May 30, 2009
A favoured Shaded textural combination
Corydalis woroshillovii
Corydalis elata: the plant that started a garden obsession!
Saruma henryi
Gorgeous spurred flowers of Epimedium
A ‘perennial’ favourite: Diphylleia cymosa
Arisaema ciliatum
Syneilesis aconitifolia
Disporum maculatum
Corydalis curviflora var. rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’
Looking into the Shaded Walk
The Original Shade Border
After receiving a head’s up from
Anna in regards to
Gardening Gone Wild, I thought I would head over and see what all the fuss was about! Every month brings a new workshop, where fellow
bloggers create a post based on the topic – and just so happens that this month’s Garden
Blogger’s Design Workshop is entitled, ‘Made for the Shade.’
I live for shade! Here in my Zone 5 garden, I am surrounded by shade – mainly because of the proximity of mine and the neighbor’s houses. I have taken the narrow strip between the houses, clothed in relatively dense shade, and have created a Collector’s Shade Garden filled with well over 200 plants that are shade tolerant. It was the blue flowering Corydalis elata, that started the obsession with shade gardening for me! Three years later, after discovering a wonderful collector nursery a half hour from where I live, the obsession with shade continues!
As a ‘collector’ of shade plants, I tend to seek out rare and choice plants that are not common to North American horticultural commerce. Mine is essentially a ’single specimen’ garden – a place where I can plant and then observe each of my new additions carefully. My philosophy is that when a gardener is truly able to observe and respect the growing habit and requirements of a plant, only then will they reap the success of growing something out of the ordinary! Many of the selections that are listed in this post are from Asia: China, Japan, the Himilaya. There are a few North American stalwarts, but truth be known, my plant inventory tends to have an Oriental flavour!
Nancy suggested a list of favourite shade perennials. I thought this would be a great idea, but when confronted with an inventory that seems to grow larger and larger with each passing year, I cannot list ‘favourites.’ Instead I shall list 20 plants that I cannot live without!
Teza’s Top Twenty
1-Corydalis – including elata, woroshillovii, blue and golden panda
2-Diphylleia cymosa
3-Syneilesis aconitifolia
4-Cypripedium reginae
5-Polygonatum – including biflorum and falcatum ‘Silver-striped Selections’
6-Disporum – including cantoniense ‘Night Heron,’ and maculatum
7-Saruma henryi
8-Salvia koyomae
9-Adiantum pedantum
10-Arisaema ciliatum
11-Anemonopsis macrophylla
12-Helleborus – including Ivory Prince, thibetanus, foetidus, argutifolius
13-Epimedium – including Purple Prince, Saxton’s Purple and koreana ‘Harold Epstein’
14-Trillium – including grandiflora and rivale
15-Mellitis melissophyllum ‘Royal Velvet Distinction’
16-Saxifraga fortunei ‘Silver Velvet’
17-Mertensia siberica
18-Roscoea cautleoides ‘Kew Beauty’
19-Aconitum – including kyrlovii, napellus, Ivorine, lycoctanum
20-Thalictrum – including chelidonii, diffusiflorum and Splendide
** and true to form, many of the genera listed above include more than one species, but as a collector, I have learned that you find yourself in love with the entire genus!
Take a walk on the wild side, and turn that hard to manage shaded area of your yard into a wonderful shaded oasis! Visit me at
http://www.ontarioshadegardener.com/ for more shade related posts.
May 27, 2009
Polemonium ‘Touch of Class’
Aconitum kyrlovii
A Favourite Textural Mix
May 26, 2009
Well well! Same leaf, same mottled stem
Teza’s thinking same plant as below!
