Tour a Landscape of Fascinating Garden Rooms

As editors of a gardening cartridge , we ’re often ask , “ What ’s your favorite garden ? ” For me the answer is easygoing — Barbara Weirich ’s garden in Benton Harbor , Michigan . It ’s a landscape ofgarden roomsall fascinating in their make-up and chock full of interesting plants .

The drive up to Barbara ’s firm is magical ; plants of all shapes and sizes flank either side . You feel like you ’re drive up to a botanic garden . The house itself is modestly size , but from the array of plants border its foundation and spilling out of various containers , it is cleared that a veteran nurseryman hold up there .

A stone ’s stroke from the front door is a bog garden filled with flora that do n’t mind sloshed feet . Here there is a giantgunnera(Gunnera manicata , Zones 7–10 ) that survives thanks to the microclimate of this domain . take the air along the high-minded wooden boardwalk and you ’ll seepersicaria(Persicariaspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) , papyrus ( Cyperus papyrus , Zones 8–10 ) , andligularias(Ligulariaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) spilling onto the plank . At the end , a shady terrace offers visitor a place to rest .

Just beyond the bog garden is a pair of farseeing shady borders replete with a premix of interesting woodies and perennial . A turf path , abut by a black pebble edge , pulls you down the fairly narrow-minded tunnel to a New flushed work bench . Although the terrace is the focal point here , a motley elephantine dogwood ( Cornuscontroversa‘Variegata ’ , Zones 5–9 ) and billowy bulk of ‘ Aureola ’ Nipponese forest locoweed ( Hakonechloamacra‘Aureola ’ , Zones 5–9 ) are jolly heart - catching too .

There are full sun border nearby , which are overrun with plants that sport bold colors and sheer pattern . ‘ Black Magic ’ elephant ’s capitulum ( Colocasiaesculenta‘Black Magic ’ , Zones 10–11 ) and ‘ Pretoria ’ canna ( Canna‘Pretoria ’ , zone 8–11 ) are among the standouts . gilded Ananas comosus sage ( Salviaelegans‘Golden Delicious ’ , Zones 8–11 ) is another of Barbara ’s favorite plants . These hot - hued borders are somewhat contained by the river - sway edging that provide a cleared depiction between the garden and the lawn .

take the air around the magniloquent yew hedging that gage the tropical border and you ’ll arrive at the border of a steep cliff that shed into Lake Michigan . Barbara adjudicate to get playful at the outer edges of the dimension and dub it her “ beach . ” Here you ’ll find a tan gravel garden with strategically set blue lyme grass ( Leymus arenarius , Zones 4–9 ) and ‘ Elijah Blue ’ fescue pasturage ( Festucaglauca‘Elijah sorry ’ , Zones 4–8 ) . A small workbench provides the perfect spot for taking in the opinion of the great lake .

These garden are just a discernment of what you ’ll see in Barbara ’s landscape painting . There ’s a black - and - snowy garden , a colorful annual border , and even a succulent hellstrip too . If you want to be truly inspired by the multifariousness that one garden can accomplish , take the full circuit by watching the television now .

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