Another July WHPS garden tour

It was so sunny the evening of the last WHPS tour of members' gardens that I only managed to snap a few images of the many wonderful things we saw. This garden had a pretty pond and a huge prairie that I could not manage to capture at all. This sloping rock garden was home to many familiar plants . . .

 

all of them looking happy and healthy.

This container of mixed succulents attracted lots of attention. 

As did this stunning green on green Hosta. After the tour I emailed this gardener to find out the name of this variety, intending to rush right out and buy one for my garden. She calls it "Sum and Something" because, she said, "it is a Sum and Substance that morphed into that interesting bicolor, probably due to a virus." She pointed out that she really likes the color variation, and the virus hasn't affected anything else (including several nearby clumps of Sum and Substance), so she's letting it stay in the garden.

Someone knowledgeable about these things, pointed out that it is likely Hosta Virus X. That person also said that the virus won't spread as long as this gardener is careful to disinfect her tools when cutting it back or dividing. So now we all know what to do should such a serendipitous discovery pop up in our own gardens!

As someone much enamored of Japanese gardens, I couldn't resist this little gravel garden.

The bamboo folding screen makes the perfect finishing touch.

The last garden we visited was one of the more memorable I've seen and I could not manage to get any photos but this shot of a Bells of Ireland plant. I've never seen this plant except at the florist's shop and thus enjoyed seeing its quirky shape up close.

What was so amazing about this garden — and gardener — was the fact that it was composed almost entirely of annuals. The amount of seed-saving-and-starting mades me tired just thinking about it — until  I was standing in the midst of the results. Her annuals were carefully chosen and combined for color, texture and form with a stream of blue salvia tying the composition together. A major gardening accomplishment in my book.

This is the prairie that is the provenance of the annual gardener's spouse. We saw three prairies on this tour and they were all different. It's not often that one gets to see variations on prairies in one fell swoop like this. 

It was also interesting to me that many of the couples whose gardens were on these two WHPS tours, divide their gardens into his and hers sections. He's the prairie guy or the Hosta guy, for example. At our house, Mark tends to be the hardscaping and design guy while I concentrate on plants. But the placement and choice of trees and shrubs is usually something we decided together. I always find it fascinating to see how two people manage to garden together and stay together!

Comments

[rusty duck]

Being heavily into prairies at the moment, I love that one.
The majority of garden related disagreements here arise when Mike decides he wants to 'weed'.. He who knows nothing about plants..

[Lisa at Greenbow]

Prairie gardens are fascinating in that they look different in the same spot year to year. I can imagine how people tending them would make different prairies. A fun tour no doubt. I couldn't imagine a garden with all annuals. You could change it year to year. That would wear me out let alone having to start all those annuals. I like that folding bamboo screen too. Is it portable? I have often wished I had a portable one. Now my garden is so full and grown up I wouldn't need one. I love the look.

[Jane Miller]

Thanks for sharing. I missed this tour and enjoyed your review.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Lisa — ​That folding screen is portable and I am guessing she takes it indoors most of the time.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Jessica — ​We live in the part of the country that is considered the eastern most edge of the prairies and they are popular here, especially if you have the room. My husband is good about only weeding in the areas where he knows what's what.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

Gosh, a garden of only annuals. Yes, that makes me tired to think about, too. :) We have many self-seeding annuals up at the cottage--but that's in the wild, with no work on my part except to pull the Garlic Mustard. That Hosta with the virus is fascinating.