Some women like shoes...I like plants. I dream about combinations and I study garden design whenever I have a free moment.
What I like about the garden below is how the placement of the maples and other shrubs have created depth in this garden. It is private and cozy. Exactly what I am looking for.
via-Southern Living
I continue to work on our perimeter plantings against the side fence in the back yard. The three Mohawk Viburnum that I planted 5 years ago have grown nicely but they have never been dense enough to give us the privacy that we need. I do not want to see the street! What I enjoyed about them was their spring blooms and unstructured shape. After thinking long and hard, I decided they needed to come out of this spot so that we could get the dramatic backdrop in the garden that I am after.
Mohawk Viburnum...
Mohawk Viburnum gone..
Another angle..
In go Techny Arborvitae....
The combination of trees and shrubs along the fence have evolved over the years. With light issues and preexisting trees to contend with we have finally found a grouping of plants that we like.
Purple Cone Spruce
Blackhaw Viburnum
Canadian Hemlocks
White Birch
Techny Arborvitae
Looking forward to them all filling in over time.
I do love the depth and layering of that first photo too. A great model for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI like your ideas for the screening along the fence. I too am experimenting with blackhaw viburnum. I have two, and they are very dense and twiggy --- a confused mess of branches, really, but they should offer you more screening even in winter than the other viburnums you had, especially mixed in with the evergreens. And they are really interesting trees / shrubs with pretty flowers and fall color. I am working each season to prune up the lower stems so I get a small tree, not a suckery shrub. You might want the more filled in look of a spreading shrub; I am going for the single stemmed tree look. Fun to experiment!
That first photo is captivating... and is a good example of using layers in the garden. So often the way to make a garden better is not to reduce, but to add to what is there. I like your decision, though, to remove the viburnum for the evergreens. It will be so nice not to see the street! And you can add just about anything in front of that green wall, highlighting interesting shrubs and flowers in other seasons.
ReplyDeleteI really like your inspiration photo. Evergreens will add nice year round screening from the street.
ReplyDeleteLove the courtyard from Southern Living. Your garden is off to a great start.
ReplyDeleteI designed and redesigned my garden in the US - I had pen and paper by my bed for last minute ideas. Oh the lost hours of sleep! Such a fun and inspiring time :) Now we have a rental house, so one day that gardening energy will resurface! Your garden looks wonderful!
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