Eric welcomes STACEY AND RICK the hosts of Gardening Simplified. Thanks much for being here. They in turn thank GardenSMART for coming to Michigan to enjoy this beautiful garden. Eric loves their approach. He thinks oftentimes as horticulturalists we love our botanical names and waxing poetic about the esoteric theories of design. But thinks most gardeners take an approach where it’s just - don't overthink it.
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Elements In That Garden
Stacey thinks, often, when we’re driving around, particularly if we are gardeners, we see an amazing landscape and don't really take the time to dissect it and think about what are the ELEMENTS IN THAT GARDEN. Rather, how can I reinterpret this idea in my own garden?
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Specimen Plant
We've got seven categories of plants to think about in the garden. And, this is more like the 30,000 foot view. Let's get started. What do you have for us? Stacey thinks we should start with the most important category, the SPECIMEN. Basically a specimen planting is going to be the showiest, very often largest, but not always, element of the landscape. It’s the plant that you absolutely love. It's the one that has maybe one show stopping moment every single year where people are driving down your street and slam on the brakes and say - what is that?
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Focal Points
When we think about the FOCAL POINTS we're creating in our garden, what might be the considerations? This is certainly one example, it’s a beautiful Japanese maple. The Japanese maple is pretty much the classic specimen plant for so many people, in so many climates. Here is one great example. You can tell, by the way that it’s planted, in the back of the guesthouse. It’s standing on its own, even though you’re only seeing this Japanese maple at this one moment in time.
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Other Examples Of Specimen Plants
What are some OTHER GREAT EXAMPLES? Well the Japanese maple is a deciduous plant. That means it loses its leaves every fall, but evergreen specimens can also play a really key part. Some people prefer that year round presence, even though the Japanese maple does have obviously a very, very dramatic and beautiful shape. Evergreen specimens can be important as well. Especially here in the north, where they have to survive long, endless winters. Snow helps decorate that evergreen and calls attention to it. Eric thinks in the space of evergreens there are way more choices than many people may even know about.
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Hedges
HEDGES are another important element in the garden and they can do a lot of different things. They’re incredibly versatile, and typically used to define space. It’s often like the walls of the garden; in many ways they help people know how to use the space, even navigate the space. Let's talk about some selections that are particularly good, and then ways they can be used in the garden.
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Starting With A Hedge
The key to STARTING WITH A HEDGE, besides knowing where you want it and why, is, do you want that year round coverage of an evergreen, or do you want something that looks absolutely fabulous in the summer when you're outside enjoying it? Something like a flowering plant, like the viburnum, or panicle hydrangeas make an awesome hedge. Rick loves diversity in a hedge. Stacy's mentioned the difference between evergreen or deciduous, he likes a mixed hedge. It provides interest all season long, whether it's screening or creating a room within your landscape, thus viewing your landscape as a room, an extension of the home. A lot of work is being done with flowering shrubs, we've seen an explosion in that category in the last 20 years.
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Hedges — Screening
We've talked about the specimen, plus the role of the hedge in the garden. We're working our way down closer to the ground. So now, let's talk about LOW HEDGES, and the role they play in the more intermediate parts of the garden. What is the difference between a low hedge and a hedge? A hedge is going to be human height or taller. You're kind of trying to shade and hide from prying eyes, or maybe don't want your garden to be visible all at once. Thus a hedge is really going to be something that is generally 5 or 6 feet tall, even taller, whereas a low hedge is going to have a lot of those same shape and space defining characteristics discussed with hedging, just at a much lower height.
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Low Hedges
THE CONSERVATORY IN THIS GARDEN IS THE CENTERPIECE. They were not common in the 18th century. It was quite unique and showed the level of society that Washington had risen to. It's second only, as far as structure, to the mansion itself. And, it's definitely the focal point for someone as they would have entered this garden. One recurring theme and highlight for estate visitors when writing in their diaries was the reference to the sub-tropical plants in this greenhouse. Eric notices Pomegranates, a lot of citrus and Hibiscus that are now coming into bloom. It was quite a luxury in Washington's time to have these tropical plants out on this veranda and that was made possible by having the conservatory which allowed Washington to bring them indoors during the winter to protect them. The greenhouse meant survival for these plants.
