Prime Time - Summer!
Entering the North by Northwest Passage, the steps are lined with dark plum ligularia, golden grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola', bicolor coral bells Heuchera 'Delta Dawn', and shiny dark green European ginger.
Fuschia biennial foxgloves Digitalis 'Candy Mountain' are newly planted among silver lungwort, Astilbe 'Vision in Red', Solomon's Seal, Hosta 'Ginko Craig', maidenhair fern, and Epimedium, among others.
Respecting the garden design of Piet Oudolf, Ken created rivers of plantings that flow under the walkway of the North by Northwest Passage. including the white edged Hosta 'Ginko Craig', maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum, Astilbe 'Vision in Red', white variegated ivy, and silver lungwort Pulmonaria 'Majeste'. Mass plantings of Solomon's seal Polygonatum 'Variegatum', ligularia, and bergenia add to the texture and rich green gradations.
Along the property line to the right, this garden is edged by sections of a short yew Taxus media 'Tauntonii' alternating with a taller yew. Once these yews are established, the plan is to prune the border into an undulating hedge, repeating the curvilinear nature of the pathway.
A view of the North by Northwest Passage from the upstairs deck reveals the sweeping structural curves of the walkway, the rock wall, and the pruned Taxus x media 'Hicksii' yew hedge above, all brought to life by the flowing Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'.
From the patio just off the front porch, one views beyond the front yard to the Better Angels garden with it's orange variegated Canna 'Pretoria' and tall white Miscanthus 'Variegatus' billowing over the huge Hosta 'Sum and Substance'. Annual blue salvia intermingles with white dahlia, alyssum, and calamintha.
Our grandchildren are on the lookout for Swallowtail and Monarch butterflies.
Opposite: Seen from the sidewalk in front of our home, the gardens are welcoming. Frequently neighbors walking past will stop here to talk, sit down for a cold drink on the patio, or walk through the garden, perhaps meeting Ozzie, our neighbor's cat. Often when Ken kneels down to divide some plant, he's startled by Ozzie reaching out his huge paw, waking from a snooze among the plants. Here Ozzie simply enjoys a bit of sunshine under the birdbath. Above: From the upper patio is an expansive view of the Bling Prairie at the end of a summer day