Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Friday, May 4, 2012

Sometimes I Like My Garden, Sometimes I Don't!


It's a clown pants colorama mixture of natives and carefully chosen exotics that makes me smile.

Central Basin natives and carefully chosen exotics
This morning my across the street neighbor told me the garden was beautiful.  That made me so happy.  
Central Basin native Baptisia australis is a colorful companion for Peony 'General MacMahon'
 Although, I garden for my own pleasure, getting positive feedback from neighbors feels fantastic. 

Rosa 'Lovely Fairy'  is another strong color in the garden.
 Especially in a garden with as few design restraints/rules as Clay and Limestone.

G sanguineum is a tough and versatile plant that prefers the edge of the garden where the sharp drainage makes it happy.
My design rule is simple:

Hibiscus 'Kopper King' with Achillea 'Moonshine', If Kopper blooms with the Susans we shall see color!
 Find a space between the limestone bedrock and wedge the plant in and hope for the best!


Cotinus 'Grace', Geranium 'Rozanne' Gen MacMahon peony, Baptisia 'Carolina Moonlight',  
Chasmanthium latifolium, and Penstemon calycosus
Sometimes, the best is a clown pants colorama!
xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone." This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for her blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011. This work is protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact the author for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

37 comments:

  1. You should be quite pleased with this burst of spring color. No wonder your neighbors, and passers-by no doubt, think this is a pretty place. It is fun to have positive feed-back from someone that sees it often. :) Have a great weekend.

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  2. Oh but when is it you don't like your garden? It looks to me as though you would never have that problem. You have perfect design skills because you are the one who picks the plant for that limestone niche and I can see your choices make for a perfection. I wonder how many people just sneak in and sit on the bench to enjoy such loveliness.

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  3. Forget all those fussy rules about how to design a garden--I love your clown pants style. All that matters is that your garden pleases you, but I agree with your neighbor--it's beautiful!

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  4. Gail, I had to chuckle for the "hope for the best" philosophy because it's so similar to mine. I planted this red rose in front of a fuschia peony, and wow, that was one horrible color clash this spring. Your garden IS beautiful. Cross my heart.

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  5. It's good to have compliments from neighbors.
    Your garden is beautiful.

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  6. I love your garden Gail, it is beautiful. I think what I like the most is the natural flow of plants and color throughout. It's not austere, or contrived in appearance, or clipped within an inch of its life. It looks like nature could have planted it that way, and you can't best Nature, I don't care how good a gardener you are ;)

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    1. It looks as if nature did it - is from us wildlife gardeners, the very highest of praise. Yes!

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  7. Hi. I love your blog and beautiful photos.
    I have a question for you, in the second picture, what is the golden-lime green looking plant to the bottom left, by the primrose? I have this I believe and cannot remember the name.
    Your garden is so nice. I look at it for inspiration.
    Thanks.

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    1. Dang, the other left. meaning lower right. Sorry /:

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    2. Audrey, it's Agastache 'Golden Jubilee'. and thank you!

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    3. Thank you. That sounds very familiar! And you are welcome.

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  8. Your garden is beautiful. I particularly like the delicate foliage and flowers that pop up here and there. It all fills in so nicely. I, too, garden for myself, but it always feels nice when someone else appreciates it as well. There are times I feel I have taken on too much with my garden--I am tired, but then there are those times I am very glad I have it.

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    1. "There are times I feel I have taken on too much with my garden--I am tired, but then there are those times I am very glad I have it."=Me, too!

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  9. I love your colors Gail. I also think many people have the same design philosophy, ha!

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  10. Your neighbor is quite right, and I bet she enjoys her view across the street every single day, whether she mentions it to you or not. It is wonderful, and hoping for the best is the only way to go!
    xoxoxo
    Frances

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  11. Your plants look so happy and healthy. They are thriving in a challenging situation and the way the sunlight illuminates them is perfect. Sometimes, when we talk about design rules, we overlook the importance of the experience of actually being in that garden... how we enjoy or respond to the space. Your plants are beautiful and they make you smile. Your neighbour is fortunate indeed to be able to enjoy your lovely garden every day.

