The Gardener's Eden

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ Fruits in the Garden – A Cedar Waxwing Favorite

Late in summer, when tall grass sways in golden light and crickets sing long into morning, the garden begins to ripen in shades of red, orange, violet and plum. In August, migratory birds —making their way to exotic, tropical destinations— flock to my garden like jet-setters pausing for a gourmet meal and quick rest at a hip, mountain-top resort. Cedar Waxwings, with their high whistling calls, are the happening crowd this week; flitting about and flashing their glorious plumage and dark masks in fruity Viburnums …

Cedar Waxwing ⓒ Bill Thompson/USFWS

Beautiful birds are as important to my garden as any of the plants growing within it. In order to attract and support birds, I’ve planted a wide variety of fruiting trees, shrubs and seed-producing perennials in the landscape. The Viburnum genus is especially attractive to songbirds, and with so many species and cultivars to choose from, it’s easy to find more than one to fit in any garden. Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum (featured previously here) is a beautiful shrub that provides season-spanning support for wildlife. In addition to Viburnums, I grow a number of Dogwood (Cornus) species, Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Juniper, Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Ornamental Sumac (Rhus typhina), Elderberry (Sambucus), Buckeye (Aesculus) and many other fruit-bearing shrubs.

Nannyberry Viburnum (V. lentago) Fruits Ripen from Citrusy Hues to Blueish Black. The Coral Colored Stems Make a Stunning Contrast to the Dark-Hued Berries. Although Birds Eventually will Pick the Shrub Clean, There’s Plenty of Time to Enjoy the Visual Feast as Well…

Creating a bird-friendly habitat also means providing water —fresh, clean birdbath or water feature— and shelter. Conifers and shrubs with dense branching patterns offer excellent cover and protection from predators and the elements. Hemlock (Tsuga), Spruce (Picea), Fir (Abies) and Cedar (Thuja) are important sources of both food and shelter for birds throughout the seasons. For more information on attracting birds, visit Cornell-University’s Lab of Ornithology here. And for additional photos and berry-good planting ideas, click back to my earlier post —Oh Tutti-Fruitti— here.

Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) Berries Provide Sustenance to a Variety of Birds and Squirrels From Late Summer through Early Winter

Magical Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issi’ is Not Only a Beautiful Ornamental, but a Magnet for Feathered Garden Guests as Well!

Cedar Waxwing Photo is ⓒ Bill Thompson/USFWS  – Courtesy of the Photographer, via Flickr Creative Commons 

All Other Photographs and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you! 

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Shimmering Bronze Beauty in the Morning Light: Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’

As the last days of summer swirl by in a golden haze, the first hints of a changing season have begun to appear in my garden. Dusk settles in this quiet forest clearing a bit earlier each evening, and although days are still warm and bright, nights are much cooler now. Hooting owls and the cries of distant coyote have replaced the songbird’s twilight serenade. Each morning –greeted by the slow sunrise, heavy as honey– I stroll the garden paths and woodland trails, noting subtle shifts in color. I watch with a touch of sadness as Summer packs her luggage —folding up her gauzy, floral wardrobe and tucking away her perfumes— while Autumn, with her musky scent and leafy, golden crown, approaches the garden gate …

The Mauve-Violet Tones of Maiden Grass are Luminous at Dawn (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’)

The Blossoms of Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ Have Developed a Rosy Blush

Favorite Late-Season Combinations, Such as This Pairing of Sedum ‘Matrona’ with Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) and Rudbeckia hirta, Once Again Take Center Stage in the Garden Show

Cornus kousa Fruits Glow Between the Glossy Green Leaves …

So Many Fill the Branches, Dangling Like Brightly Colored Pom-Poms

The Autumn-Kissed Leaves of this Doublefile Viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’) Glow Like Stained Glass

Scarlet Leaves (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’) are a Striking in the Agains the Blue Horizon as a Westerly Wind Rustles the Shimmering, New, Metallic Tufts of Flame Grass (Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens)

The Fragrant Blossoms of Fairy Candles (Actaea simplex ‘Brunette’ /aka Cimicifuga racemosa) Perfume the Secret Garden with a Soft, Sweet Scent

The Blossoms of this Variegated Bushclover (Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Edo Shibori’) Spill Like a Waterfall, Over the Rusty Bench and Onto the Stone Terrace

Photos and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, articles and content on this site, (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Thank you!

