Our routine Instagram scrolling ground to a halt when we laid eyes on Simone Schneegans’ giant stump planter. Packed with cascading Dorotheanthus, heaping piles of Tradescantia and Lysimachia and a splash of begonia, this monster cottonwood stump-turned-container was a (heavy!) gift from a friend.

“I love to reuse and repurpose old things in the garden and provide a safe, chemical-free place for wildlife,” Simone says. She uses houseplant cuttings in containers, homemade compost and organic fertilizer, even hand-picks “hundreds of infuriating Japanese and potato beetles this year—woof!” Despite pests, heat and drought, Simone’s container garden thrived, lighting up her front drive with pops of chartreuse and purple foliage and pink and white begonia blooms.

“Grass is not safe around me!” she says of her gardening style Garden beds full of saliva, penstemon, milkweed, elderberry, summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), viburnum, cherries, green beans and heirloom tomatoes have consumed her entire Northfield backyard. And her front yard isn’t far behind—this winning planter has inspired her to begin converting her front lawn into a woodland garden.

You can follow Simone on Instagram at @plants_are_my_people.

The hort society’s Great Gardening Contest encourages northern gardeners to share photos of what they’re growing, whether community, container or home gardens. This fun event began when the 2020 Minnesota State Fair was canceled. Thanks to all participants!

This article by Rebecca Swee about our 2021 Great Gardening Contest originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Northern Gardener® magazine.