This year with more time on my hands, I've had greater opportunity to visit the gardens of fellow NARGS members. Each visitation is such an eye-opening learning experience that I thought I should start this thread to document some that I have visited, to share with you those elements that I found most inspiring. I encourage other NARGS forumists to post their garden visit experiences too, highlighting positive impressions or memorable things learned.
Do not be intimidated by the length of my first 6-part entry in this "Garden Visits" thread, your post to "Garden Visits" could be as simple as a single message, sharing one inspirational element that struck you most about a particular garden. Photos are of course welcome, but it is recommended you get friendly consent from the person visited, and please, only mention garden location in generic terms, such as "northwestern Connecticutt", or the "Puget Sound area of Washinton", as appropriate.
Comments
Anne Spiegel
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sun, 11/21/2010 - 12:38pmActually, Lori, I find this a very inspiring photo. I wish my garden looked like this all winter long. So much damage is done by the combination of winter winds, sun, and no snow cover - not to mention last winter's unexpected thaws with rain. Yuk!!
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sun, 11/21/2010 - 8:47pmAnne, the last two winters have been unusually snowy, but we don't normally have lasting snow cover. Who knows what this year will bring?
Tim Ingram (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 7:25amI found this very inspiring thread on searching for somewhere to post a few pictures of friends gardens in Kent. We have quite wide ranging interests in our group, with one member (Mike Darvill) growing very few alpines but very many trees and shrubs! However, as someone who likes these too here are a few examples:
Pterostyrax hispida - very lovely in flower despite the wind having blown half of the flowers off the plant!
Rhododendron cinnabarinum - the flowers are over but what foliage! This plant was a gift from the very fine plantsman, Tom Wood, who ran Oakover Nursery in Kent and for a long time was the Secretary of the International Plant Propagator's Society. Mike and Tom both have a passion for woody plants, and notably Magnolias!
Cornus kousa 'Satomi' - A small plant but showing promise with its pink bracts.
Impatiens omeiana - A surprising plant that looks nowhere near hardy but here running around happily underground and with great foliage (Mike's garden is high up on the North Downs and was nowhere near as cold as ours this winter - but he does get very strong winds!).
Tim Ingram (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 7:36amSome more pictures, this time from Gill and Peter Regan's garden, not too far from the first one but in this case a mature (40 years old) woodland garden, gardened in a very natural way. Gill has a great interest in lilies and these are a few examples:
L. martagon cattaniae - a stunning deep mahogany-red form with very glossy petals
L. martagon hybrid - curious almost bicoloured form
L. monadelphum - I think one of the most beautiful lilies in the world. A Turkish species which I have tried to grow several times but never achieving its full potential. Gill and Peter's garden is on quite heavy clay soil with flints and holds moisture well into the summer.
General view of martagons self-seeding.
The garden has many other fascinating plants:
Nice combination of Indigofera potaninii and Clematis 'Etoile Rose'
A rather extraordinary shrub which I have only seen a couple of times - Coriaria terminalis var. xanthocarpa
Tim Ingram (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 9:30amApologies for the lack of photos - they didn't get through properly.
Trond Hoy
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 1:39pmI feel at home in those gardens, Tim! Some familiar plants there. However no lilies has started blooming here yet.
I have a large patch of Impatiens omeiana. It is a very hardy but late flowering plant I often the flowers are damaged by frost in November.
Picture taken some years ago.
Richard T. Rodich
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 5:48pmI used to be more of a tree and shrub man myself, but one can only grow so many of these "space hogs" in a half acre lot (and at my parents' home). I tried Pterostyrax hispida, but it didn't survive my cold winter, even as a "herbaceous" die back plant, like Paulonia does. While I still have many unusual woody materials (at least for my climate), I've branched out into alpines, unusual perennials, and species lilies and iris. They take up a lot less room. Impatiens omeiana has been on my seed wish list for a while now.
Those are some nice photos, Tim. One of the first lilies I grew from seed was Lilium monadelphum var. szovitsianum (L. szovitsianum). But it was certainly not the first lily to bloom that I grew from seed. It took seven years! (Apparently, not uncommon for the species.) The fifth and sixth years I thought it would surely bloom, being 3 feet tall, but no. Mine grows in rich clay based soil, and it seems quite adaptable and long lived. I have a few other accessions of the monadelphum species coming from seed now too. Of the hypogeal germinating group of lily species, I have found them to be the easiest to germinate.
Lilium szovitsianum
Lilium monadelphum collected in Georgia.
