Gardens
Grasses
Blue balls
Colour & structure
Ferns and lanterns on steps
Black & gold foliage
Wire ball for interest & design.
Best flowering vine. Trumpet honeysuckle, also called coral honeysuckle, is a well-behaved flowering vine that attracts hummingbirds and won’t take over your house or yard the way Asian wisteria (Wisteria sinensis or W. floribunda) or English ivy (Hedera helix) can. Trumpet honeysuckle is perfect for twining up an arbor or along a fence line. Important note: Don’t confuse trumpet honeysuckle with trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) or crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), which are also vines with trumpet-shaped flowers but should be avoided, due to their aggressive spreading through underground runners.
Highbush Blueberry or Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium angustifolium) Native to a variety of habitats, ranging from swamps and bogs to woods, fields and rocky outcrops Best edible plant. Blueberry is an essential Northern garden plant because of its delicious berries, fiery fall foliage and, depending on the species, ability to grow just about anywhere with some sun.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp) Some species are native to low woods and swamps, and others are adapted to high and dry exposed areas Most adaptable flowering shrub. Serviceberry, also called shadbush, shadblow and juneberry, is a beautiful multistemmed shrub or small tree that grows in sun or the understory of larger trees. Clouds of white flowers cover serviceberry in April, and the early-season nectar is valuable forage for many pollinators. Birds flock to feed on the pink and purple edible berries that ripen in June. The fall foliage is a striking orange and yellow, especially when grown in the sun. Plants sold in nurseries are usually natural hybrids of local species.
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) Native to moist meadows and fields on the East Coast and south to Virginia Best full-sun perennial for moist soil and late-season blooms. The purple flowers of New England aster, along with goldenrod (Solidago spp), signal the summer’s end here in the Northeast. An important nectar and host plant for butterflies and late-season beneficial insects, it loves full sun and moist soil, but it will put on a great show in any reasonable garden soil. Allow it to self-seed and create large drifts of fall color, and watch for monarch butterflies drinking nectar from the flowers, essential fuel for their long flight south to Mexico.
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Native to open, sandy soils and uplands across eastern North America, but a rare species in most New England states Best full-sun perennial for sandy or well-drained soil. This gorgeous native plant sports neon-orange blooms in early summer, attracting many butterflies and pollinators to its sweet nectar. Butterfly milkweed thrives in any sunny spot with well-draining soil, especially sand. As a milkweed, it’s an occasional food plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars, although swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), which leafs out and blooms later than the orange milkweed, is preferred as a host plant.
Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) Native to rich Eastern forests and woodlands Best shade perennial. Foamflower, shown here, is a beautiful semievergreen ground cover that blooms in a sea of pink and white foamy flowers in spring. Fairly deer resistant (definitely not a deer’s first choice), it is perfect for growing in shady areas underneath trees or in the shade of a house. In rich soil, foamflower can spread annually a few feet in each direction from stolons (underground roots), but it is never invasive like Vinca and Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), commonly planted ground covers that can escape into nearby woodlands. Choose spreading varieties if you’re looking for a ground cover effect. Named cultivars found in nurseries are often labeled incorrectly as Tiarella cordifolia and are actually the clumping Appalachian species, Tiarella wherryi. These don’t spread from underground stolons, so read labels carefully if you prefer a spreading plant to fill an area.
Add a touch of whimsy. Playfully placed pots can create an interesting garden room or path. Here, instead of accentuating a space, they become the space.
Mark a garden boundary. Use pots to delineate a transition from one garden space to another. Pots can be placed at the entry to a new space or as a separation or barrier.
Accentuate a garden destination. A pot can be used as a point of interest at the end of a path, at the center of a courtyard or to help spruce up a secret seating nook.
Soften or brighten a blank wall or fence. Have you ever wondered what to do with that big, blank wall in your backyard? Maybe the side of a shed that butts up against your property? Instead of letting it be an eyesore, think of it as a canvas or a frame. You can choose a row of colorful pots with a single plant, as seen here, or a more neutral pot filled with colorful seasonal plants. This is a great way to add repetition to your garden in an intriguing way.
Anchor opposite sides of a gate. The scene in this photo would still be beautiful without the large pots. However, this is a great example of how the pots pull together the whole scene. They add prominence to the gate and match the color of the sculpture and gate frame. Tip: Pots can be used to hold tender plants, making it easier to transport them indoors when temperatures dip.
Accent or screen an awkward or overlooked spot. Adding a single pot or a group or pots can be a perfect way to fill an empty corner. Tip: Other places to use a pot or pot grouping include in front of an air conditioning unit, a generator or a utility box.
Mimic shapes found in the landscape. Here, a round pot picks up on the mounding form of the nearby boulders.
Don’t be afraid to choose a brightly colored container that echoes the colors found in nearby plants.
Cluster pots in a planting bed. Select a series of pots with similar shapes, color schemes or surfaces to create a lively grouping that breaks up a planted bed. The surface of the pots — whether smooth, rough or shiny — not only will provide interest in a planted bed but will also give the eye a place to rest. Tip: The pots don’t all have to match, but at least one of the elements listed above should tie them all together.
Use a single vessel as a focal point in the landscape. Place a pot among plantings to draw the eye out into the landscape. Here, a light gray container framed by lace leaf Japanese maples in a contrasting dark hue creates an intriguing vignette. Tip: Select a large vessel for extra drama and impact.
Side yard with a stop. Whether your side yard is the only outdoor space you have, or you just want to carve out a more intimate spot as an addition to a larger backyard, adding a seating area can make the space feel more purposeful. Here, a gently curved path of concrete pavers widens just enough in the center to allow for two chairs. The tree on the street side helps provide privacy — and offers a lovely view.
Serene path. Rather than being a purely utilitarian pass-through space, this side yard is an invitation to slow down and breathe a bit more deeply. Rich green ferns and other shade plants line the gravel path, while unique round “stepping stones” are ringed with Mexican black pebbles and filled with low-growing plants in shades of green from chartreuse to moss.
A regal escape. Dense and abundant climbing plants create a canopy across this wrought iron gazebo, providing the perfect coverage as you gaze across the manicured lawns and paths spread out around you. Just add a cup of tea in this gloriously elegant and secluded writer’s haven in an otherwise open garden.
A mysterious courtyard. The intertwined branches of the arch leading into this hidden courtyard create an air of mystery and beauty. Hidden in the recesses of the secluded garden, a lone bench beckons you to settle down among the leafy shrubbery and use the oddly melancholy atmosphere to your artistic advantage.
A harmonious pavilion. A Japanese-inspired garden is the quintessential Zen space. A warmly lit pavilion set near a peaceful koi pond and small, winding paths is a beautifully serene space in which to let the mind wander unencumbered and allow creative impulses to flow freely.
A secret alcove. Gardens are often associated with the concepts of purity, isolation and abundance. This secluded retreat blooming with wildflowers is the ideal, distraction-free space in which to get lost in your writing and spend hours observing the intertwined branches around you.
Deer tolerant
Deer proof
Deer proof
Colours
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