Landscaping ideas
Hilarie used a variety of native plants in the shade garden, including Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) and pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii), both shown here, as well as foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), baneberry (Actaea sp.), Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) and a variety of native trees.
Gardens using jewel-toned color palettes benefit from tones chosen from opposite sides of the color wheel (like orange and blue or yellow and violet). Pairing plants with foliage or flower colors in closely complementary hues makes each color stand out in contrast to its neighbors. For example, in this seaside garden by Bliss Garden Design on Bainbridge Island, Washington, dark purple ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’) and cool blue ‘Little Titch’ catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Little Titch’) set off bright orange California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) planted close by.
The perennial beds include the following mix of natives, hybrids and pollinator-friendly plants: Beebalm (Monarda ‘Scorpion’), boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Mountain’), cornflower (Centaurea sp.), Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum), dense blazing star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’), fall phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘David’), hyssop (Agastache sp.), lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’), masterwort (Astrantia major ‘Moulin Rouge’), mountain fleece (Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’), Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’), shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘White Breeze’), stonecrop (Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’) and white turtlehead (Chelone glabra).
Ferns as filler.
Love this look under the oak trees.
Love the thin rock border. Love the angled bed. Love the tree mulch.
Love this full look along pathways.
Love pathway concept.
Love metal work enhancement.
Love this stone area.
Love stone area.
Love hedge mazes.
Love brick walkway and boulder outline.
I like the feel of the pathway leading to the back with wonderful landscaping controlling the boundaries.
My shade garden is ‘wilder’ than other areas of the property and is meant to convey a tapestry of shade-loving plants that blend a cultivated look with more of a naturalistic style,” Hilarie says. This flagstone path leads through a shady glade, past broad-leaved hosta, ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) and dogwood (Cornus sp.).
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