The tiny bulb that the seed produces the season before top growth begins:
People tell me that the real Lilium martagon var. cattaniae is very very dark, and I'm not sure if the one in your pic is true, Tim.
http://www.the-genus-lilium.com/martagon.htm
There are many imposters in the trade. I have the variety from three different sources of seed. Only one has flowered so far: it is a beauty, but not dark enough to be the real cattaniae.
Tim Ingram (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 3:07amRick - Gill wasn't sure if it was true cattaniae but it is much darker than other martagons in the garden and it is difficult to know what other name to give it. I don't know them well enough to have an idea of the natural variation. On the SRGC site is a picture of a form with pale undersides to the petals, but really dark outers. In the garden it really does stand out and I must cadge a bit of seed.
Howey (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 4:28amTim - I too am rejoicing in Pterostyrax hispida which is blooming for the first time in my garden. There was one growing at the University here - misnamed - but, owing to neglect and the constant construction going on - it dwindled and last time I looked had died out altogether. However, the seeds were copious so a friend and I collected and started plants. Haven't seen them anywhere else - my little tree is about 4 feet now - I was so happy to see your photo of it on this Forum. Fran
Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b
Trond Hoy
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sat, 06/11/2011 - 2:29amI still am a tree and shrub man but have been sustained with firewood in 25 years! Some of the trees I planted have achieved great proportions.
Rick, my Impatiens omeiana never has time to mature seeds before heavy frosts but I can send you rhizomes if that is possible?
Richard T. Rodich
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sat, 06/11/2011 - 5:51amThanks for the offer, Trond, but I do believe there is good reason for quarantines and customs with plant materials, and I feel better that I follow them. Seeds are more safe. There are myriads of things on my wish list, as well as my have list that keep me very busy. If I grew them all, I would have to quit my job to care for them! So outside the U.S.A., I don't give or receive anything except seed.
Trond Hoy
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sat, 06/11/2011 - 7:55amThat's very reasonable!
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Mon, 07/11/2011 - 9:40pmWhat inspires me? This beautifully designed and executed crevice-style rock garden, for one! Here are a few photos from a truly spectacular and world-renown garden, that of Stephanie and Dave Ferguson here in Calgary... These photos will mostly be just for visual enjoyment... not too many plant names (when I have visited, I have simply been too busy poring over every inch to to spend much time scribbling down plant names! ... and there are thousands of species so where to start? :o)
This is a mix of photos from mid May and late June. I have been meaning to add these to this thread for some time, and perhaps Todd will add his much better photos (complete with carefully-noted plant names!) when he gets a chance...
Rosulate violas(!!):
Douglasia nivalis:
Among the many cacti, South American Maihuenia spp.:
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Mon, 07/11/2011 - 9:51pmMore of the most extraordinary things!
Ajuga pyramidalis; Pyrethrum leontopodium; Daphne velenovskyi:
Spring saxifrages, S. oppositifolia:
Among the many paintbrush spp., propagated and planted with Townsendia "hosts", Castilleja integra(?):
Lilium lophophorum:
Howey (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 4:47amWhat lovely photographs Lori. Another reason I must visit Calgary and see this fabulous garden. The yellow lily is quite different from most lilies I have seen - both the leaves and the flower - was it in "full flower" or was it sort of opening up or perhaps starting to close down? Fran
Richard T. Rodich
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 6:43amI was marveling at the Ferguson's rock work in your pics in the other recent thread, Lori. Except for pics of one garden in the Czech Republic, I've never seen better crevice work.
That superbly grown Pyrethrum leontopodium would look all moldy to the normal gardener... I'm glad I am not normal!
The American Maihuenia sp. is wonderful. I haven't been able to get the seed to germinate, although I have pretty good luck with other cacti seed.
That is a to-die-for lily!
Fran, the "best" forms of Lilium lophophorum do not open completely, and the petals do not detach at the tips (as shown). I might add that that one is a fully mature and excellently grown specimen; they never produce more than one flower, and are often mishapen in regards to grace and symmetry. I didn't realize the species also had undulating foliage, too. I have a couple young ones languishing in my garden, and I assumed the "deformed" leaves were just due to the relatively poor environment I have for them, but maybe not (?!) They always go dormant very early, and I'll be moving them this summer.
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 10:19amI think in the "normal" garden, it would indeed be moldy! ;) For the brief period until it expired, anyway...
I love to see furry plants like this!
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 8:47pmA few more:
Aethionema oppositifolia; Pulsatilla vernalis; various cacti:
A couple of fabulous peas:
Eriogonum ovalifolium, locally-native form:
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 9:02pmAnd...
