Mary experienced a lot of death and destruction from last winter's extremes, thus I was prepared to see holes—a garden knocked back—but unless you knew where to look (thanks to a conversation where Mary pointed out a few things gone bad) the garden hid all the bad and was nothing short of stunning.
I love allium.
I can't deal with the dying foliage, but love the blooms. Mary does allium well.
I was surprised to see her Pseudopanax 'Sabre' looking so good, mine just has a couple of tiny leaves sprouting from the base...
Then I saw that she'd sunk a pot into the border. Well done!
I took nearly this same shot last year. The plant is Arabis ferdinandi-coburgii, last year the soil between the arabis and the lawn was a small moat. This year it's cracked and dry.
Another stunning allium.
Passing into the back garden...
Cyrtomium fortunei
Calycanthus occidentalis
Looking backwards...
Paris polyphylla
There's Mary under the garage overhang which creates a lovely patio area.
How fabulous is that pot!? Mary picked it up from fellow gardener Gail Barnard.
Mary has moved around her many podophyllum since my last visit, some are still in containers, but others have been put in the ground.
I'm backtracking now, to capture images I missed when I went forward to say hello to the garden hostess. A yellow flowered trillium...
Disporum standing tall among the podophyllum.
Close-up of the disporum blooms.
A few more podophyllum shots...
I'm under the garage overhang now, looking backwards.
A different angle.
I love this container!
The raised planting area between the driveway and the back deck/patio.
And finally a couple shots of the border along the driveway.
Thank you for opening your garden again Mary! It was as inspiring as always.
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I revisited your post from last May and instantly remembered the podophyllum queen. I've only recently warmed up to podophyllum, just as price sky rocketed... very glad to realized they do so well in containers.
ReplyDeleteI adore the pot Mary got from Gail Barnard: totally fabulous and inspiring. Is it secured in place in some fashion? It's rather top heavy, I'd be worried.
Chavli
Good question about the container, I assumed that the base was extra heavy to keep it upright.
DeleteLovely garden, thanks for sharing the photos.
ReplyDeleteI really like the crown lifted shrubs underplanted with herbaceous stuff.
Was that a Podocarpus behind the shot of all of the different Podophyllums? I have a spot in my garden at the end of my decking where I am looking to put a new shrub or small tree. It has to be very structural and I don't want a solid looking plant. But, I am worried about their hardiness.
Not sure why my comment was put down as "anonymous"?
DeleteI selected my Google account.
It is osthmanthus Sasaba. My favorite osmanthus. I have 3, so far.
DeleteAdam, Google likes to keep us guessing! Mary, thanks for the reply!
DeleteIt's a lovely garden, although I had to scroll through the photos a second time to find an agave ;) I love Alliums too but they're very short-lived here (if they bloom at all). I've recently fallen in love with Calycanthus occidentalis as well. Sunset says it'll grow in my climate but it needs "regular water," which rules it out for me. I guess I'll stick with my pineapple guavas for red-flowered shrubs.
ReplyDeleteI bought a green calycanthus years ago, Calycanthus floridus 'Athens'. I wish I could have found a spot for it in the garden as the color was fantastic and it smelled so good! I ended up giving it away.
DeleteA lovely garden whether you’re talking design or plants. I had to go back as I remembered her podophyllums from last year. Makes me want to blow the wad on a couple more. She sure knows what they want.
ReplyDeleteDo it! I came close earlier this spring but didn't pull the trigger.
DeleteJust gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed!
DeleteI'd love to know more about the "rock garden" plants in the raised bed, how they are grown and names of plants. Is she a member of NARGS?
ReplyDeleteExcellent questions! Maybe I should try to get Mary to help me do a feature on that part of the garden.
DeleteWhat a beautiful garden. The winter has been tough on many gardens this year but you would never notice any damage in Mary's. Allium christophii is a beauty and because it's a bit later blooming is easier to hid the foliage. The seed heads are fantastic decorations.
ReplyDeleteI do love dried allium seedheads!
DeleteSuch a different experience for Phoenix gardeners with the best winter in the 42 years I have lived here! Of course it is not green like Northwest but we have gorgeous cactus flowers and so many! I wondered if Mary does all the gardening herself. It is heavenly but looks like it takes a lot of care.
ReplyDeleteMary entertains those of us who know her on Facebook with tales of an old lady who works in her garden sometimes. That old lady is frequently rewarded with a beer at the end of a particularly hard day's work. She looks a little like Mary actually, but I'd never call Mary an old lady.
DeleteAh ha, what a special prize the "old lady" is for that garden! Come to think of it, I actually have one of those too!
DeleteSo luxuriantly green! The mix of foliage sizes and textures makes all the green even better.
ReplyDeleteIndeed... even in this the driest of Mays it is still a very green garden, but not in a boring way.
DeletePodophyllum heaven! Mary has an amazing garden. Love the little rock gardens with the saxifrages.
ReplyDelete