“The back wall is very striking, and everything was chosen to complement the rusty orange color of the bricks,” Plant says.
The bed on the left side of this photo contains burgundy ‘Claret’ Greater Masterwort (Astrantia Major “Claret”, Zones 4-7) and “Rosemoor” Cranesville (geranium X Magnificum ‘Rosemoor’, zones 5-8), purple flowers. You can also see the purple ears of ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa “Caradonna”, zones 4-9) and pink dianthus splashes (dianthus carthusianorum, zones 4-8).
A lot of grass such as reeds is also mixed (Calamagrostis special). “Grass is very important for naturalistic plantings. We are trying to mimic a grassy meadow,” says the designer. “They have very airy foliage, which helps you organize your plans without taking the stage away from the flowers.
“For plantings like this, I try to choose lots of small, delicate flowers that last a long time,” he continues. “Salvia, for example, blooms from May to October or so. When these die off in winter, the grass puts the whole plan together. It produces big, showy flowers, but often for a few weeks. It differs from more traditional planting methods, which only bloom.”
The bed on the left side of this photo contains burgundy ‘Claret’ Greater Masterwort (Astrantia Major “Claret”, Zones 4-7) and “Rosemoor” Cranesville (geranium X Magnificum ‘Rosemoor’, zones 5-8), purple flowers. You can also see the purple ears of ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa “Caradonna”, zones 4-9) and pink dianthus splashes (dianthus carthusianorum, zones 4-8).
A lot of grass such as reeds is also mixed (Calamagrostis special). “Grass is very important for naturalistic plantings. We are trying to mimic a grassy meadow,” says the designer. “They have very airy foliage, which helps you organize your plans without taking the stage away from the flowers.
“For plantings like this, I try to choose lots of small, delicate flowers that last a long time,” he continues. “Salvia, for example, blooms from May to October or so. When these die off in winter, the grass puts the whole plan together. It produces big, showy flowers, but often for a few weeks. It differs from more traditional planting methods, which only bloom.”