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Sitting in the Catbird Seat: My Resident Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

There’s a broken branch in my doublefile viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’). The leafless eyesore is driving me crazy —this otherwise beautiful shrub sits right outside my kitchen window— but I’m not going to prune it. No, I won’t touch it, because it doesn’t belong to me. That tall, naked bit of wood sticking up straight from the center of  all those lovely flower buds has become the perch of my resident crooner, Mr. Catbird. Birds are a beautiful and important part of my garden, and this musical little fellow sings —an endlessly varied and clever repertoire— from dawn to dusk. I wouldn’t dream of disturbing his stage.

Are you familiar with the Gray Catbird and his family? The species is common throughout much of the United States and Southern Canada during the nesting season. The catbird takes its name from his call; a distinctive, raspy-sounding “mew”. His song, on the other hand, is quite creative; like that of his cousin, the Northern Mockingbird, which has a similar stylistic habit of sampling bits of other bird tunes in his compositions. But the gray catbird looks noticeably different from the mockingbird —smaller and darker with a deep gray color, black cap and no white markings— and if you look closely you’ll notice a flash of rusty red feathers beneath its tail as he flits between low branches.

If you enjoy listening to catbirds, draw them into your garden by planting fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. In addition to a wide range of insect pests, the catbird and his cousin mockingbird are particularly fond of  fruiting Viburnum, Serviceberry (Amelanchier), Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and Dogwood (Cornus sericea, C. alba, C. alternifolia, C. florida and C. kousa). But beware, they will also sample your blueberries, raspberries and strawberries (I cover mine with old fashioned tobacco cloth). Catbirds avoid flight over wide open spaces —preferring to hop from one low shrub or tree to the next— and they typically nest in thickets 4′ or so off the ground. I like to keep my garden neatly pruned and tidy —leaving the catbird’s branch is a test of my nature— but remember, a little imperfection in a garden is often exactly what it takes to make it the perfect place for our wild friends.

Listen to the songs and calls of the gray catbird by clicking here —Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “All About Birds”— where you can research almost anything you ever wanted to know about our avian friends.

Article and Photographs ⓒ Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, articles and content on this site, (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced or reposted without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Thank you!

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links here (including Amazon.com links). A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

Edge of daylight…

Autumn light, like golden honey dripping from branches, sweetens the chill of mid-October days. A stroll through the garden reveals a sunlit patch of earth —still empty. My eye follows the low rays, looking for opportunities to play with light and texture; a potential spot for a luminous shrub, feathery grass or sculptural group of silhouetted seed pods. Could this be the place for a new player in my garden’s late show? Morning and evening, I ask: where is the light? Where is the magic?

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ (Shasta viburnum) lights up like stained glass in the western corner of the garden at sunset

Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ (Switch Grass) is positioned to catch the light of both sunrise and sunset

Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’ catches early morning light in the eastern corner of the garden

Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens on the western edge of the garden, bathed in afternoon light

Halesia tetraptera Leaf in Water Bowl (Carolina silverbell)

This Cornus kousa (Korean dogwood), positioned on the east side of the terrace,  glows in the morning light

Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’ and Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’ at the eastern, side-entrance to the Secret Garden

Another look at the glowing foliage of Cornus kousa

Miscanthus sinensis tufts in early morning light

Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey compact’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning light’ Shimmer and Sparkle at Dawn

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Article and photographs ⓒ Michaela at TGE

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

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Roasted Red and Gold Beets with Fresh Arugula, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar Glaze…

As I look out past the terrace this evening — down into the Green River Valley— bright orange, gold, rust and red flashes pepper the the nearby hillside and mountains beyond. There’s no denying it now… All of nature’s signs point toward autumn. But for tonight at least, fair weather reigns supreme. The air is still warm, and the French doors stand wide open; welcoming a gentle southern breeze. It’s September 19th, and though it seems hard to believe — watching the sun as it sets, flickering across the white birch trees, luminous against low, grey clouds — I know that another summer is drawing to a close.

