Each Little World

Cleveland inspiration

Whenever we drive out east to visit my family, we always make an overnight stop in Cleveland, Ohio. We make our base at a perfect small hotel in an old mansion. It's across the street from the botanic garden and around the corner from the art museum. 

Last June we spent a day at the Cleveland Museum of Art. But I snapped these photos in the driveway and along the street at the Cleveland Botanical Garden when we strolled past it on our way to the museum. Since these plantings were not inside the garden proper, I didn't get ids.

I love these curbside plantings as they use swaths of tough plants and always give me ideas to try at home. These Alliums seedheads are the perfect counterpoint to the blossoms on the dark Ninebark behind them. I think the brown tones look even better with the Ninebark than the Alliums in bloom.

Lamb's Ears always seem to be used as an accent plant. This hot, dry driveway is the perfect situation to spread them out and let the velvet foliage contrast with the concrete.

This is a very unusual and quirky combination. The purple-leafed Redbud tree has so little trunk height that it's branches make it a ground cover plant; a rather fascinating sight. But I am not keen on the yellow Yews; I'd use a blue conifer instead.

Add a row of one plant — Alliums again — for contrast in a bed of large trees and shrubs. Then put a different plant with similar color flowers dow low at the front of the border. What an effect those two plants make in the midst of their much larger companions.

Alliums again! But the real star of this bed is Itea virginica aka sweetspire. It adds a lot of drama to the rest of the plantings; much more so than the dwarf varieties of it would do.

End of the month views

One of the visitors to our Open Garden last Friday evening was Steven King, Vice President of the Wisconsin Daylily Society — and an excellent photographer. He posted a wonderful group of images of our garden on the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society FB page. Pam Penick's photos in late June gave me a series of end-of-the-month views of my garden then. Now Steven's July images let me see what things are looking like one month later.

It is always fascinating to see what captures someone else's eye when they visit your garden. I have a tendency to take pictures from the same locations over and over again.

Steven shot a number of views from spots where I never stop or in directions that I rarely look. I love it when I look at a photo of my own garden and have to stop and figure out where it was taken.

Even familiar views look different when taken from a different angle . . .

or closer in . . .

Steven and I talked about turning around and taking a photo of where you've just been. 

The image above and the one below are opposite each other. You only see one view unless you turn around.

Steven got the perfect shot of the new symbolic water garden. The western sun lit up the pattern of water drops in the pond. 

Thank you again, Steven, for all the wonderful photos you took of our garden and for sharing them with the members of the WHPS.

Open Garden Tonight

This week the temperatures dropped down into the 70°s with the highs only hitting the low 80°s. I decided it was the perfect moment to host an open garden evening for members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society. The garden is definitely showing the effects of this hot summer. But the cooler temps meant Mark and I had the energy to work outdoors and spruce things up. And it will actually be pleasant to be out in the garden from 4:30 until 7:30 this evening. 

Local inspiration

Last month four members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society opened their gardens for late afternoon/evening tours. Our "garden girls" gang of four toured them together. That way we got to socialize, share info and answer each other's questions.

The plant behind the Rodgersia (below) is Stylophorum diphyllum aka Wood Poppy, happily growing in the garden of Mary Ellen and Tom LaChance. This can be fairly aggressive in a woodland garden. When I've found it in my garden I've always pulled it out. But it was used to great effect in two of the gardens. I fell in love with it on this tour and just ordered one for my garden. 

I have not had success with the flashier varieties of Athyrium ferns but I am ready to try again. I think this is A. 'Oceans Fury' and I have a spot for it next to my Hakonechoa grass to recreate this scene from Rita Thomas' garden. 

This pairing of a Hosta with Shredded Umbrella Leaf (Syneilesis aconitifolia) in Rita's garden is a much more attractive combination than the grouping in my garden. Another idea worth imitating. 

Andrea Diss-Torrance lives around the corner from where I shared a flat in the 1970s. This is a view of her neighbor's back steps from the path into Andrea's back garden. Not really my style and yet it's pure perfection catches my heart.

Andrea is a serious gardener and uses her side of the path for plantings and tools.

She is the queen of container plants with dozens of them staged on her back deck which has steps framing two sides. 

She has a greenhouse/shed and incredible willow structures to hold up climbers. Most amazing of all are her wattle fences. Her property is a lesson in garden history as well as proof that you can be creative in small spaces. 

Stephanie O'Neal's garden is another example of small space gardening. When I got home I realized I spent so much time talking with Stephanie that I never took any pictures of her garden.

IVOM

A week ago I grabbed the last of the candelabra primroses and the first Martagon lily to make a quick arrangement for the living room. Stems of Heuchera flowers and an Allium complete the group.

Allium atropurpureum is new for me this year. The flower head is not fully round but more of a bowl shape with a narrow base. The color is dark and intense. Its companion Allium still hasn't opened. 

I love matching and contrasting flower color with the little strokes of color on this vase from Madison's Studio Paran.

The 90°F. temperatures at the beginning of this last week popped all the Martagon lilies, so I had no qualms about cutting them or the Alliums from my traffic island bed. I used them to make a deck vase for the 2022 Garden Bloggers Fling visit to our garden on Saturday. It's still looking good. 

I made a quick run out to K&A Nursery to pick up a special order Hydrangea that had come in. When I went inside to pay for it, I fell prey to temptation and snagged this Begonia. 

