See how Joyce Ludlow transformed her central Iowa backyard from scratch and adapted to changing light as her trees matured. She also shares some of the easy-care plants she relies on to create this calming, low-maintenance shade garden.
Watch the full Talk & Tour with Joyce here: • Joy in the Garden 🌸 Summer Garden Talk & T...
The speakers discuss the evolution of a backyard garden, focusing on the transition toward shade-loving plants and low-maintenance greenery. The conversation highlights the shift from high-maintenance varieties to hardier shrubs and the personal joy found in creating a peaceful, shaded sanctuary.
I think the only plant that was here, the trees, the trees were here.
That was one of the things that we did have him plant.
And then I I planted this little lime hydrangea.
Yeah. Outside of that, I think everything else sort of was added and changed.
That's the fun part of gardening.
Yeah, it is. It's the journey.
Yes. Yeah, exactly.
And this seems like a lot more shade than up front.
Yes. So this yeah, these chairs right here, those are my chairs.
And I love it when anybody in my family comes down and joins me.
But this is peaceful, calm.
I love it. I've slowly changed a lot of this
because the trees that larger in it get more shade.
And I'll be I'm one of the people that I want more shade.
Yeah. People want more sun that have too much shade.
I really have gotten an appreciation for the shade plants and the foliage.
Sure. What you can do.
Mm hmm. Yeah, a lot.
And I didn't want to be back here watering all the time.
I want it. So there's definitely more shrubs perennial.
You'll see, you know, begonia stuck in here and there.
But that's because above begonia can live there anyway.
Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I know.
So they are very tough. Yeah, you don't have to water.
Yeah. Great.
Yeah. Yeah.
And you've got some hydrangea microphyllas I noticed that
which those are kind of tough here in the Midwest.
They are tough.
So I actually had that all back here.
These are bobo hydrangeas.
But I had a little endless summer.
Oh, yeah. They're beautiful, beautiful blue.
Yeah. About every three years.
And yeah, you know, all this will make you cry when they they just wouldn't come.
Yeah. And so to be honest,
due to the pandemic, I babied those things.
I covered them.
I thought if there's ever a time I'm going to get these beautiful blooms
out of endless summer, it's going to be now.
I didn't get the blooms.
And so I fired them, threw them out of here, dug them off.
So these are really only like three years old.
Oh, that's impressive. Yeah. They look great.
And notice again, they have a looser habit. Yeah.
And even the one on the end, because of the the tree
doesn't get quite as much sun.
So I need to get.
Oh, I had to trim it myself, but I need a handier person.
Yeah. Open that up just a little bit more so that it looks fine.
Yeah. But yeah, I look back once I add the bobos, never look back.