All along the meadow, the flame grass (Miscanthus purpurascens) has begun to glow; striking a fashionable pose beside the fiery-red viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’) and the blue shadow of distant mountains to the north. Even the potager has become a virtual kaleidoscope of color these days; rich with purple and gold tinted beets, brilliant red peppers, bright-orange pumpkins and wildly-striped winter squash. Harvest season is upon us. It’s time for apple cider, oven-roasted vegetables, and smores by the fire…

The Northwestern Meadow Begins a Seasonal Shift

Dan Snow’s Fire Sculpture in the Central Garden at Ferncliff

Sunflowers Along the Potager Fence

On tonight’s menu: oven-roasted red and gold beets. Delightfully sweet and pretty as gemstones, I like them served warm; artfully arranged atop a salad of arugula, with a sprinkling of goat cheese and a bit of reduced, balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. This beautiful and delicious salad is based on a recipe from a favorite local restaurant —sadly closed since this post was first published— where I once enjoyed meeting up with friends for a glass of wine and tapas. And speaking of libations, I think my friend Jonathan —cocktail-wizard supreme— would agree that a nice, dry prosecco is the perfect compliment to this warm and wonderful, harvest-season salad. Enjoy!

A Prelude to Autumn…

Roast Beet and Fresh Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients (serves 6 as a side dish):

3      Large red beets

3      Large golden beets

8     Ounces crumbled goat cheese +/- (or if using sliced goat cheese, as served at Alici’s, use 12 oz round)

3      Cups washed, small, tender leaves of arugula (you may substitute mesclun or any baby greens)

3      Teaspoons champagne vinegar

3      Teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3      Teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2     Tablespoons balsamic vinegar glaze (reduced balsamic vinegar)*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Set in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Roast for one hour.

In meantime, whisk together the champagne vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss together with the arugula and arrange on a serving platter. Set aside.

After one hour, remove the beets from oven and check with a fork for doneness. If tender when prodded with a fork, allow beets to cool in the pan atop the stove, still covered with the foil, for 15-20 minutes. Open the the foil and cool for a five more minutes, then peel and slice the beets into 1/4 inch rounds. Arrange beets on the platter, atop the arugula. Crumble goat cheese on top of the beets and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve warm with a chilled, dry prosecco.

*Balsamic glaze can be purchased in finer grocery stores, or make your own by reducing balsamic vinegar yourself. Pour 2 cups of balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. When the liquid thickens to the consistency of molasses ( 1/5 the original volume), remove from the heat to cool. This glaze is delicious over roasted beets, salads, breads and many other foods.

The Twilight of Late Summer

Article and photographs ⓒ 2010 Michaela at TGE

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

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The bold vermillion of late summer: Rosa rugosa’s bright and beautiful hips

Cobalt-Violet Annual Asters Fill Beds Planned for Cutting in the Potager…

This morning, I watched as a flock of sparrows splashed joyfully in a tiny pool on the stone terrace. Showers passed through the area yesterday afternoon and evening; refreshing the garden and leaving behind a temporary bird bath for my winged-guests. Every day now, when I look out the window, I notice more and more traces of red and gold in the meadow and along the distant hillside. Changes are evident in both the flora and the local fauna. The seasonal shift has started a bit early here; caused, perhaps, by unusually hot and dry conditions this summer. The natural world is changing rapidly now; heralding the arrival of a new season.

Trees and shrubs planted in shallow soil along the northwestern corner of the garden are already beginning to shift hues. Red leaves outnumber green this week on one ‘Shasta’ viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum) in particular, and the tea viburnum (V. setigerum ) is loaded with Chinese-orange berries. The viburnum genus includes many species with fantastic autumn color —both in terms of foliage and fruit— and planting them in and amongst perennials is a great way to add late season pizazz to a garden.  It’s no secret that these are my favorite shrubs. Not only are common and rare species and cultivars of the genus planted everywhere in my garden —and in almost every garden I design for others— but I post viburnum photos on this blog and talk and write about them constantly. Two lovely swing-season plants, among the many possible options to use when designing a garden around viburnum, are asters and ornamental grass. ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ asters bloom here every September and October in the most exquisite shade of blue imaginable; like the sky itself on an early autumn day. These flowers are beloved by bees and butterflies, especially in the latter half of the year, as natural sources of food begin to grow more scarce. Beautiful in the vase as well as in the garden, annual asters —packets of seed sprinkled about the flower beds in early spring— are an easy way to add bold color and vary the seasonal tapestry in a mixed border. And I also like to use mound-shaped ornamental grasses, with their soft textures and varied hues —particularly the pennisetums— to add a softness and grace at the foot of leggier viburnums, such as the tea (V. setigerum) and bodnant (V. bodnantense)…