Dracunculus vulgaris
Foliage of Dracunculus vulgaris
The somewhat menacing beauty of Dracunculus vulgaris
Dear Diary:
Methinks I have solved the mystery surrounding what I originally mis-identified as the foliage of an Arisaema fargessii. Oh how I wish that this is what it is, but while re-reading a garden journal from three years ago, I remember ordering an exotic looking specimen, pictured above, knowing full well that it would never over-winter here in Zone 5. When it shipped (from Holland no less!), there were in fact two incredibly large bulbs – each roughly the size of my fist. I planted one in the back yard, in a semi shaded corner of what was the vegetable garden. The other one went…. where it is now making an appearance, in the shaded garden next to the front porch!
The problem is if, and when it ‘flowers’, with the Naugahyde/vinyl textured burgundy spathe of sorts….. the rather obscene looking ’spadix’ requires pollination, from of all things, flies, and well, lets just say the whole plant smells like….. ‘rotten meat for three days straight!’ Oh the dilemma. The hoiti-hort in me says that it’s a miracle that something from a Zone 8-10 is making an appearance in the garden, not to mention that it fits in quite splendidly in Teza’s Garden of botanical wonders, but the fear and anxiety that it might decide to flower this summer leaves me very torn as to what to do. I suppose that I could try and dig it up, but I am most intrigued to follow its growth. There is another one in the back yard, but I missed it’s performance last year, as it snapped off in a storm, and to be honest, even if it doesn’t bloom (hence, no chance of that hideous odour lingering by the front door), it is a fabulous foliage plant with a wonderfully mottled stem! Put yourself in my shoes…… what would you do if faced with this situation?
May 24, 2009
Dodecatheon albus ‘Aphrodite’
‘I’m holding Teza in a state of suspense!’ (Come to think of it, he did plant a bizarre bulb called
Dracunculus vulgaris three years ago and promptly forgot about it!…Hmmmm!)
‘I’m a lonely Anemone sylvestris! Won’t you be my friend?’
‘Teza’s patience is bound to be rewarded this year!’(Cypripedium reginae)
‘Miss Aquilegia if you please, and I am ready to burst with excitement!’
‘
I’m Euphorbia cornigera ‘Goldener Turm, and Polygonatum falcatumSilver Striped Selections and I are the bestest of friends!’
‘I’m Amsonia ciliata and I get bigger with each passing year!’
‘The rest of the gang thinks I’m getting too big for my britches!’
‘I’m a wonderful Chinese version of a woodland poppy called Hylomecon chionantha!’
‘
Love me tender, love me sweet…. Acanthus mollis‘
‘We love that Teza isn’t afraid of our rambunctiousness!’(Persicaria (Fallopia japonica) variegata ‘Compactum‘
Polygonatum prattyii
‘When you wish upon a star, your dreams really do come true!’
‘
My pearls are much smaller, but just as valuable!’(Polygonatum sesile)
‘Star-light, star bright, first spurred bloom I see tonight!’
‘Darmara peltata ‘Nana’(Soon my large peltate leaves will take over, and I will disappear!)
Geranium phaeum ‘Springtime’(but Teza is leaning towards a mutated ‘Samobor‘)
“We’re watching you closely Teza!’
‘Some (namely Teza) compare me to a string of cultivated sea pearls!’
‘He calls me his Fuller brush baby!’
‘Some days I feel pink, others I’m white!’
‘I’m definitely having a PINK day!’
‘
I’m Ursula, better known as Athyrium Ursula’s Red’
Dear Diary: ‘We’ve Snuck in yet again!’
Another week has passed, with wonderfully agreeable weather – highs in the eighties, with overnight temps in the mid teens – and we have been spreading our stems and branches, filling Teza’s Garden with textures and colours that leave his tittering with delight. It’s wonderful being able to please with little to no effort on our behalf!
We have been welcoming some new siblings of late – something we always have to be prepared for as Teza has no sense of reservation, he sees something he likes at the nursery and home it comes! At this rate, he’ll have more adopted children than Brangelina…. who from what he have heard may be expecting again!
(My Goodness, Miss Veratrum, is that all you do all day….. look gorgeous and pick up the gossip that filters through the garden?)
