The gardener's eye

The Gardener's Eye

Monday, August 31, 2015

Teixeira Park Plantings in Early September


The native grass, Eragrostis spectabilis, adds a light frothy texture to the Ruin Garden. 



I didn't know Parthenium integrifolium, known as American feverfew, until a gardening friend shared a division. The white flat-topped, terminal corymbs are a useful contrast in color and texture at the Ruin Garden. It has a sturdiness that reminds me of cauliflower.


I added Sanguisorba officinalis to the mix at the West Rain Garden several years ago. It is indispensable for the red dots floating in the breeze. The goldenrod in the foreground is Solidago speciosa. Its common name is Showy Goldenrod. It is a good source for nectar for pollinators late in the summer. The ironweed in the back is Vernonia 'Bay State Border Selection'  from a local nursery in northwestern Massachusetts called Bay State Perennial Farm.


My favorite liatris is Liatris ligulistylis. It is about 4 feet tall and is robust. I was hesitant to plant the gargantuan  Silphium perfoliatum, known as the cupplant, but when I read the description in the Prairie Nursery website I had to include it in this bird/butterfly/pollinator garden. They claim that it was the "single best species for attracting birds! It provides food, water and cover. The leaves clasp the stems to form cups that catch rainwater. Songbirds, butterflies and hummingbirds come for a drink, and in fall, goldfinches descend upon the plants to devour the seeds."



8 comments:

  1. Thanks, James. Teixeira Park is definitely your cup of "gardening" tea. I am liking it better every year. I just ordered more Liatris ligulistylis, my favorite liatris, from Prairie Nursery.

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  2. What is that pinky frothy thing in the first photo, please? Looks too low to be Tamarix. It would be a good companion to many other plants because of it's unusual texture. Can always use another good mixer in the garden! Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Annie. That picture is misleading. That plant is a low frothy grass called Eragrostis spectabalis. I must admit it looks a bit like crabgrass earlier in the season but with some dew on it in the morning it is lovely.

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  3. Hi Michael
    I love the Eragrostis and the Liatris and the... and the...:-)) And it vas because of all the lovely late-summer-grasses and perennials, that I came to apreciate the contrysides in the autumn and the winterstructures in the roadsides. My Family remind me now and then to pay attention and not dream my self away in the danish ditches, when I drive around ind the my country to visit my costumers.

    Thanks for lovely Photos and the declarations as well Michael

    kind regards
    Kjeld

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  4. Kjeld,
    This is my favorite time of year in the garden. I will be hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire in a couple of weeks. Interestingly, I am learning more and more about plant relationships as I observe along the roadside. Sometimes it reminds me of an Oudolf garden. Nice to hear from you, Kjeld.

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  5. The granite boulders behind are perfect, and not just because my partiality to granite from my last home. And an unearthly combination of plant textures mingle...great!

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  6. Granite is a symbol of New Hampshire. I hope it helps create a sense of place with all those prairie plants. And yes, it is a great mixer!

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