We will begin our tour of the main perennial border at the entrance off the lawn to the Double Border, between the two apple trees. As we walk south on the lawn with the border on the right, first will be the golden grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'. It is surrounded by Tellima grandiflora Odorata Group, which you may notice by the fragrance before you see the small green flowers on their tall, thin, straight stems. The foliage is soft green-maroon, changing to a rich green for summer.  Brunnera macrophylla may still be in bloom. This variety with small blue flowers and large leaves spotted with silver is Brunnera m. 'Langtrees'.

An unusual onion relative has been planted here and elsewhere throughout the border. Nectaroscordum subsp. bulgaricum has clusters of green and pink pendulous flowers. This is the Cerise and Gold Section, with the golden foliage and red flowers of Weigela 'Rubidor' just south and under the apple tree. The tallest of our new trees here is a variegated form of Liriodendron tulipifera, the American Tulip Tree.

There is a great deal of foliage in this section from the "summer" perennials that will have their best show later in the year Aconitums with their deep green divided leaves, straplike daylily leaves and the finely cut, often colored foliage of Astilbe just filling out and throwing flower stems above the leaves. There are also lots of perennial Geraniums here with the largest being G. psilostemon, which will have magenta flowers with black blotches on the petals. Peonies are also planted here and many have reddish or bronzed foliage, both the tree peonies and the herbaceous ones.

We have more than one hundred peonies in the border and selected them for flower color and some for foliage. Most were purchased or donated from Klehms Peonies, Reaths Peonies and Caprice Farms ‑ all mail order companies. We do not have them all labeled and we like to recommend that you shop for peonies in these catalogs with an idea of the colors that would go well in your garden. We have had success with all the varieties we have tried except where the soil was too wet in the winter.

Roses in back of this section are 'Cerise Bouquet' and 'Henri Martin'.   In full flower is the yellow flowered lupine relative, Thermopsis lanceolata, with Narcissus 'Pipit' just ending their bloom season. There are thee large clumps of Euphorbia schillingii (about five feet in from the grass), named for Tony Schilling, one of the modern plant explorers.

Here we go into the Pink Section, with many clumps of Mollinia caerulea 'Variegata', a variegated grass just starting to grow, with large clumps of Geranium magnificum behind. Near the lawn edge as we go southward is Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila'. Bergenia 'Bressingham White', stachys byzantina 'Primrose Heron', and the trefoil foliage of Astrantia maxima spread about behind. There are lots more peonies, astilbes and clumps of Iris siberica 'White Swirl'. Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum’ is in the foreground, its pink umbels above lacy green foliage. Just south of several large clumps of Phlox 'Mt. Fuji' are many forms of Geranium phaeum (the Mourning Widow") around a Cornus alba 'Elegantissima.

As we pass the entrance to the new path, we are in the Variegated and Saturated Section. with more Iris sibirica foliage, Phlox paniculata 'Nora Leigh' (white and green variegated) and a large clump of Astrantia major 'Rosensinfonie' in full flower which fades to white. There's lots of daylily foliage and Rosa 'Flamingo' is close to the grass, with Pulmonaria 'Roy Davidson', light blue flowers and spotted leaves and Lunaria annua 'Variegata' scattered about. This is a form of the Money Plant we let seed about. You can see below and amongst the shrubs (Cornus, Buddleia, Sambucus) we have planted our large collection of white, cream and yellow flowered Helleborus; orientalis hybrids.

Near the lawn is the grassy blue foliage of Elymus just before we reach the Hot Border, which is backed by the shrubs Cornus alba 'Elegantissima', Buddleia 'Harlequin' and Sambucus nigra 'Aureomarginata'. Amongst the large areas of Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' is a wonderful dark‑leaved Geranium pratense 'Victor Reiter' and red foliaged barberries, Berberis thunbergii, B. t. 'Helmond Pillar', and B. t. 'Crimson Pygmy'. The foliage of some red flowered daylilies is mixed in with Stachys byzantina, Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow', and a deep blue form of Iris siberica. Of these, only the Euphorbia will be in bloom now. The Hot Border shows best in June. The maroon‑leaved Plantago major 'Rubrifolia' is seeding about in the yellow Lysimachia and in our large collection of Geums, some orange flowers may be showing. The hoop fence used here is from the Red Twig Dogwoods we cut to the ground each Spring. The long whips are put in the ground to match the Hot Border colors. Past the last red barberry, we come to the Yellow, Black and Blue Section where the fence changes to the yellow twigs of a golden willow.

The last barberry is B. t. 'Gold Ring' and located here. is our favorite tree from Michael Schultz in Portland, Crataegus pubescens. Underneath this small tree is Carex elata 'Knightshayes', a gold and green linear‑striped grass. We are now along the gravel path headed north. Along the edge is one of our more striking spring displays,  although by May the Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy' may be out of flower. The dark foliage will still show amongst Veronica trehane, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' and Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'. Way up slope, past the foliage of daylilies, Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm, Delphinium elatum and Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus', is the pale green felted foliage of Sorbus aria 'Lutescens' along the new path through the center of the border. There are also several dark maroon‑leaved Sambucus; nigra 'Guincho Purple' up there just leafing out and soon to flower.

