Candice's New Jersey Garden Adapts to Sudden Sunlight
A gardener in Newton, New Jersey, shares how her Zone 6a garden evolved after a neighbor's tree removal dramatically increased sunlight, forcing plant
Candice's garden in Newton, New Jersey, Zone 6a, had to adapt quickly last fall. Her neighbor removed three unhealthy trees, which dramatically increased the amount of sunlight reaching her beds.
Candice started the garden in May 2018 after removing a large five-trunk maple from the backyard. She told Fine Gardening she tracked the sun for a year to plan her plantings. The recent light shift caused some plants to burn while others thrived. "One thing about gardens-you need to be able to adapt to what nature brings," she said.
A Garden Built for Change
The garden remains a work in progress, as Candice showed to the Sussex County Garden Club on July 16. She uses various types of edging, including manufactured concrete block, branches, and a path made from tree-trunk rounds. Volunteer sunflowers, which Candice credits goldfinches with planting, tower over sections alongside 'Kwintus' pole beans. The beans climb an archway, drawing the eye deeper into the space.
Plant Palette and Textural Contrast
A densely planted border is packed with color, but its variety of textures and flower forms makes it stand out. The bed features plants with rounded blooms, tall spikes, and fine foliage for contrast.
| Plant Name | Botanical Name | Hardiness Zones | Notable Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purple coneflower | Echinacea purpurea | 3-9 | Rounded blooms |
| Roses | Rosa cvs. | 3-9 | Various forms |
| Southern globe thistle | Echinops ritro | 3-8 | Spiky globes |
| Garden phlox | Phlox paniculata and cvs. | 4-8 | Flower clusters |
| Foxgloves | Digitalis purpurea and cvs. | 4-8 | Tall flower spikes |
| 'Mops' Sawara false cypress | Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Mops' | 4-8 | Fine texture |
| Red-hot poker | Kniphofia cvs. | 5-9 | Vivid orange accent |
| Dwarf ornamental peach | Prunus persica | 5-8 | Deep burgundy foliage |
| Heirloom white hardy hibiscus | Hibiscus hybrid | 5-9 | Reaches 8 feet tall |
| Purple smoke bush | Cotinus coggygria cv. | 4-8 | Dark foliage contrast |
| Bee balm | Monarda cvs. | 4-9 | Red, white, pink tones |
| Shasta daisy | Leucanthemum × superbum and cvs. | 5-9 | White flowers |
| Red daylilies | Hemerocallis hybrids | 3-9 | Red blooms |
| Crocosmia | Crocosmia cvs. | 6-9 | Sword-like foliage |
Color Repetition and Garden Views
The same mix of flower forms and textures carries through the garden around a shed. Repeating red, white, and pink tones in different flower forms, like bee balm, Shasta daisies, and red daylilies, helps the beds feel connected even as plant combinations change. In one view, crocosmia, coneflowers, and the towering 8-foot white hardy hibiscus come together to shows midsummer abundance. The enormous white flowers of the hibiscus are especially dramatic against the dark foliage of a nearby purple smoke bush.
The garden continues to evolve under its new light conditions. Candice's creation from a blank slate demonstrates adaptation and ongoing experimentation.
