each of you sharing. Wish I could walk thru each and every one! Lesley

Mariannese, I love your shady golds and greens! Tiny garden areas are my favs. Cozy and intimate.

OG Rose, I grew up in DFW, and yes, PDX is a piece of cake by comparison. In between TX and OR, I lived in MN. That was an adventure at the opposite end of the challenge spectrum from DFW. Your secret garden looks so lush! And I did LOL at your description; I identify with your who-knows-what-the-heck's-back-there bed. Do you mind if I show it to my Dallas resident sister? She's currently dealing with a neighbor who's a self-appointed landscape patrol officer and staring gloomily at a pile of fading spiderwort. She'd love to see your green loveliness. It will give her hope.

Buford, I'll bet the combo of shade and star jasmine is a slice of heaven in the summer! Do you drink iced tea?

Ooo, Mendocino! Is your fence blue? Blue garden accents are so cool and inviting and evocative of English cottage gardens. I'll trade my arch for your fence! Are those plume poppies on the right?

Carol

Lesmc, I love the red! One of my two favorite colors! Carol

Sigh...it's been such a lovely escape being transported through your abundant, and yes, so lush gardens via all your photos. I love them all. Thanks for sharing your secret retreats with me. Diane

It's just a tiny piece of blue Carol. I love blue accents. I have a couple of blue benches. On the right is just a self seeded Hollyhock.
lesley, What is that beautiful red rose?
Here's one of the blue benches.

Mendocino, great bench! Ahhh. Blue. I painted my whole house blue. :-)

Sure, Portland, I'd be pleased for your sister to see it.
ogrose

Portland, I usually don't sit in that spot, but for some reason I did that day. Now I will make sure to sit there. Yeah, we normally take breaks when we are working in the yard and sit in the shade. Sometimes the jasmine scent can be overwhelming. I also have gardenia and magnolia blooming, so sometimes there is a competition.

It's funny, when we had the backyard worked on, I told the landscaper that I wanted a patio under the deck. One told me that it would be too dark and dank under there. LOL, that is exactly what I wanted!!!!

I love all these gorgeous gardens---Buford---love your Zeffy and your paths along the azaleas----Pam--love the blue bench---
Florence

Buford

Gardenia and southern magnolia. Now I am homesick! Whenever a Magnolia grandiflora blooms in PDX, I pause and savor the memories! Carol

lesmc, (lesley) your "not so secret garden" is beautiful. Would you mind sharing the names of the gold, pink , and white roses in the photo?

Carol...the red roses in my picture are 4th of July and Armadeus, both climbers on the fence. In front are Cherry Parfait and Rock and Roll. I`d like to say red roses are my favorite, but all roses are my favorite! This is an outstanding post. These gardens are breath-taking! Lesley

I really envy you rosey ones your elevations. As my friend so elegantly puts it, my garden is flat as pee on a platter. The only elevation I have is in the backyard where the opposite bank of the creek is stone and much higher than the house side. There's a little under one fourth of an acre over there and we've let it grow wild to help insulate from the grove equipment on that side. About the only thing that might grow over there would be ramblers. Hmm. If I could get some water over there, that would be really pretty with ramblers in the trees. Maybe I'm inspired.

Everyone's secret gardens are just awe-inspiring.

Florida rose you probably already know that you can create elevation with pillars and arches. The rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey that is so wonderful is flat too.

This is NOT my garden...but I'd like to do something similar :)
{{gwi:280023}}From Courtyard Garden album
{{gwi:280024}}From Courtyard Garden album

Oh, those pics are gorgeous, LL. By the way, how is your DH doing? Is he home yet? Think of you often, know all this has been so hard, and you have handled it so well.
ogrose

You all have beautiful gardens!

Great thread! I visit and revisit. Lavender Lass, if I had a garden like the one in your photos, I'd never do anything but sip tea and commune with the roses. Carol

Pam, yes, I have gone "up" with my garden on arches and such, but I guess not enough for the impact that your garden has. Thank you for the advice.

ogrose---you sure gave me a good laugh----that is exactly how I feel "what the heck is back there" ----LOL LOL----I'm trying to find pictures of my "what the heck is back there" section----LOL

Florence

Here's my contribution to the secret gardens. It's a view of my shade bed from the neighbor's deck. They called me over to enjoy the view they see every morning.

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What makes it even more special is that they liked my shade bed so much they invited me to spread it over into their yard, when they'd taken out an old treehouse and had bare ground. That was before our fence went in, and a few roses ended up on their side (you can see Bonica and Larry Daniels). Once the fence went up, I checked to make sure they wouldn't mind some climbing roses draped over the fence. I dunno - you think they mind (smile)?

Cynthia

Cynthia---I love your garden-----the roses look great even with that big tree right in the middle of it

Florence

My garden is very small, but it has a wall nearly all round, so the whole thing is secret! Here you can see Young Lycidas in flower, and Grace in bud.

Hi treefrogdemon, so pretty! Is you wall brick, it looks like it to me, am green with envy...

