Jen loves peonies such
as ‘M rs. Livingston
Farrand’,
bottom
, for
their slow spread as
well as their abundant
bloom. Jen’s small
suburban property,
below
, needs
nonspreading plants to
m aintain a tidy look.
Purple catm int and
silvery lambs’ ears
make a foreground
fram e for red ‘Renato’
peonies,
right.
‘Nelly Moser’ clematis,
left
, drapes a wall
w ith curtains of pink
blooms.
a c c o m p lis h e d in h e r c o m p a c t y a rd . “ I f I c a n d o
it , a n y o n e c a n ,” s h e te lls th e m .
J e n r ip p e d o u t a ll u n d e s ir a b le p la n ts a n d
s u b s titu te d a r ic h a r r a y o f ro s e s a n d m o re
th a n 3 0 v a r ie tie s o f r o m a n tic , fr a g r a n t
p e o n ie s . “ P e o n ie s a re th e b a c k b o n e o f m y
g a rd e n ,” sh e sa ys.
T h e b ig g e s t le s s o n s s h e le a rn e d ? F ir s t, th a t
g a rd e n s ta k e y e a rs t o m a tu r e , s o s p a c e p la n ts
a c c o r d in g t o t h e ir m a tu r e s iz e a n d b e p a tie n t.
C r a m m in g b e d s w it h t o o m a n y p la n ts , o r o n e s
t h a t in v a d e lik e a c o n q u e r in g a rm y , is a b a d
id e a .
S e c o n d , g o o d c o m p o s t, lib e r a lly a p p lie d
e v e r y s p r in g , w o r k s w o n d e rs . “ F rie n d s a sk
m e , ‘W h a t d o y o u f e r t iliz e w ith ? ' T h e y c a n ’t
b e lie v e i t w h e n I sa y, T d o n ’t — i t ’s th e s o il!” ’
J e n ’s p la n tin g s c h e m e s a re s o o th in g a n d
h a r m o n io u s — th e b lo o m s a re a ll s o ft p a s te ls ,
a n d n o t h in g is a llo w e d t o d o m in a te o r ta k e
o v e r. I t m a k e s th is g a rd e n a p la c e o f s o litu d e
a n d r e fu g e w h e re J e n c a n b e a lo n e w it h h e r
th o u g h ts . H e r h u s b a n d , D a v id , w h o k e e p s th e
la w n m o w e d , p o lit e ly o ffe r s t o d o m o re , b u t
sh e d e c lin e s . “ I f I h a v e e v e n 15 m in u te s fre e ,
I ’l l g o w o r k in th e g a rd e n ,” s h e sa ys. “ T im e
s to p s f o r m e th e r e .”
BETTER HOMES AND CARDENS | MARCH
2011 | BHG
.COM
