V-V

'V

C h ris’ fav o rite h ot

co lo rs glow in th is

b o rd er,

left

, w h ere a

clum p of

Phygelius

,

fo reg ro u n d , gives w ay

to ca tm in t, g eu m , and

m an y o th e r b lo o m ers.

R ed-leaf Jap an ese

m ap les d o t th e m ix

w ith pu rp le

e x cla m a tio n s.

F o r C hris an d Don

H o ern er,

below,

g ard en in g h as b een

a lab o r of love.

welve years ago, when Don Hoerner was joined by new

wife Chris at his Snohomish, Washington, home, it was

the beginning of a beautiful relationship— and a beau-

tiful garden. The dazzling borders, created with special

attention to pairing plants that work well together, are

a fitting result of the couple’s gardening partnership.

Chris is the pair’s color specialist, drawing inspira-

tion from gardening magazines. “I try to make color

combinations in my head,” she says. Those ideas have

taken root in striking ways. Yellow-colored plants like

‘Gold Cone’ juniper mingle with lavender geranium

and purple allium; trees and shrubs echo those same

color notes. Chris avoids woody plants with mere

green leaves— in fact, she recently tore out a green

lilac because there was “nothing to see.” She favors the

yellow hues o f‘Golden Spirit’ smokebush and thread-

leaf cypress. The bright colors suit the Northwest, she

says— they glow, even during dim, misty drizzles.

The shrubs are more easy-care, Chris admits, and

she recently has put more emphasis on texture and

foliage. Yet flowering perennials remain her passion.

“Every time I go to a nursery, I bring more home,” she says with a laugh. She hates to

pull up any of her perennials, even those that spread uncontrollably, like feverfew. So

that’s when teamwork comes in— she summons Don to do some ruthless “editing.”

The tables are turned, however, when it comes to roses. Don always yearns for more,

but the couple are fast running out of space. “He’ll want to buy a rose,” Chris jokes,

“and then he’ll say, ‘You figure out where to put it!” ’

It’s a partnership that works. Nearly every summer evening, as the fragrance of

petunias and

Nicoticina

scents the air, Chris and Don move quietly among the beds,

weeding and pruning until the gold light of dusk fades from the sky.

36

B E T T ER HOMES AND GARDENS |

APRIL 2011 |

BHG.COM