GARDENS BY THE BAY

CORNER GARDEN PLANTING

With bed construction complete, it was time to add perennials. Some were brought from home, some were provided by gardening friends and, of course, no gardener can resist the urge to buy something new and untried. My early records indicate I planted about 125 different species between the fall of 1992 and the spring of 1993, with another 15 or more added during that summer along with a variety of bulbs. This did not seem excessive when each section measured over 25 feet in length and more than 9 feet deep. Over time the perennials filled in, beautiful spring-blooming bulbs were added, clashing or badly sited plants were relocated and the crowning glory, ornamental grasses, were moved into place. Colourful edgers were planted to spill over the rocks and green and red-foliaged Hens and Chicks were gradually tucked into soil pockets in the rocks.For more about edging plants and their companions, follow the link to the first of two pages of Edging Perennials & Their Companions. By the summer of 2000, over 60 plants circled the perimeter of this bed, with something planned to be in bloom from earliest spring to late fall. Filling in the center space are hundreds of other perennials, grasses, bulbs and vines, not necessarily the originals since there were inevitable losses over time. The appearance is different later the same summer, after an arbour was built and installed. By spring 2001, the fernleaf peony, a gift from a generous gardening friend nearby, bloomed in all its glory, all the more dramatic because of the early spring-blooming purple rock cress nearby. Follow the link for a profile of the Fernleaf Peony with all the information you will need for its care and placement. Viewed from the north along the raised east side, the vibrant lavender, pink and deep magenta of the three creeping phlox edgers contrast with the stark white of a spring-blooming anemone in the north section and the glorious purple blooms of an early clematis growing up the post at the south end. Viewed from the east along the south side of the bed, various shades of aubrieta co-bloom with the same clematis, rigid narcissus stalks and a creamy-yellow dwarf iris. And to the right, both blue and white forget-me-nots bloom among magenta spiderwort and the first dangling blooms on the Solomon's seal. By mid-summer the ornamental grasses have leapt upwards from among the yellows, purples, pinks, whites and the occasional hint of red of lush perennials, but are still shorter than the towering spikes of Black Snakeroot on the far side of the rail fence. By September/October the flowerheads on the grasses have stretched high overhead, the heavy plumes of the miscanthus beside the arbour contrasting with the wispy, long-stalked heads on the tall purple moor grass at the west curve. For more about Ornamental Grasses, their habits and preferred companions, follow the link to the first of two pages of Ornamental Grasses & Their Companions. Once our Corner Garden was built and planted, we were ready to move on to our next project. Follow the link to THE LONG GARDEN to see what our next gardening project would be. CORNER GARDEN 2006 The image around this page is an edited version of the huge-flowered daylily Hemerocallis 'Train to Venice'. There are thousands of daylily cultivars available, many of which are featured in our various Plant Partnership pages. For ideas about how to choose appropriate planting partners, follow the link to Pink Perennials & Their Companions. All of our own Gardens By The Bay pages can be accessed by clicking on the links below. HOME GARDEN POETRY  |  GARDEN POETRY MUSE GEORGIAN BAY VIEW BOTANICAL LATIN - BASICS COLOR THEORY THE GARDENS CORNER GARDEN CONSTRUCTION  |  CORNER GARDEN PLANTING  |  LONG GARDEN EAST GARDEN  |  HOSTA GARDEN  |  NORTH GARDEN  |  WINTER GARDENS PLANT PARTNERSHIPS BLUE PERENNIALS    Aconitum - Geranium  |  Iris - Vinca BULBS    Allium - Hyacinthus  |  Narcissus only  |  Tulipa only  |  Minor Bulbs BUTTERFLY MAGNETS    Anaphalis - Hemerocallis  |  Liatris - Veronicastrum DAYLILIES      Spider & Unusual Form EDGERS    Arabis - Iris  |  Nepeta - Veronica FOLIAGE PERENNIALS     Alchemilla - Tanacetum HOSTA    Hosta - all HUMMINGBIRD-FRIENDLY PERENNIALS    Alcea - Salvia ORANGE PERENNIALS    Achillea - Tulipa ORNAMENTAL GRASSES    Acorus - Imperata |  Miscanthus - Spodiopogon PINK PERENNIALS    Achillea - Lilium  |  Lychnis - Veronica PURPLE PERENNIALS    Aconitum - Liatris  |  Polemonium - Veronica RED PERENNIALS    Achillea - Veronica SHADE PERENNIALS    Aegopodium - Erythronium  |  Ferns - Polemonium  |  Polygonatum - Vinca SILVER FOLIAGE PERENNIALS    Achillea - Cerastium    |    Cornus - Limonium    |    Lunaria - Veronica SIMPLY SPECIAL PERENNIALS    Acanthus - Saxifraga WHITE PERENNIALS    Achillea - Iris  |  Kalimeris - Yucca YELLOW PERENNIALS    Achillea - Hypericum  |  Inula - Verbascum VARIEGATED-FOLIAGE PERENNIALS    Acorus - Erythronium  |  Hakonechloa - Lysimachia  |  Miscanthus - Yucca PLANT PROFILES Dianthus 'Tiny Rubies'  |  Geranium  |  Geum coccineum  |  Kerria japonica  |  Knautia macedonica Paeonia tenuifolia  |  Papaver somniferum  |  Rudbeckia  |  Salvia 'East Friesland' Trollius  |  Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue' PROPAGATION DIVISION - SPRING ONLY  |   DIVISION - FALL ONLY  |   DIVISION - SPRING OR FALL  |   DO NOT DIVIDE FERTILIZATION BULBS  |   ORNAMENTAL GRASSES  |   PERENNIALS  |   SHRUBS  |   VINES LINKS GARDENS  |   LOCAL GARDENS  |   BOTANICAL TERMINOLOGY GARDENING BOOKS  |   NON-GARDENING HOME