The cut back mounds of Cortaderia selloana 'Sunstripe' mark the switch to the Yellow and Grey Section which needs better definition and will be reworked this year.

Beyond the bamboo (Shibataea kumasasa), we are in the bog with another Red Twig Dogwood, Cornus alba 'Spaethii' and several Ligularias. Most notable are the red‑maroon leaves of L. dentata 'Desdemona’, which slugs seem to love. One of the most striking of our spring displays is here ‑ the foliage of Iris pseudacorus 'Variegata' as a foil for Camassia leichtlinii 'Blue Danube' and the variegated Sanguisorba obtusa. The grass here is Carex elata 'Aurea'. Above the bog is Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart's Gold' and an Acer platanoides 'Princeton Gold', the Princeton Gold Norway Maple. A short way up the gravel path is Geranium tuberosum and more Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea’ with Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' spiking up through both as well as some Ajuga.

The Rose here is 'Ghislaine de Feligonde, which may be in bloom with yellow/apricot flowers. Past Geum rivale and more iris and daylily foliage, we come to the Salmon, Coral and Apricot section. Just below Rosa 'Fruhlingsmorgen' is the purple basal foliage of Iris 'Gerald Darby'. Large clumps of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' amongst more stiff iris foliage lead us to a few shrubs which come down to the path here next to a Carex Pendula, with its amazing fasciated flower heads.

This brings us to the Salmon and Blue Section, which is followed by the Aster Border. There may still be a few of our dark flowered Helleborus orientalis seedlings from Kevin Nicolay still in bloom. They will be just under the background shrubs with seed pods just filling out. This has been a wet section and the Narcissus 'Salome have done well. There are several Geum rivale here, with G. r. 'Leonard's Variety', the apricot colored form in full flower.

A large clump of Euphorbia sikkimensis is just before two large barberries, B. jamesiana and B. koreana (nearest to the gravel, just coming into flower). There is a wonderful dark maroon/purple foliaged honeysuckle here, Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina' with the blue and smoke red foliage of Rosa glauca. behind. Many fall blooming asters are just starting up. Next to the path is Allium schoenoprasum 'Forescate' with the ferny foliage of Achillea 'Powell's White', A. 'Appleblossom' and Rosa rubiginosa with foliage scented of green apples when damp.

Go up the hazel nut path to the entrance of the Double Border with its vista though the border to the golden foliage in the distance and a fine speciman. of Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' in the right foreground. We are going to continue along the grass with the border on your right and Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' and E. x martinii just below Philadelphus coronarius, one of our many Mock Orange shrubs soon to have wonderfully scented white flowers.

There are two large Rosa californica 'Plena' taking up quite a bit of space, so we widened the border here and added some new perennials. There is a growing collection of some newer Heuchera here ‑ H. 'Ruby Veil' and H. 'CanCan' ‑ along with Tiarella 'Silver Streak , Vancouveria and a small Trillium ovatum (double form). Between the roses is a large patch of Trillium sessile, with mottled leaves and a nice Cornus kousa beginning to leaf out. Beyond the last tall Rosa californica 'Plena' is Berberis 'Velvet Cloak’, next to a rose that we have lost the name of and Paeonia lutea, one of the large growing tree peonies.

There are emerging clumps of Bears Breeches here. First is Acanthus balcanicus and then under the large shrubs (Euonymus alatus), two clumps of A. mollis. The Euonymus were here before the Border was begun, and we just have a narrow strip planted in woodland plants ‑ Hosta, Dicentra formosa, Arums and Anaphalis triplinervis, a great gray foliage plant for shade. The America native Jeffersonia diphylla may still be in bloom, with solitary white flowers. There are large clumps of Pulmonaria 'Janet Fisk with whitish leaves and Carex siderosticha 'Variegata', with wide grass‑like leaves striped in white. A bit of  Convallaria (Lily of the Valley) leads us to the copse under the north apple tree in full bloom .

The peony here is 'Joseph Rock’ ‑ ice white with a maroon patch on the base of the petals. There are other tree peonies here as well as daylilies, Arum italicum, Trillium luteum (under one of the tree peonies), Bergenia, Baptisia, Epimedium and the Japanese grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' a very nice planting in a shady spot.

If you look under the apple, you will see an open copse with more sun behind the Hydrangeas in the Double Border. This is a spot filled with Arum italicum 'Pictum' Helleborus foetidus 'Narrow Leaved Form', Iris foetidissima (one of our evergreen perennials) our native Smilacina racemosa and the new growth of Epilobium angustfolium 'Album', the white fireweed.

This page was last updated on Tuesday, February 15, 2005