Teza is beginning to worry that this might be a dry hot summer, and is looking to invest in a rainbarrel, but oooh, is he persnickety and fussy when it comes to adding anything to the Shaded Walk. He would like to have one that looks like an Italian wine barrel….. and come to think of it, perhaps there will be some left-over residue and we could have a rip-roaring good time. I know, ID is a must and we mustn’t even consider getting behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle….. I wonder does his wheel barrow count?
For over a month now, Teza has been acting all anxious like over the arrival of a very special plant at the nursery….. Meconopsis betonicifolia – the Holy Grail of blue flowering plants, and quite frankly, with every week that passes with no sign of it’s imminent arrival, is another week that the rest of us ‘blue babies’ can comfortably trust that we won’t be over-shadowed. Besides, we’ve heard that this plant has an extremely high maintenance record!
Well, I suppose we had better go for now….. hope everyone’s gardens are growing like we are, and that you all have parents as wonderful as our Teza! You should have seen him this evening, down on his hands and knees trying to get just the perfect picture….. gotta’ give him credit, he always makes sure that we look our best! Check out the new link for Gardens Illustrated magazine….. the editor emailed and asked Teza if he would add a link on his blog. He’s been on cloud nine ever since!
May 19, 2009
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Flora plenum’
Halesia diptera
Corydalis elata ‘Dark Blue Forms’
Trillium stamineum
Tricyrtis nana ‘Karasuba‘
Polygonatum falcatum
Cypripedium japonicum
Corydalis curviflora var. Rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’
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Cardiocrinum cordatum (Red Veined Selections)
Dear Diary:
I should never be given enough free time to sit in front of the computer and surf mindlessly for new and exciting plants – especially after taking a careful measurement of ‘free’ space still available in the garden. (Who is he kidding? As long as there are new additions, there will always be ‘free’ space in the garden!) This is the start of potential additions for 2010! I already have more than enough Wish List plants that I am trying to locate and purchase for the current growing season!
I have only included one tree – reality has hit home to the fact that there really isn’t a lot of room – I would hate to see a tree being removed because I couldn’t control my horticultural urges! Needless-to-say, I have been lusting after the Halesia ever since witnessing it in a garden on the outskirts of Toronto – in a wonderful woodland garden. Absolute heaven! The one mentioned here is larger than the Halesia carolina, and has a more southerly climatic disposition, but I find it’s flowers to be substantially larger and more beguiling!
It isn’t hard to see why I have included two blue Corydalis species in this latest ‘Wish-Lust List!’ I am intrigued with the darker version of C. elata, and have read much about it’s supposed cross with C. flexuosa – which makes me somewhat nervous as many of the C. flexuosa species have a tendancy towards summer dormancy. The C. curviflora var. Rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’ is included as a tribute to Dan Hinkley, who unwittingly made this one of the signature plants of Heronswood with it’s introduction.
I love the silver striped Polygonatum falcatum that is slowly increasing in size in the Shaded Walk, and have decided that I would like to add the non-variegated form as well! It is common in the wilds of Eastern Asia, but appears less in North American cultivation. It grows to approximately 1.5m in height, with slightly arching stems that bear long narrow leaflets and pairs of creamy bells tipped with green. It is a fabulous addition for a garden seeking added texture to an already existing woodland accent. Likewise, Polygonatum odoratum ‘Flora Plenum’ is not seen very often, but is coveted solely for its wonderful double flowers which each contain multiple tepals.
The Cypripedium…. well, I need a sibling for C. reginae, and who can say no to a fabulous plant that would fit perfectly in Shakespearean England, what with its gorgeous pleated collar-like foliage!
I am developing a strong passion for Trilliums but have been very hesitant to increase my collection, only because I need to know that these are grown from seed and are not being razed from woodlands. I love the look of Trillium stamineum, which is native to the SE United States. It is said to quickly form a large colony if happy! The twisted dark petals are stunning! A well draining, rich soil, in partial shade is their only request.
I haven’t touted the virtues of the genus Tricyrtis, and remembered them while weeding the Shaded Walk and Sunny Border. I love their orchid like blooms, most which appear in late summer or early fall, many in shades of mauve, purple, and yes, there was one last year whose blue rivalled that of my beloved Corydalis! This new plant, Tricyrtis nana ‘Karasuba‘ is a dwarf version, to 6″ in height with light yellow flowers that appear at the tip of the stem in early Autumn. The dark purple ’slightly bruised in appearance’ foliage creates a fabulous contrast.
Cardiocrinum in a garden as small as yours Teza? I know! There is something about these regal beauties, towering to 2.5 m that pull at the heart-strings, and seeing them in the gardens of Heronswood, as well as at Beth Chatto’s nursery…….. it’s got to be worth a try! Worst case scenario, they fail miserably….. or I might surprise myself and find something else that is contentedly happy in my small Shaded Walk!
May 19, 2009
Trillium grandiflora and Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’
Persicaria virginiana ‘Painter’s Palate’
new growth of Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’
Corylopsis spicata
New foliage of Clematis recta
Mertensia siberica
Phlox divaricata ‘Montrose Tricolour’
Polemonium ‘Touch of Class’
Subtle textures and hues
Polemonium alpina with Mertensia pulmonairiodes
Arisaema triphyllum
Adiantum pedantum with Sanguinaria canadensis f. ‘Multiplex’
Gorgeous foliage of Athyrium ‘Ghost’
Peltoboykinia watanabei
Unique flower spike of Darmera peltata ‘Nana’
Dryopteris felix mas linearis
Polygonatum biflorum
Athyrium ‘Branford Beauty’
Bells of Polygonatum biflorum
The Armies are growing Teza! Syneilesis aconitifolia
…yet to unfurl foliage of Arisaema
Dear Diary:
Five days of nursery work, and I am more than anxious to spend some quality time in the garden with the children. The weather this past week has been anything but agreeable – but them again it was the Victoria Day long-weekend. Frost two nights in a row, and rain and winds in between! It (wind) is the one element that I am least fond of! The Shaded Walk is in essence, a long green wind tunnel, and as such the ‘children’ have to be strong enough to fare these sudden gusts on their own. I do have a bamboo stake for the Thalictrum uchiyama, which, like T. rochebrunianum, can tower six feet in height in a single season!
This morning dawned bright but somewhat chilly, but this didn’t deter me from heading out to locate the trowel and hand cultivator. Too many weeds and stray blades of grass for these perceptive eyes! I was astounded at the number of Salvia sclarea var. ‘Turkestanica‘ seedlings that were spread from one end of the sunny border to the other. Last year the parent plant must have been close to three feet across, whereas this season, it’s going to be up to the seedlings to provide me with their wonderful statuesque display. I also dug out more quack grass than you can shake a trowel at….. at least it isn’t the dreaded bindweed! I am still deciding whether to purchase pieces of slate to break and then stick into soil around the perimeter of the bed. I think its going to be an ongoing battle staying ahead of the grass and weeds that are sure to encroach upon the area. I am torn when it comes to edging a garden. Pathways are fine, but edging…..
I adore the genus Polygonatum! I love how the taller species stand tall and erect like the sentries of the shaded garden. I am most beguiled by P. falcatum ‘Silver Striped Selections’ (thank you for the wonderful comments, but alas, now he thinks that the horticultural world revolves around him!) but find this a most enjoyable genus overall! Daniel Hinkley’s spotlight on the genus in a recent issue of Gardens Illustrated was worth the subscription price alone. Visit his website to keep up with life after Heronswood Nursery!
The bizarre flower stalk of Darmera pelata ‘Nana’ caught me totally unaware as I was thinning out (OK, in truth eradicating!) the overly rambunctious Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’ which was a last minute addition for the instant burgundy and yellow combo, but has since spread like wildfire! I’m thinking this might be the perfect spot for a soon to arrive Roscoea or Meconopsis!
The ferns are unfurling their spectacular fronds, and as is the case with Athyrium ‘Ghost’ – have once again utterly hypnotized this gardener. I was fearful of using too many of them when I started the Shaded Walk, not wanting to fall into the trappings of Hosta and ferns being the only plants that would tolerate this much shade, but in the past year, have added close to a dozen different species of three or four differing genera. One can never have enough of this genus in the shaded garden! I am anxiously awaiting the presence of Thelypteris discursiva-pinnata. It is perhaps the most luxurious of all ferns in the garden!
The native Arisaema is back, and I have absolutely no problem identifying it! As for the taller one, I guess the jury will be out until it presents it’s spathe…. only then will I be able to give a positive identification! I have quite a few Polemonium species in the garden, but tend to favour P. ‘Touch of Class’ – a recent sport of P. ‘Stairway To Heaven,’ which is a trailing species with a much larger variegated leaf. ‘Touch of Class’ is more compact plant and adds a wonderful burst of colour to the newly ’shortened’ plant selection in the original border against the garage. Am I the only one who has to stop and admire the growing ‘army’ of Syneilesis aconitifolia? They are so other-worldly in appearance, and I find myself down and hands and knees, listening to see if they are secretly commandeering to over-take the garden!
I am happy to see the return of foliage on two of my favoured shrubs in the garden : Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace,’ and Corylopsis spicata. I love how the new growth on the Corylopsis starts off a smoky purple, and turns a bright yellow before aging to a blue-grey colour later in the summer! ‘Grace’ is stunning with the sun shining through her foliage. I never let her flower as I find the blooms to be a messy distraction from her otherwise flawless beauty!
Alas, tomorrow is supposed to be delivery day for Patrick Studios – the Meconopsis and Roscoea delivery I hope! Time to go and see where I have room for these latest garden additions…. until next time
Teza
May 16, 2009
Spectacular new growth of Cercidiphyllum japonica ‘Red Fox’
Sorbaria sorbarifolia ‘Sem‘
Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Showy Lanterns’
Coral
growth of Persicaria (fallopia japonica) variegatum ‘Compactum‘
Deutzia gracilis ‘Chardonnay Pearls’
Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’
The Waiting Game….. Cypripedium reginae
Asarum splendens
Spotted stem of Arisaema fargessii
Foliage of Arisaema
Hosta nigrescens
E
pimedium brachyhizzum ‘Elfin Magic’
Stylophorum diphyllum
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’
Astilboides tabularis
B
runnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’
Polygonatum falcatum ‘Silver Striped Selections’
Polygonatum biflorum
Athyrium ‘Dre’s Daggars‘
Syneilesis aconitifolia
Uvularia grandiflora
Lamium orvala
Saruma, Trillium with Adiantum pedantum
Anemonella thalictroides ‘Cameo’
Primula elicator
The Shaded Walk
Epimedium brachyhizzum ‘Elfin Magic’
Saruma henryi
Hyacinth ssp.
Trillium grandiflora
Mertensia pulmonariodes
Dear Diary:
This is perhaps my most favoured time of the year. It is also the time of year that friends will come over if only to witness me on hands and knees making positive identification of the plants in the garden. Two index card boxes – one full (last year’s final tally) and one empty (waiting to be filled once a positive identification has been given) and an over anxious gardener with green fingers crossed that everything has survived our unforgiving Zone 5 winter.
This year has been especially exciting, as many new additions were added to the garden last Fall, and I have been anxious to see if they over wintered – especially the ones where I tended to push the envelope a wee bit. You know how it is, it’s a plant that has been on the ‘Holy Grail’ list for umteenth year, and finally you have managed to locate it in commerce – even if it does come close to breaking the proverbial gardening bank – it hasn’t stopped me in the past, doubt it will come between me and this most coveted of plants now! Such was the case with the Polygonatum falcatum ‘Silver Striped Selections,’ saw it, and needed to own it. Of course when a friend commented on the dwarf grass in the Shaded Walk, and how could it possibly grow in such a shaded location….. well, we’re re-evaluating the friendship! LOL!
Happily, the transferring of index cards has been rather successful, excepting a few plants that I am very torn in regards to their positive identification. I am hesitant with regards to the Arisaema that has made a return appearance this year! A week ago it was positively Arisaema fargessii – this week, after looking at the foliage, it’s looking less likely, as A. fargessii has a ginormous trifoliate leaf, and this has sent forth two leaves, that are almost whorled in appearance, more like A. ciliatum! Curses for insisting on more than one of the Asian species. Is it any wonder that some of the children rebel…… identity crisis abound! The Syneilesis aconitifolia has amply rewarded me this year. Last fall it was a rather meagre two stems in a gallon pot. I was promised a rather quick spread within a year, and the small colony has me smiling ear to ear! Oh how I loved seeing the fuzzy umbrella like presence that they display when breaking the surface in Spring!
Athyrium ‘Dre’s Daggars‘ is a guaranteed conversation piece later in the season when it has formed a wondrous clump. It is also sometimes referred to as A. ‘Victoriae‘ – a most unique fern regardless of her nomenclature! I grow only three Hosta in my gardens, and H. nigrescens is far and above my favourite. Plain and simple with a blue-grey slightly puckered leaf, it has been steadily increasing it’s size over the past three years and soon I will have to find another spot for a division or two! I have been watching four buds peeking forth and increasing in size ever so slowly, of what I am most confident (but not 100% positive) is Cypripedium reginae. I shall be tickled pink (just like its opulent pouch) if I am correct. It must enjoy its placement, as there was only a single stem last year that didn’t flower!
The Astilboides tabularis continues to increase in circumference. At maturity it will be close to 2.5′ wide with a wonderful ruffle edge, and will feel as though it is spring-loaded! Here’s hoping that it doesn’t shade out the other sibs in it’s vicinity! I am happy with the shrubs and trees that I added this spring. Click on the photos of the Cercidiphyllum japonica ‘Red Fox’ for what can best be described as tri-coloured anthers near the base of the leaves. I have never seen this before! This tree is one of my all-time favourites… especially when the leaves emit a burnished sugar scent in the Fall!
Alas, the blooming in May continues…..
May 12, 2009
Sanguinaria canadensis f. ‘Multiplex’
May 12, 2009
Dear Diary:
It’s always a thrill to find the latest issue of Gardens Illustrated waiting for you in the post. I was slightly dismayed that this issue didn’t come with the promised seeds as I was going to sew them with the youngest nephew who is developing a junior green thumb with every passing season. Aptly titled, ‘Plantaholics Paradise,’ this issue promises to develop many dog eared pages over the next thirty days!
Matthew Wilson suffers from Teza-itis – that is he gets a baaad case of the BLUES. He is quick to point out that there are few ‘true’ blue plants in the garden: ‘More often than not plant flowers in shades of blue, or blue flecked with violet, laced with purple or red.’ I am only wee aware of the optical illusion that the true blue in a garden can create. It makes a short garden feel longer; and alternately, a narrow garden seem wider. Among the plants that he highlights are: Anemone blanda, Camassia leichtlinii ssp. Sukdorfii Caeurlea Group, Brunnera macrophylla, Ceanothus arboreus ‘Trewithen Blue’, Meconopsis x Sheldonii, Elymus Magellanicus, Campanula portenschlagiana, Scilla peruviana and Geranium x Magnificum…… hmmm, I don’t see Corydalis flexuosa or the sky blue beauty included in this entry, Corydalis curviflora var. Rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’ included on his list? Perhaps they are hard to grow in England – must ask Anna in my next communication.
Carol Klein profiles those beguiling members of the umbellifer family. I wish I had the sun and the space for them, especially Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Raven’s Wing,’, with its bronze, ferny rosettes, that eventually grow to form tall airy flower stems to 1m in height. Pimpinella major ‘Rosea‘ has jumped onto my list of potential purchases for the year, as it enjoys a dappled shade and moist location.
As always, the Garden centre profile is a wonderful oasis in Wandsworth, London known as Neal’s Nursery. It lies within the imposing facade of Wandsworth Prison, London’s largest jail. I missed (or perhaps overlooked – for shame!) Daniel Hinkley’s selection, but was happy to see Roy Lancaster had chosen Roscoea cautleyoides ‘Kew beauty’ for this month’s ‘Plantsman’s Choice.’ It has the most stunning, orchid like, pale soft whipped buttery yellow flowers, in a great abundance over two to three weeks, before retiring for yet another gardening season!
I’ve ordered yet another book for the expanding library, ‘Christopher Brickell’s Garden Plants,’ in which he outlines 500 plants, including some 300 of his personal favourites. Though I am not familiar with his writing, anyone with 300 personal favourites is someone worth investigating! Two days off, but weather hovering at the thirty degree mark yet again. Hope the ‘children’ don’t mind the precautionary measures that I go to in order to ensure survival. I would hate to lose anything this early in the growing season.
May 10, 2009
*** Click on any photo to ENLARGE**
Euphorbia ‘Bonfire’
Gillenia trifoliata
Next Page »
Corydalis woroshillovii
Corydalis elata: the plant that started a garden obsession!
Saruma henryi
A ‘perennial’ favourite: Diphylleia cymosa
Arisaema ciliatum
Syneilesis aconitifolia
Disporum maculatum 
Corydalis curviflora var. rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’
Polemonium ‘Touch of Class’
Aconitum kyrlovii
A Favourite Textural Mix
Corydalis elata only now beginning to bloom….Rejoice!
Aconitum lycoctanum
Weigelia blossoms
Persicaria virginianum ‘Painter’s Palate’
Last year’s new border – sun and shade
Syringa vulgaris
Deschampsia ‘Northern Lights’
Looking into the Shaded Walk 
Penstemon ‘Elfin Pink’
Pewtered foliage of Viola ‘Samurai‘
I’m thinking Podophyllum hexandrum?
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Dart’s Gold’
Athyrium ‘Branford Beauty’
Cacalia delphiniflora
Polygonatum with Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’
Looking toward the front of the Shaded Walk
An Exercise in Texture 
Polygonatum biflorum
Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’
Suspended drops on Cornus alternifolia ‘Golden Shadows’
Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki‘
Euphorbia
Baptisia ‘Twilite Prairieblues‘ flower buds
Thalictrum aquilegifolium ‘Thundercloud’
Mertensia siberica
Hosta nigrescens leaf
Drops of Rain
Clematis recta ‘Purpurea‘
Heuchera villosa ‘Mocha’
Aquilegia alpina
The Original Shade Border
Viola ‘Frizzle Sizzle Blue’
Well well! Same leaf, same mottled stem
Dracunculus vulgaris
Foliage of Dracunculus vulgaris
The somewhat menacing beauty of Dracunculus vulgaris
Dodecatheon albus ‘Aphrodite’
‘I’m holding Teza in a state of suspense!’ 
‘I’m a lonely Anemone sylvestris! Won’t you be my friend?’
‘Teza’s patience is bound to be rewarded this year!’
‘Miss Aquilegia if you please, and I am ready to burst with excitement!’
‘I’m Euphorbia cornigera ‘Goldener Turm, and Polygonatum falcatum
‘I’m Amsonia ciliata and I get bigger with each passing year!’
‘The rest of the gang thinks I’m getting too big for my britches!’
‘I’m a wonderful Chinese version of a woodland poppy called Hylomecon chionantha!’
‘Love me tender, love me sweet…. Acanthus mollis‘
‘We love that Teza isn’t afraid of our rambunctiousness!’
Polygonatum prattyii
‘When you wish upon a star, your dreams really do come true!’