Salvia dorrii; Physoplexis comosa (well, formerly Phyteuma, anyway!); a spectacular and imposing primula labelled as Primula maximowiczii (x2 - very puzzling, as what I grew under this name was quite different!); a very intriguing Saussurea sp.:
The variety of fascinating plants, and the beautiful design, workmanship and scale of the whole venture (the front yard crevice bed alone is, my guess, ~90' x 30'??) are mindboggling! :)
Toole (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 1:58amWow !!!!!! Lori
It's the sort of garden i often dream about at night....... :)
If i only had the space, the slope,an open sunny exposure and maybe winter snow cover ,(or at least less year round moisture), it's the type of project i would attempt myself.
My congratulations to the owners and thanks for posting.
Cheers Dave.
Tim Ingram (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 5:34amWhat a fantastic garden Lori! Alan Furness's garden in Northumberland is the only one I know where the plants look so natural, and unfortunately I only have slides. Not so many people in the UK devote themselves so much to growing alpines in the garden in this way, but I think a few more might do after seeing those photos. The eriogonum is delicious!!
Sellars (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 6:49amIt's true that there are very few gardens focused on growing alpines in a natural environment. These are fabulous photos Lori and the garden is a real inspiration. Stephanie Ferguson gave a talk on developing her garden at the WWSW on Vancouver Island last February and it was an outstanding presentation. I particularly like your photo of Douglasia nivalis. It looks just like plants I have seen in the Wenatchee Mountains.
Cliff Booker
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 9:05amLori,
I am enjoying these magnificent cameos immensely from the comfort of our chalet room high above the Campolongo Pass here in the majestic Dolomites. An enormous electric storm is passing through the mountains and life giving rain is filling the streams and gullys.
We have spent the day walking across screes and boulder fields where alpine plants survive and thrive in much the same way that they do in this inspirational garden that you so kindly illustrate. Many thanks to you and the heartiest of congratulations to Stephanie on her marvelous creation.
deesen (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 2:26pmOh my! What a cracking garden. If only I had the skill; the rocks; the artistic ability; the plants; oh!, and the time. Thanks for posting Lori.
cohan (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 4:21pmThis is the first I have heard of Maihuenia surviving in Alberta--interesting! Though Calgary is still quite a different climate than here.. Maihuenia poeppiggii actually are not supposed to need dry winters as many cacti do, but we are still that bit colder than you, especially in the city...
Do you have any idea how many years she has been growing this and the Echinocereus? For some in that genus, its not the winter lows that I worry about, as much as lack of summer heat.. I guess she has created a hot micro climate for these? I plan a 'hot' bed for some of those...
Rick-- M poeppiggi needs winter (outdoors or at least a few months) stratification, unlike most cacti, even most cold hardy spp; alternative treatments include GA3, high heat and pricking seed coat, etc.. similar applies to Pediocactus and Sclero
Anne Spiegel
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 4:24pmLucky you, Cliff. There's nothing better than a really good thunderstorm in the mountains. We only had a little one while we were there - some thunder and lightning but nothing really sensational. Happy plant hunting!
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 12:55pmAnne and Cliff, I think there's a big difference in how "enjoyable" alpine lightning and thunderstorms can be depending on whether one is safely ensconced in a cushy chalet or the alternative!! ;D ;D
Anne Spiegel
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 5:46pmAgreed, Lori, but the chalet doesn't have to be cushy, just safely enclosed. One year there was a really strong thunderstorm in Corvara and the hotel temporarily lost electricity, as did the rest of the village. It just made the lightning that more dramatic. We spent a lot of time in Colorado dodging thunderstorms and I recall starting early in the morning so that we could be below treeline by 3p.m. or so. The storms seemed to occur quite regularly about the same time in the afternoon. The worst was looking up to the ridge and seeing nothing but blue sky half an hour later!
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:20pmActually what I meant was that the presence of a chalet was cushy... ;) :) :D
Amy Olmsted
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sun, 07/17/2011 - 2:30pmIt's so nice to see some of the plants in this fantastic garden after reading about its construction in the latest NARGS journal. I can't wait for the next installation on the Ferguson's adventure in alpine garden building!
Lori S. (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sun, 07/24/2011 - 3:15pmThe best insight you could get on this garden and its plants is from what Amy mentioned... refer to Stephanie's superb article on the construction... to be followed by one (or more?) on the plants!
cohan (not verified)
Re: Garden Visits - what inspires you!
Sun, 07/24/2011 - 4:46pmTks, Lori, I don't have any NARGS journals... are the articles online? presumably not.... lol but I can dig around the site later..
Pages