We’re back enjoying part two of Cherry Ong’s visit last June to the garden of perennial gardening expert Pam Frost on Vancouver, Canada. Cherry visited as part of a tour organized by the Vancouver Hardy Plant Society.
Expert combinations in color and contrast. The dark-leaved smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria, Zone 5 – 8) in the back makes a strong contrast to lighter foliage, and flowers in shades of yellow, yellow-ish green, and white.
Contrasting texture and form is key to an exciting garden design. Here we see bold leaves contrasting with fine ones, and the formal shape of a perfectly trimmed shrub contrasting with the informal plantings around it. No flowers, or even brightly colored foliage, needed here to make a beautiful design.
Planters going up the steps. Each uses different plants, but echoes the same colors – red and pink flowers, contrasting with silver and white foliage. Using similar terra cotta pots for each planting further unifies this area.
Epimedium (Zone 5 – 9) have delicate beautiful flowers in the spring, but their real value in the garden is their long-lasting foliage, which can look delicate, but is quite tough and does well in difficult sites like dry shade.
Moss, wood, stone, and ferns. Simple and perfect.
It is easy to overlook hostas as common and over-planted, but there is a good reason they are used so much – they’re durable, easy to grow, and the foliage is just beautiful.
Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum sp.) with variegation so elegant it looks like it was painted.
A tapestry of green with a Cardiocrinum (Zone 5 – 9) in bloom. These lily relatives thrive in a woodland garden and, after many years of patience, produce towering stems of huge white blooms.
Lily buds ready to burst open, with a perfect background of variegated grass.
If you loved seeing this garden, we have an article with design tips from Pam you should check out: Create a Garden with Cohesiveness
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