Throughout summer, the gardens at the Inn have welcomed new additions, both plants and sculpture! If you’re visiting us in the future, be sure to take a stroll around the property and enjoy them for yourselves! Here’s a glimpse of the additions; plants that I’m excited about adding and sculpture that really adds that extra impression to our garden spaces.
I’ve been looking all summer for this prize plant and I’ve finally found one!
Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ commonly referred to as Japanese Forest Grass. One of my favorite perennials because of its spilling growth habit and bright gold leaves with a hint of green. Here at the inn, its incredible the way it brightens our woodland gardens. I can’t wait to watch it next spring as leaves emerge with hints of pink before maturing to the golden/green. Its texture makes it fun to pair with bold hostas and its ever‐spreading growth habit offers an un‐common groundcover alternative.
Alchemilla mollis, commonly called Lady’s mantle, has taken residence next to our water feature near the main lodge. A great perennial to be planted next to a walkway or in a patio container so an up‐close view of the way water droplets bead on the leaves can be noticed. The rich blue green leaves look great all year, provided the plant stays moist, and in late spring a cheery display of chartreuse flowers rise above the foliage.
Chelone lyonii
A great perennial for extending bloom season in a garden. Shellflower is just now beginning to flower, this particular cultivar ‘Hot Lips’ showing its clear, pink flowers to the sun in August! In addition to its late bloom time, its also deer resistant and performs well in wet soil conditions and part shade.
There’s a lot of open space in many of the beds, so I’ve put much of my focus on adding groundcovers.
Polygonatum odoratum var. ‘Variegatum’‐ Solomon’s seal is an alternative to common groundcovers not only because of its leaf variegation, but also its height. The two to three foot tall, rhizomatous groundcover will continuously spread to form thick colonies in part‐shade and once established, should uphold in the dry shade conditions many of our mature trees create. Time will tell! In addition to its lovely leaf variegation throughout the growing season, this perennial turns an attractive yellow color in autumn adding extra seasonal interest!
Tis the season for autumn fern! Fall is slowly creeping in, a time when this particular fern,
Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’ deserves a closer look. Fronds develop a nice display of russet‐orange, the beginning stages of this seen in the picture above. In spring, fronds excite once more by opening with a coppery‐pink color before fading to a rich green.
Aside from plants, an exciting and unique stone sculpture has been added to our gardens as well! Thanks to the skillfully artistic work of Will Kallberg, this splendid piece was placed along a pathway in front of the main lodge. You can view more of Will’s work by visiting
http://www.eaglesongstudio.com/home.html. Here are other pieces at the Inn available for purchase.
Lastly,
How could one not notice the brilliant fruit display of Jack
‐In the Pulpits (Arisaema triphyllum ) in our gardens right now?!
A lovely native woodland wildflower at its best in our gardens!
Happy Gardening!