Viburnum plicatum tomentosum ‘Shasta’

Aster oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Pulls the September Sky Down to Earth…

The Gorgeous Chinese-Orange Berries of Tea Viburnum ( V. setigerum )

I find it impossible to pass by Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ without running my fingers through her downy tufts. They remind me a bit of another local resident…

Red Fox – Meadow’s Edge at Ferncliff

Wild Turkey – Forest Boundary at Ferncliff

Sparrows Splashing on a Terrace at Ferncliff

A Passing Shower Provides Temporary, Late Summer Bathing for Birds

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Article and photos are ⓒ Michaela at TGE

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

Do you enjoy visiting The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through our affiliate links. A small percentage of any sale originating from The Gardener’s Eden site will go toward web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you for your support!

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Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ ⓒ Michaela at TGE (fruits in July)

Graceful, elegant and generous are but a few of the words that spring to mind when describing Doublefile Viburnum, (V. plicatum var. tomentosum); one of the most delightful species in my absolute favorite genus of woody plants. Although this shrub wears no perfume in springtime, she more than makes up for her lack of fragrance with four-season beauty and an easy-to-please manner (this species shows greater resistance to the viburnum beetle than other members of the genus, but prefers evenly moist, woodsy soil – it blooms equally well in full sun to partial shade). Doublefile Viburnum’s tiered, horizontally branching form reminds me a bit of another Asian native, the lovely Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa). The shape of this woody plant is truly stunning —especially in winter— and it can be used to great effect when positioned to soften the edge of a building. Triangulated in groups of three or more, Doublefile Viburnum creates a sophisticated, yet natural-looking screen; the dense, twiggy framework concealing eyesores almost as well as a conifer hedge.

My favorite large-sized cultivars, V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ and ‘Mariesii’ (10′ x 12′), and the compact ‘Newport’ (3-4′ x 4-5′) —all hardy in USDA zones 4/5-9— fill the garden with a constellation of starry, white blossoms from mid May to late June. A magnet for bees and butterflies in spring and early summer, during the summer months of July and August the large Doublefile Viburnums are loaded with bright red berries, which attract cedar waxwings, sparrows, mockingbirds, thrushes and a wide variety of other songbirds to the garden (compact cultivar ‘Newport’ can be a bit stingy with fruit production). Although the fruits eventually mature to black in late August, the shrubs on my property are usually picked clean long before the berries deepen to black. Later in the season, as days shorten and temperatures cool, the foliage of this species begins to subtly shift. First lightening to chartreuse and cherry, then deepening to burgundy red, and eventually burnishing to a fine shade of oxblood, Doublefile Viburnum puts on a fine fashion show before shedding her cloak for winter….

Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum) ‘Shasta’ in June ⓒ Michaela at TGE

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ at the edge of the meadow in July  Photo ⓒ Michaela at TGE

Although Doublefile Viburnum’s red berries eventually ripen to black, the shrub is usually picked clean by birds long before the ruby fruit turns ebony.  Photograph ⓒ Michaela at TGE

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ in late September. Foliage color slowly morphs from chartreuse and cherry red to burgundy, eventually deepening to oxblood over the course of autumn. Photo ⓒ Michaela at TGE

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Article and photographs © 2010 Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

Do you enjoy visiting The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through our affiliate links. A small percentage of any sale originating from The Gardener’s Eden site will go toward web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you for your support!