Hi ogrose: thanks! Yes, the wall is brick, and it's curved, so that the garden is more or less a semi-circle. It's the reason I bought the house!

Treefrogdemon---I love the combination of colors in your garden----you must feel so safe an cozy with the brick wall
Florence

Cynthia, that picture is magnificent, and I'm sure your neighbors are thrilled to have your garden next door. I so envy the lush greenness which really showcases the beauty of the roses. Please show more of your garden; it's so lovely.

Ingrid

Cynthia

Your shade garden is wonderful! No surprise that it's contagious. It's such a treat when we can borrow our neighbors' landscapes. Wish you were my neighbor!

Treefrogdemon

I love your forum name. I've only seen walled gardens like yours in my favorite books. I understand why you bought the house along with the garden. A cheerful space and so cozy, a special place for you and yours.

Carol

Cynthia, I just realized, you have posted your beautiful garden on another post and I admired it very much. Never mind, I'll be better soon.....

Ingrid

floridarose, I think my knees and ankles would love a nice flat garden.

There is that, Buford. I've already had one total knee replacement. But one slight elevation would be nice.

Thanks Ingrid - I appreciate the complements and the request for more photos. I posted this at the same time as a longer thread of my own, so no wonder that you hadn't seen the longer collection yet. You're entirely right that things are lush this year, and that the extra moisture we've had has made a huge difference.

Carol, since few of us have enough space to garden as we want, I'm happy to have neighbors who let me play in their yards. I can't ever chime in on threads complaining about neighbors, since we have the best people around us! I've passed on roses or other plants to everyone on our circle and the neighbor behind us as well, and the fever seems to be catching.

Treefrogdemon, I admire your ability to keep pots looking so happy and healthy amidst a wonderful garden nook! I'm perfectly pathetic at pots, so I always have to enjoy them in someone else's yard.

Cynthia

I just have to say again, Lovely everyone!

I finally had time to download the photos still on my camera and found this picture of my favorite sitting nook -- "secret" because I'm totally hidden from the house when sitting there. it is under a large valley oak in the back yard. That's the backside of "Golden Wings' on the right (last flower of the main flush at the very upper right). The shrub behind the bench is cream bush (Holodiscus discolor), a native, and the shrub on the left is another Holodiscus thought to be an accidental hybrid that occurred at Calflora Nursery between Holodiscus discolor and the variety of Holodiscus microphyllus found on Sonoma County's "The Cedars" serpentine barrens. I also have that interesting variety of Holodiscus microphyllus -- yes, more than roses get collected here. A member of my cat collection, Bella, is also present in the photo (part of the "Black Cat" series). That's 'Alister Stella Gray' on the fence in the background.

Catspa that is lovely. I really like the way the bench is partly covered. I feel like every garden should have a cat. One time we had a thread all about cats in the garden.

Saw this after posting over on the gallery. Check out my random photos of my garden over there. Not much secret to it yet--too young. But once it matures I intend for the entire place to be intimate and overgrown.
Susan

Thanks for the kind comments! My garden is very new - I'd been having some health problems, and it took me all of last year to dig up the lawn. So I've probably planted much too closely, and all those plants will need keeping in check! (Didn't stop me from visiting a nursery yesterday and buying some new plants, including a Seven Sisters rose.)

Carol, I'm glad you like the name treefrogdemon. My name is really

Jocelyn

I love seeing all of the beautiful gardens in these photos. I have three gardens that are sort of "secret". This, however, is still my favorite little garden. This area is outside our back porch so I can sit at our table and look out at my pond, bird feeders, and other little creatures.
Molly

This is the "dining" area of my back porch, which provides me a little retreat from which I can enjoy the pond, etc.,
Molly

Jocelyn, it's nice to meet you and your garden! Seven sisters is a wonderful chameleon of a rose.

Molly, your dining area looks like a cool place to retreat from the sun. Is summer kicking in down there?
Carol

Very pretty, Molly.

I love your dining area, Molly. It looks so cool and calm. Is that a white caladium in the big pot? It's gorgeous. Diane

I think it is the sense of calm and detachment each has that makes the beautiful spaces shown on this thread so appealing. When I'm feeling stress, I head for that bench of mine (helps that it looks out over the lily pond and there's usually a cat or three for company).

Thank you, mendocino rose. "Overgrown" is sort of what we do best here (but I like it, too).

I dearly loved see all the above photos. Since I did a post on this subject a few weeks ago I thought perhaps some of you would like to see it. If so just click on the link below.

Shown below is another way to the secret garden. The purple wrought iron gate under the arch is open so please enter ...
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Here is a link that might be useful: Down hidden paths and secret alleys ...

I love the diversity of the gardens shown! It is such a stark reminder of the complexity of gardening...different climates, soils, elevations, and, of course, the creativity of each gardener. As varied as the gardens are, there is always something to be learned by the viewer of these photos.
Oh, Diane, the plant in the pot is actually an angel wing begonia with silvery foliage and pale pink blooms, and, yes, Carol, the heat is really kicking in!
Molly