Tapestry of textures
By: Garden Gate staff
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Tapestry of textures
Leaving the business of the street behind you, enter into a peaceful setting of flowers, foliage and cooling shade.
This area takes advantage of gaps in the tree canopy to grow sun-loving flowers. Here, the pink-flowering shrub rose (Rosa hybrid) and yellow evening primrose (Oenothera spp.) are at their peak but will soon be followed by tall garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), crocosmia (Crocosmia spp. and hybrids) and other perennials.
Changing the walking surface from lawn to stone where the lattice screens are positioned reinforces the transition of one place to another.
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From sun to shade
Walk between the cedar screens on either side of this path to the shadier part of the yard. Besides creating a transition from front to side yard and part sun to shade, they provide privacy from the street and the neighbor’s nearby driveway.
While there are some flowers, foliage is the star in this part of the yard. You can’t miss the vibrant chartreuse hakonechloa (Hakonechloa macra) in photo at left — it practically glows. Right behind it is an aralia (Aralia cordata) in a similar shade but the different leaf shapes keep all the foliage from blending into an indistinguishable blob. This beautiful pair’s bright color draws your attention farther along the border.
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Patio perfection
Take a close look at the stone used to build this patio. The rough surface and irregular shapes provided an instant aged look well-suited to this historic home. Even better, the stone was reclaimed from an old chimney that was removed during a kitchen update.
Though this fountain isn’t hooked up to a water source, it serves as a subtle focal point, adding height and shape contrast while repeating the look of stone in the planting area.
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