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  12. Gail, Your garden is fantastic. I'm still waiting for the color clowns to arrive here. In the meantime like your neighbor I'll just borrow your view, and I love it! I know I have taken on too much with my garden. If the space is available it's only natural to expand. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be just perfect.

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  13. Having neighbors notice your garden is like a thank you note for giving a great gift. My design philosophy is similar: find a spot between tree roots & chunks of concrete & hope for the best. I don't have a clown pants situation only because I'm very restrained color-wise when I go plant shopping.

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  14. I bet you actually have more of a design strategy than that. I think you consider the needs of the plant and how it will look and behave with its neighbors. But plants can always surprise us. I think we all stick them in the ground and hope for the best!

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  15. No, no, Gail. I reject fully your "clown pants" assessment. Your colour palette is exuberant and beautifully composed. It's clearly a happy garden. One day, I'd love to sit on that purple bench with you and enjoy it.

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  16. I like it. All the colors, the forms, the play of the light. It is definitely a good to love!

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  17. I like your design plan! The colors look nice! Very happy.

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  18. Sometimes I like mine, too, and I do right now, but also, I keep seeing these bare spaces, and there are things I want to change. I love your place! It is good hearing that from other people. Since we are on a corner, there are a number of neighbors who go by, and some make comments about the yard. The other day, a young man was taking photos from his bicycle. I told him he could walk around the yard taking photos. He had a very nice camera, and it was fun to see the different stances he took to get his shots. That was a nice compliment, too.

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  19. Your garden is gorgeous! The colors are so vivid - and they look like Mother Nature just dropped the seeds randomly and perfectly. I love the Baptisia with the peony. Such a striking color combination!

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  20. Positive feedback warms the soul. Your neighbor has one gorgeous view ~ she probably feels lucky every day to live across the street from you Gail. Looks pretty darn good on my computer screen too!

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  21. Green with envy! What is there yo dislike?

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  22. Grace, everything we see here is really growing right now? We still haven't go leaves on our trees, and you have roses blooming...sigh. Such a beauty garden that you have.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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    1. Yes, it is Jen. We had hardly any winter and 80F temps in March. We are behind on rain and summer has hit us big time. I dream of cooler days. gail

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  23. I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys the Clown Pants Colorama approach to gardening! Lovely indeed Gail.

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  24. I have always enjoyed a good circus, so much so I have planted one of my own.

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  25. Your garden is beautiful! Your comment of clown pants (that came from Grumpy's SL book, didn't it?) reminds me of paintings done in Antibes by two different artists.

    Monet's view of Antibes is what we all see -- an impressionist painting and we see the subject clearly. Picasso also painted there and to look at his painting of a scene in Antibes, one has to study the painting and interpret it. (I'll post those on Facebook for comparison).

    My point being is that your garden is your personal, artistic creation--not clown pants! Who knows--you may be the next famous gardener to inspire future gardeners to attempt to recreate your vision.

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    1. Don't tell Grumpy, but, I have never read his book! xo

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  26. Wow, even just the foliage make me happy if that is mine. It reflects the diligence and care of the owner! That 2nd photo wide angle shot is my favorite.

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  27. If I were your across the street neighbor you would probably catch me touching and sniffing and maybe even rolling around in there. Tis truly beautiful right now!

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  28. How nice your neighbor complimented your garden, nice when our hard work (or passion) is appreciated by others. I have Hibiscus 'Kopper King'...last year it was struggling, this year it is coming on strong.

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  29. I know just how you feel -- sometimes liking my garden, sometimes not; the happiness when a neighbor says something nice about the garden' a "wedge plant in space" design sensibility; "clown pants" color combos -- it all resonated with me. Oh, and I love your garden!

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson