Welcome Home! Johnson’s Garden: Revisiting a Renovation, One Year Later

A Welcoming Garden of Color: A Hedge of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine is Fronted by Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Perovskia antriplicifolia, Rudbeckia  fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ and Sedum telephium ‘Munstead Red’, Among Other Plantings Facing the Residential Street

After taking an early morning stroll through a garden I designed and installed last summer, I decided the visit was simply too delicious to keep all to myself. When Geri and Stan Johnson invited me to create a colorful and welcoming garden for the entryway to their riverside home, I leapt at the opportunity. The Johnsons gave me complete creative freedom throughout the process —allowing me to choose the plants best suited to their site and budget, without any restrictions in terms of color or form— and I enjoyed every moment. You may recall this garden renovation featured here last year (click to view the post). One year after planting —thanks to Stan’s excellent site prep and both Johnsons’ diligent maintenance and tender-loving-care during dry-spells— the garden is already full, lush and vibrant. Come have a look, and see how things have grown (click images to enlarge)…

A Hedge of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’ Makes a Fine Backdrop for Perennial Plantings on Either Side of the Road, Providing both Privacy and Beauty to the Residence (Interior Perennial Border Plantings Include: Sedum Spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’, Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’, Penstemon digitalis ‘Huskers Red’ & Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’. In the Background, an Gorgeous Hedge of Tsuga canadensis Towers in a Cool Shade of Forest Green)

Two Sunny Borders Skirt the Entryway Walk, Providing Non-Stop Color from Spring to Late Fall with Vibrant Foliage and Bloom (For Plant Details, See Lists Above and Below). Solar Lanterns are from BJs (See similar solar lanterns here at Amazon.com)

Euphorbia polychroma ‘Bonfire’ & Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ Along the Hot, Sunny Walkway 

Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) & Wild Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis) 

A Quiet Place to Read the Morning Paper (Plantings Left to Right: Liatris ‘Kobold’, Asclepias tuberosa, Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’, Baptisia australis, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Backed by Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’). Geri and Stan Love Color in a Garden, and I Couldn’t Agree with Them More! Wine and Chocolate Play Against Citrus and Berry Hues in this Bold Garden; Saturating the Verdant Backdrop with Colors so Ripe You Can Almost Taste Them!

Veronica spicata ‘Purpleicious’ Backed by Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’

The Long Border, Leading to the Maroon-Painted Arch and Retaining Wall Gardens, is Filled with Classic Perennials; Including Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Silver Mound’, Ligularia dentata ‘Britt Marie Crawford’, Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ and various other cvs, Geranium x gerwat ‘Rozanne’, various Astilbe and Blooming Shrubs

At the Far End of the Garden, Ornamental Grass, Sage and Rudbeckia Fill a Retaining Wall Garden in Full Sun (Plantings Front to Back: Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’, Perovskia antriplicifolia, Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’ and to the right, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’)

Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine is Fronted by Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Perovskia antriplicifolia, Rudbeckia  fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ and Sedum telephium ‘Munstead Red’

Thank You to Geri and Stan Johnson for Your Support, and for Sharing Your Garden with The Gardener’s Eden!

Garden Design & Installation, Michaela Medina Harlow – For Inquiries See Contact at Left

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