‘My pearls are much smaller, but just as valuable!’
‘Star-light, star bright, first spurred bloom I see tonight!’
‘Darmara peltata ‘Nana’
Geranium phaeum ‘Springtime’
“We’re watching you closely Teza!’
‘Some (namely Teza) compare me to a string of cultivated sea pearls!’
‘He calls me his Fuller brush baby!’
‘Some days I feel pink, others I’m white!’
‘I’m definitely having a PINK day!’
‘I’m Ursula, better known as Athyrium Ursula’s Red’
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Flora plenum’
Halesia diptera
Corydalis elata ‘Dark Blue Forms’
Trillium stamineum
Tricyrtis nana ‘Karasuba‘
Polygonatum falcatum
Cypripedium japonicum
Corydalis curviflora var. Rosthornii ‘Blue Heron’
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Cardiocrinum cordatum (Red Veined Selections)
Trillium grandiflora and Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ 
Persicaria virginiana ‘Painter’s Palate’
new growth of Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’
Corylopsis spicata
New foliage of Clematis recta
Mertensia siberica
Phlox divaricata ‘Montrose Tricolour’ 
Polemonium ‘Touch of Class’
Subtle textures and hues
Polemonium alpina with Mertensia pulmonairiodes
Arisaema triphyllum
Adiantum pedantum with Sanguinaria canadensis f. ‘Multiplex’
Gorgeous foliage of Athyrium ‘Ghost’
Peltoboykinia watanabei
Unique flower spike of Darmera peltata ‘Nana’
Dryopteris felix mas linearis
Polygonatum biflorum
Athyrium ‘Branford Beauty’
Bells of Polygonatum biflorum
The Armies are growing Teza! 
…yet to unfurl foliage of Arisaema
Spectacular new growth of Cercidiphyllum japonica ‘Red Fox’
Sorbaria sorbarifolia ‘Sem‘
Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Showy Lanterns’
Coral growth of Persicaria (fallopia japonica) variegatum ‘Compactum‘
Deutzia gracilis ‘Chardonnay Pearls’
Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’
The Waiting Game….. Cypripedium reginae
Asarum splendens
Spotted stem of Arisaema fargessii
Foliage of Arisaema
Hosta nigrescens
Epimedium brachyhizzum ‘Elfin Magic’
Stylophorum diphyllum
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’
Astilboides tabularis
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’
Polygonatum falcatum ‘Silver Striped Selections’
Polygonatum biflorum
Athyrium ‘Dre’s Daggars‘
Syneilesis aconitifolia
Uvularia grandiflora
Lamium orvala
Saruma, Trillium with Adiantum pedantum
Anemonella thalictroides ‘Cameo’
Primula elicator
The Shaded Walk
Epimedium brachyhizzum ‘Elfin Magic’
Saruma henryi
Hyacinth ssp.
Trillium grandiflora
Mertensia pulmonariodes
Euphorbia ‘Bonfire’
Gillenia trifoliata
Happy Mother’s Day!
Heuchera villosa ‘Brownies’
Epimedium koreana ‘Harold Epstein’
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ with Stylophorum diphyllum
Lamium orvala
Astilboides tabularis
Geranium phaeum ‘Springtime’
Kirengeshoma palmata
Dryopteris goldiana
Epimedium grandiflora ‘Purple Prince’
Epimedium grandiflora ‘Purple Prince’
Pulmonaria longifolia ‘Blue Ensign’
Syneilesis aconitifolia
Newly emerging Syneilesis aconitifolia
Double flowering Sanguinaria canadensis f. ‘Multiplex’
Tiarella ‘Crow’s Foot’ 
Uvularia grandiflora
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’
Primula elicator
Corydalis flexuosa ‘Purple Leaf’
Trillium grandiflora with Adiantum pedatum
Anemonella thalictroides ‘Cameo’
Saruma henryi
Hyacinth ssp.
Mertensia pulmonarioides 
Mertensia with Arisaema fargessii