The Garden Designers Round Table (GRDT) is a group of 21 professional garden designers who blog from across the US and UK. Each month the topic changes and representatives of the group share their own regional view points. Last week, the topic was designers’ top picks for landscape plants.
As I thought through my own list, I assumed that my choices were so obvious that everyone else would have picked the same. But happily, I was gently reminded of the vast environmental differences and the enormity of plant world when there was almost no overlap between any of the designers.
I thought I would share some the regional favorites and introduce you to some of the people who did the picking:
Best Selling Garden Writer Nan Ondra who posts from Pennsylvania, named the beautiful Silver Willow (Salix alba var. sericea) as one of her favorites. She cites its graceful silver leaves, its great 'backdrop' contribution and how it wonderfully sets off so many other plants placed around it.
Andrew Keyes in Boston recommended a selection of water wise choices, and among other things, choose the pretty silvery combination of Stachys byzantina (lambs ears) and Sedum sieboldii.
Christina Salwitz in Washington State introduced us to one of her favorite combinations that puts together the pretty purple blue hues of Catmint (Nepeta ‘Magnificum’) and Hardy Geraniums (Geranium ‘Walkers Low’).
Genevieve Schmidt in Northern California recommended Hook Sedge (Uncinia uncinata) -- because it’s orange -- and who doesn’t love orange? Orange can be tricky to get in the garden and this plant with it’s beautiful black tipped leaves offers the color with a distinctive level of sophistication. (I wish I could grow it in my zone!!)
Ivette Soler's (in LA) favorite plants highlight some of the more vast regional differences. There are only a couple of her choices that I could grow in Boston, but I can certainly admire from a cold distance the Agave attenuate that she regularly uses around the pretty pools of Southern California.
Making a recommendation for trees, Jocelyn Chilvers in Denver cites Hawthorn, (Crataegus sp). as a good option for beautiful fall color, pretty berries and it's ability to attract wildlife.
Bay Area designer, Laura Livengood Schaub likes Elijah Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca). She says, "It appreciates a little shade and water to look its best; and makes a wonderful 18" mound of blue that is tough, soft, and looks great year round."
Over in England, Lesley and Robert like modern Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) as well as some other classics of English garden design.
Rebecca Sweet put together a range of blue-green plants that work for her in central California. The list includes one of my favorites, Blue spruce globosa (Picea pungens 'Globosa' ). For my own contribution -- I have to go with boxwoods (Buxus var.). They are just such hard working, structural, garden plants. I find that most people either love or hate their smell. Personally, I recognize it’s similarity to other less pleasant cat-related odors, but it still elicits happy memories of elegant gardens I have enjoyed.
And finally Susan Morrison (also in the Bay Area) shared her favorites - none of which I had ever even heard of - which included the exotic Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii ‘Kanga Yellow').
Next month, the GRDT members will be posting about stone in the landscape and the group will host of a couple of special guests including Deb Silver of Detroit Garden Works as well as Sunny Weiler of Stone Art Blog.
Images: Silver Will from Nan Ondra, Lambs Ears and Sedum from Andrew Keys, Catmint and Geranium from Christina Salwitz, Hook Sedge by Genevieve Schmidt, Agave Attenuate by Ivette Soler, Hawthorn by Jocelyn Chilvers, Blue Fescue by Laura Livengood Schaub, Black bamboo from Hegarty Webber Partnership, Blue Spruce by Rebecca Sweet, Boxwoods by Rochelle Greayer, Kangaroo Paw via Susan Morrison courtesy of Velveteen Swirl.
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My favorite plants are the edible kind! Bonus points if they're edible AND beautiful, like cabbage, blueberry bushes, and salad greens:
http://www.peacelovemath.com/
this was incredibly helpful, i am trying to pick out plants to go around my new house! thank you!
Yay for the Gardenist! Keep the great landscaping ideas coming!
The Hawthorn is gorgeous. If it works in Denver maybe, just maybe, it will work for me too...
This is a great series, and I have a recommendation of my own:
If you have part shade, definitely check out Itea virginica ("sweetspire"). It is deciduous but held its leaves in a lovely burgundy color nearly all winter (in DC area) and then leafed out beautifully early. It is about to unfurl its fragrant blooms now. I love this shrub!
Sorry, but the hardy Geranium is not 'Walker's Low,' it's a Nepeta and was Plant of the Year last year. The blue geranium is probably 'Johnson's Blue.' But beware, it's tallish and flops over the second it blooms, at least here in Zone 5 in central NYS.
Actually, the geranium is x 'magnificum.' names got switched in the above. One of my all time favorite garden plants is Japanese Anemone, hardy also to Zone 5. It builds foliage, girth and lovely presence in the garden throughout the summer. The saddest part is that it blooms in late summer, signaling the arrival of fall, so the anticipation races along and the resulting flowering is bittersweet. Still, it's the prettiest flower ever.
Oh, some of my faves: chinese fringe flower, barberry, coral bells, and japanese blood grass for reds...Fescues are beautiful for blue-green tints; hosta in all colors for your shade garden; flowering maple, noble grevillea; lamb's ears are always fun and a beautiful accent; pale gray-green yarrow with flowers in all colors; for annuals, I really like portulaca (moss rose) -- which has the paleness and waxiness of a succulent and beautiful vibrant flowers. One of my favorites for yellow-green is helichrysum, or lemon licorice--hard to find, but a beautiful color and nice contrast.
I love Japanese anemone too - it just blooms and blooms and blooms in my garden. I've read it can be invasive in some environments but I've never had a problem with it getting out of hand (have grown it for 10 years in the PNW).
I also love 'Rozanne' hardy geranium - it blooms all summer and doesn't need to be deadheaded so it always looks neat and never flops. I put it in spots where I can't easily reach for regular maintenance and it always looks great in spite of the neglect.