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Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact’ with Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’

What an impossibly beautiful morning. The sky is a scraped palette of blue-grey-violet, and the world all around me is a swirling kaleidoscope of orange and chartreuse, scarlet and vermillion, saffron and violet. I began my day with an early walk through the garden – savoring the ephemeral beauty of windflower and monkshood, and the delicate tufts of fountain grass.

My favorite woody plants, autumn’s radiant viburnum, shine against the moody sky as if lit from within. Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey compact’ and V. nudum ‘Winterthur’ are particularly beautiful in early October. In fact, Bailey reminds me a bit of those rainbow colored confections found in old-fashioned candy stores. Do you know the ones I mean… the long, translucent cone with the stick? I can’t recall their name. The spice bush, (Lindera benzoin), has turned lemon-drop yellow, and her neighbor, the Bodnant viburnum, (V. bodnantense ‘Dawn’), is slowly shifting from maraschino to dark-cherry-fizz. But at the moment, the real stand-out in the garden is the flame-grass, (Miscanthus purpurascens). This glorious plant is a giant swirl of orange, yellow and grape hued ribbon, ready to be wound into a psychedelic lolly-pop. Delicious. Perhaps Willy Wonka collected plants in the fields beyond his factory?

And speaking of candy-shops – it seems my garden has turned into a feathered-foodie mecca. Every bird in the forest, from cedar wax-wings and cardinals to finches of every hue, has turned up to feast upon seeds and berries. The tea and nannyberry viburnum, (V. setigerum and V. lentago), are a beautiful sight with their brilliantly colored berries and stems, and the American cranberrybush viburnum, (V. trilobum ‘J.N. Select’ and ‘Baily compact’), is loaded with shimmering red fruit – all bright as gum-drops.

Oh dear. All of this talk about candy is making me hungry. But before I slip away to rustle up some breakfast, I will leave you with some ideas for autumn planting. This month I will be focusing on ornamental trees and shrubs, grasses and perennials for brilliant fall color. Take a peek at some of the colorful plants and combinations here. The key to successful late-season garden design is anticipating the color-shifts of autumn and winter. So let’s have a little fun with garden alchemy, shall we? I’ll meet you back here in just  a bit…

Miscanthus purpurascens (Flame grass), and Viburnum trilobum, edge the meadow

Amsonia illustris (Ozark Blue Star), glows against blue-green, ground-hugging juniper

Viburnum setigerum, (Tea viburnum), fruit in September

Anemone ‘Serenade’ (Japanese Wind Flower), harmonizes with golden hosta

Berry and stem coloration of North American native Viburnum lentago, (Nannyberry viburnum)

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ (Witch Hazel), color variation

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ (Witch hazel ), color variation

Lespedeza thunbergii bicolor, (bush clover), provides late-season bloom

Lindera benzoin (Spice bush), turns lemon yellow in early October

Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’, shines cherry red against Lindera’s gold

Rosa rugosa’s (Rugosa rose) fruit is a knock-out in September

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ (Doublefile viburnum)

North American native Lindera benzoin, (Spice bush)

Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select’ Redwing – American Cranberry Viburnum fruits

Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select’ Redwing, (American Cranberrybush viburnum), with Miscanthus purpurascens, a radiant combination on a misty morning

Amsonia hubrichtii (Thread-leaf Blue Star), a glowing North American native plant

Cornus kousa, (Korean dogwood), fruit in September, slowly turns from green to scarlet

Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (Golden hops), is bright all season long

Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ turns a knock-out red with bright blue fruit

Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’, (Autumn fern), is one of the stars of late-season shade

Entry garden: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact, groundcover ajuga reptans,’Brocade’Background: Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’, Fothergilla gardenii, (still green), Lindera benzoin,(gold), Cornus kousa. Background perennials: Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Rudbeckia hirta.

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For more on ornamental grass, see ‘Autumn and Everything After‘…

Article and Photographs copyright 2009, Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden

All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used or reproduced without prior written consent. Inspired by something you see here? Great! Please give credit where credit is due. It’s a small world and link-love makes for fond friendships. Stealing makes for bad dreams…

Do you enjoy visiting The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through our affiliate links. A small percentage of any sale originating from The Gardener’s Eden site will go toward web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you for your support!

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