Dandi’s colorful and close-up garden

Dandi’s delightful digs

When looking at Dandi Gentry’s garden, the first thing that struck us was the vibrant rainbow of color she captures with her camera. When visiting her garden, you’ll walk through a series of arbors and trellises that divide the space into delightful areas rimmed with colorful flower beds, with a large pond her husband built for her.

Aqua Insulators attract a robin

Dandy says, “I got interested in gardening I think because of my Mom…she has a beautiful garden! We would go shopping together for flowers, and she would tell me all the names, and though I didn’t know it at the time, she was teaching me a lot about them.”

Dandi Gentry welcomes us to her garden

Dandi’s large island flower bed

The garden goes vertical with arbors and trellises

“When I moved in to my own house two years ago, I decided I wanted a garden. And when I started out small, it didn’t always go the way I wanted. But, I was learning more and more! Since then my garden has moved and restarted three times. When my husband offered to make me a pond, it became the start of the garden you see today… and keeps growing!”

Dandi has a knack for color combos

Dandi’s pond is the centerpiece of her garden

Lovely iris, white with periwinkle edges

“What I like most about gardening is the anticipation of waiting for your favorite flower to open, or seeing a tiny seedling emerge for the first time. It’s beautiful, and peaceful.”

Dandy lives and gardens in Alabama, with her husband Mark, and graduated from college with a bachelor’s in art. She has always loved photography and her garden is the perfect place for expressing that love! She captures her flowers up close, and tries to give a different perspective to them, she says.

Garden color echoes

Dandi’s artistic garden composition

Fuzziness of a bee shows up when photographed

“Flea Market items have way more character to me than something you buy new from a store. I love antique stores and Flea Market finds and my house and gardens both are decorated this way. If it’s rusty I want it!”

Mailbox adorns the top of the arbor

Crates form a focal point on this table

Galvanized trough acts a large wondow box

“I especially love buckets, tractor or farm parts, wheels, and wagons! I’m not sure what made me decide this was the style I wanted…I just see something I love, and wonder what I could plant in it. I have used buckets, funnels, cans, baskets, crates and dishes for planters. if it will hold dirt, I will use it!”

Dandi Gentry’s large garden from above

“I think many people are always hurrying, and never really stop to enjoy the beautiful world around us. I also really enjoy all the creatures in my garden. I always take my camera out with me when I go in my garden just in case I might catch a lizard or hummingbird by surprise.”