The flowers and foliage caught my eye but the stems are the real stars of this show. Alas, no id tag. I used it to block a clump of dead tree trunks as you enter the back garden for the tour. Yes, I know. Totally obsessive behavior. 

The kids are alright

Welcome garden bloggers

to the Madison, Wisconsin

Fling!

Shakkei

Shakkei is a Japanese term that refers to incorporating views of a neighboring landscape into one's garden. We've enjoyed our neighbors' huge old Forsythia 'Beatrix Farrand' for as long as we've lived in this house.. Some years the branches have come right through the fence and we've told our neighbors not to prune them on our account. This is the view along the fence path approaching our hoses and faucet  — and the gate into their garden so we can enjoy their plants up close.

Their Magnolia stellata is always a wonderful sight. Usually our trees are more leafed out and the line between the properties is not so obvious. 

Next up will be their hot pink and orange Rhododendron shrubs. A perfect pairing of colors from the 1960s.

Learning from Jeff: Containers

Jeff Epping has been the Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens here in Madison since the 1990s. During that time, he and his staff have transformed the gardens and continue to do so. His own home garden has undergone an equal number of transformations over the years. It's always a thrill — and a must see — when his own garden is open to the public. 

This private space is hidden from view at the front corner of the house. 

The next three photos go from left to right across the back steps of the house that lead down to the deck.

No matter where you look, there is an idea to inspire. 

Keeping all your prunings on site to decompose or to be used in various ways is a concept that is new to many of us. I love how all the logs from a tree trimming are put to use in a sophisticated display here. It is an idea that would not have occurred to me without seeing such a successful display in person.

Containers are a feature in the seating area on the deck. Note how he has plants interspersed in the paving.

Jeff always seems to have interesting evergreens potted up. Love how this merges the foreground and background. 

This row of pots — with those sweet baby containers interspersed — has been a feature on the porch railing every time I've visited Jeff's garden. The plants may change, but a great idea is worth replicating.

Looking for inspiration

Visiting other gardens is considered one of the best ways to be inspired with ideas for our own gardens. I find I get as many great ideas and bits of information trolling the web as I do visiting a garden in person. Here are a few online images that have recently sparked my imagination. 

I love Carexes and discovered this photo on the website of Plant Delights Nursery. I think this is a brilliant combination of color, form and texture. The grass is Carex retroflexa 'Bonnie and Clyde' but the Heuchera is not identified since the point of the picture is to sell the Carex. This image proves that two plants — the right two plants — can create a show-stopping moment. 

I have been growing bronze fennel in my garden but it doesn't do much visually for me. Nothing like this giant fennel in the garden of Dan Pearson in the UK. It went on my wish list the moment I saw this photo in the British House and Garden magazine. I am in love with plants that will tower above me. 

This is Rodgersia podophylla in the gardens at Cady's Falls Nursery in Vt. But it's surrounded by Barberries and Peonies, plants that like the sun. Rodgersias like the shade. But this image suggests they may be able to take more sun than I've been giving mine. This one looks so happy and healthy that I am probably going to move my slowpoke plant this spring. 

Author Matt Mattus has plants and ideas and information galore on his blog, Growing With Plants. In this photo of his early spring garden, he's done something it never occurred to me to do. He's put at least three different varieties of Fritillaries in three different colors around this urn filled with pansies. I've always put my Frits in different areas of the garden far away from each other. No more.

I saw this garden image on the blog of The Frustrated Gardener in the UK. Like Matt Mattus, he's another obsessive gardener sharing tons of advice, ideas and information. I grow a lot of Toadlilies (Tricyrtis sp.) and Heuchera but I've never seen them used as ground covers like this. The angle of the photo is a bit confusing because my Tricyrtis like this variety are at least two feet tall. What a thrill it would be to turn a corner and discover swaths of these plants that you could walk between.

I've planted the most floriferous area in my garden with a lot of pink, lavender and purple flowers. I wold love to add this plant, Lysimachia purpurea. It could be tucked in anywhere and would give a wonderful burst of color without overwhelming its neighbors. I've yet to find it for sale anywhere but I hopeful.

Have you got a blog, magazine or Youtube video channel that is your go-to source for ideas?

Simple solutions

Despite a couple of warm days, my garden is still mostly in winter mode. So I'm sharing images from more of last summer's garden tours.

I've visited Ken Nordlund's garden many times over the years. Each time I come away with ideas. Last summer I was struck by the number of simple combinations he uses to great effect. As a Carex fan, I loved this Carex getting to be the star all on its own. I was amused by its lush, healthy appearance compared to the neighbor's grass on the other side of the fence. 

Miscanthus and lamb's ears offer a delightful contrast in scale and texture. 

Another grass paired with the patterned foliage of a Canna is a simple but striking combo.

In our climate zone, Hostas and Heuchera are garden stalwarts. I love this grouping that straightforwardly acknowledges what attractive workhorses they are. But what raises this planting up a notch are those sweet little grasses providing a dramatic change in color, texture and scale. 

Local gal meets drama queen in this pairing. In the Upper Midwest it is hard to find a garden that doesn't have daylilies. They can take everything our climate throws at them. Here it creates a glamorous combination paired with a similarly colored Dahlia. 

The Dahlia's dark foliage adds just the contrast this combo needs to set it off. It would be worth the effort it takes to overwinter Dahlias here to be able to enjoy such a gorgeous scene in one's garden.