Garden Tour Photos

As I circled the home counter clockwise, I was not expecting to see what felt like organized chaos.  Upon closer inspection, I saw the side beds were highlighted with massive flowers of herbaceous peonies Paeonia ‘Do Tell’ (that sparkle) and ‘Dancing Beautiful’, (a you gotta have it) deep pink single petaled with yellow pompoms.  These are flanked by native Baptisia australis, resulting in gorgeous color combinations.

Walking on in full sun, the gardens looked like weeds in an old vegetable garden and raised beds.  Soon, you realize the gardener’s true passion as you identify what’s there.  Stands of New England asters, monarda, sneezeweed, rubeckia, swamp milkweed, well, you get the picture.  The priority here is the birds and butterflies.  Actually, you realize you are hearing the birds all around you.  Daylilies are abounding.  The owners still grow vegetables where there is room, which is certainly the best for the summer table.  The thick strawberry patches spill over the raised beds; they just make your mouth water.

Moving along the 1.3-acre site, I was pleased to see plenty of native gray dogwoods on the perimeter of the land.  The poor ash trees are being replaced with native blue beech (the real muscle trees), dawn redwood, redbuds, and golden larch.  Again you will see large open lawn that dances with shadows from the towering trees.  A luxury to see in any garden, many were circled with choice hostas.  Hosta ‘Leola Fraim’ worked nicely around one, while a welcomed rest on a stone bench that was guarded by two beautiful stands of H. nigrescens was stunning and appreciated.  Some garden beds made good use of cut logs from fallen trees, alternating vertical and then horizontal, back and forth, in large circles or ovals, a great repurpose of the trees that were doomed.

Hostas, surrounding the trees and in beds, are arranged in a pleasing manner, contrasting each other.  I liked ‘Sea Gulf Stream’ next to ‘Blue Seer’.  H. ’Love Pat’ was full, playful, and clear.  Nothing like it.  You see mature clumps of ‘Paradigm’, ‘Permanent Wave’, ‘Potomac Pride’, and ‘Liberty’ as you wander.  H. ‘Arctic Blast’ and many others have their roots blanketed in sedum ground covers.  A particular showstopper is a planting of Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’, surrounded by Hosta ‘Blue Valentine Lace’, ‘Twist of Lime’, and sweet woodruff.

When finishing the circle walk, you pass through worn wooden gates to be met with huge clumps of blue and green seedlings that were just grand.  There were no names, but I found out that they came from the garden of Olive Alice Pauley.  She was a pioneer.  Olive was known for her daylilies and hostas.  Sadly, she left us twenty years ago, but her work is with us and admired.

Sedums collected over 30 years and transplanted here are used freely as a groundcover and do a great job, looking neat and tidy.  Going full circle to the front porch, I can’t believe I missed the towering stacked potted plants of cascading grasses and pansies.  Take a closer look, and you will see that they camouflage large rain barrels, an idea worth stealing.  This garden is worth going back to see a second time in any season.  The birds will definitely be there.