I usually post about what is happening in a garden at the time I visit. But I have been enjoying other bloggers' posts about gardens and nurseries they visited during the growing season and that they are featuring now. Seeing all that green foliage and flowers in full bloom is a real boost to the spirits at this time of the year.
I am joining in with these images taken last summer and then forgotten until now. You can tell what a beautiful evening it was when we toured this garden on the very far west side of Madison. We had met Ken and Jean a few years ago and reconnected in their garden last summer.
Dahlias brighten the space between the driveway and the front entrance.
The other side of the path to the front door leading down and through the front garden.
This section of the garden wraps around the front of the house and ends where it meets the neighboring property.
There is another large garden all along the edge of the driveway. At the far end of this border a path leads past the garage and into the back garden.
As someone who loves foliage I was smitten with all the wonderful combinations in this garden.
Looking back toward the street and the driveway border. I love the way the red blooms and the mounds of Japanese forest grass draw your eye though this area. But what I really appreciate is the fact that they used different red plants at different heights with dramatically different flower shapes.
That grassy foliage at the back is Helleborus foetidus. It was so gorgeous it inspired me this spring to order a few plants of that variety of Hellebore for my own garden.
Isn't this just a perfect location for a grown-up garden retreat? I would be out here for every meal and I'd add afternoon tea and cocktails to give me even more excuses to sit back and enjoy the garden instead of just working in it.
At the edge of the formal garden Ken is working on a prairie garden on the other side of the fence.
All the homes in this area are located around a central communal park area which belies the fact that it is an urban neighborhood.
The prairie in bloom.
More great plant combos including Carex muskingumensis, the grassy lime green plant in the rear. I am growing this in my bog so it was a surprise to see it in such a different context.
A perfect garden and a perfect evening.
Lots of great foliage/floral combinations make this garden at once visually stimulating and peaceful. This warm dry garden is just the thing for a gray, foggy, cold, drizzly March day! Thanks for the much-needed dose of vitamin D.
Posted by: Peter/Outlaw | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 09:25 AM
Beautiful! I don't intentionally hold off on posting about places I visit, but sometimes they just back up. I still have several posts to do from a garden tour I was on last June...
Posted by: Loree / danger garden | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 11:03 AM
Oh my, that is near perfect! I wish I would have been along for that tour! I like everything about their garden--but especially the Hakone grass spilling out onto the pathway. I'm planning to add some to my garden this year, along the top of our stone wall.
Posted by: Beth @ PlantPostings | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 11:07 AM
This is a garden full of texture. I love those big red dahlias. They do demand attention. I always envy those that can grow Japanese forest grass. Seeing it in such large swathes makes me green.
Posted by: Lisa at Greenbow | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 12:22 PM
I have had good luck with Hakone grass but I have never put it across a path like that. I may have to figure out where I could do that.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 01:27 PM
Yes, great sense of texture in their garden and their plants all seemed happy and healthy.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 01:33 PM
Love the pink grass and helenium combo. It will be so good to see a garden in growth again. Thanks for the summertime reminder!
Posted by: rusty duck | Thursday, March 09, 2017 at 01:45 PM
What a lovely garden tour! I always envy those who have such dense plantings that all look extremely healthy. I like the idea of the homes and gardens edging the communal park. Thanks, Linda!
Posted by: Barbara H. | Friday, March 10, 2017 at 06:23 AM
Lovely garden visit and lovely blog. The title "Each Little World" really speaks to me.
Posted by: Skyler Walker | Monday, March 13, 2017 at 05:34 PM
That's a lovely garden. You don't happen to know what the plant with the dark foliage and the spikey red flowers on the right side of the path lined with Hakonechloa is do you?
Posted by: Erin @ The Impatient Gardener | Friday, March 17, 2017 at 10:37 PM
i'm not sure what it is. Could be a red Astilbe or an annual. I will try to remember to ask them.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 07:47 AM