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Plants For A Low Hedge
What are some other good examples of PLANTS that we can use as a LOW HEDGE? Many different things really do work. We have this beautiful, Bubbly Wine, variegated Weigela that makes amazing edging. It is going to be something that is definitely going to introduce a little bit more color and chaos. It's a bolder choice. Spirea would be another great example of something one can use.
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Plants Can Be Used In More Ways Than One
Something that is really helpful when talking about the different roles and responsibilities plants can fill in the garden is understanding that many of the PLANTS CAN BE USED IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. And it's really just - how do we implement it in the garden. Many of these roles are dictated by - how many plants, where you plant them, and what the goal is. And the plants here are plants that could really expand to any of the roles we've already discussed, but they are being used in a very specific way here. And it starts with this edging of golden barberry. One can see that edging is really pretty similar to the low hedge just discussed.
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One of the things that makes gardening so much fun is trying to figure out creative ways of bringing interest to every space. And VINES, oftentimes, are underutilized in the garden. It really brings a dynamic vertical element, plus there are so many options. And, home gardeners love vines and this garden provides a lot of vine inspiration. Every single time a new person comes into this garden, they are just floored at these gorgeous climbing hydrangea vines. They're the perfect example of what a vine can do in the landscape. Not that there’s anything wrong with tree trunks.
In this episode GardenSMART visits a stunning garden in Michigan while talking with two garden podcasters about the roles that plants play in the landscape. The garden communicators, Stacy Hervella and Rick Voist, host the podcast Gardening Simplified. Rick brings 50 years of experience in the horticulture industry, while Stacy's impressive background includes serving as the green editor for Martha Stewart Living and working as a horticulturist at New York City's Tavern on the Green.
The amazing garden we’re visiting is a beautiful private garden and a wonderful place to explore, but as well serves as a laboratory for testing and evaluating potential new plants. Stacy and Rick show us how plants play different roles in a successful landscape and how choosing the right plants for those roles can create a beautiful functional garden.
Eric welcomes STACEY AMND RICK the hosts of Gardening Simplified. Thanks much for being here. They in turn thank GardenSMART for coming to Michigan to enjoy this beautiful garden. Eric loves their approach. He thinks oftentimes as horticulturalists we love our botanical names and waxing poetic about the esoteric theories of design. But thinks most gardeners take an approach where it’s just - don't overthink it. Eric believes there are some basic steps to having gardening success and that Stacey and Rick have done a wonderful job of emphasizing that with Gardening Simplified, they've done a great job of distilling gardening facts down. In this show we're going to break these broader plants down into categories that make them really, really useful for gardeners to understand and implement in their own plantings.
Stacey thinks, often, when we’re driving around, particularly if we are gardeners, we see an amazing landscape and don't really take the time to dissect it and think about what are the ELEMENTS IN THAT GARDEN. Rather, how can I reinterpret this idea in my own garden? And that’s what they're all about on their show and that's what we're all about in this episode. We're going to take those basic landscape roles, show examples of how they’re used, then it's up to our viewers to think about how they're going to reinterpret that information in their own yards. Eric likes the idea, we're going to hand our viewers a set of tools. Tools they can use at home.
We've got seven categories of plants to think about in the garden. And, this is more like the 30,000 foot view. Let's get started. What do you have for us? Stacey thinks we should start with the most important category, the SPECIMEN. Basically a specimen planting is going to be the showiest, very often largest, but not always, element of the landscape. It’s the plant that you absolutely love. It's the one that has maybe one show stopping moment every single year where people are driving down your street and slam on the brakes and say - what is that? But, sometimes the specimen, the one that gets your neighbors talking, will have multiple seasons of interest, A lot of us, if we love plants, picking that specimen is sort of what our entire landscape hinges around, then everything else centers around that plant. So, picking out that specimen can often be the most fun part and it really then leads to all of the other elements that we're going to be talking about. Rick agrees with Stacy, it's reaching that emotional point in your landscape. Many times we approach it from a structural basis, but sometimes there are plants that simply stand out and provide additional emotion to the landscape. And, that is important. Our garden is a very, very personal thing.
When we think about the FOCAL POINTS we're creating in our garden, what might be the considerations? This is certainly one example, it’s a beautiful Japanese maple. The Japanese maple is pretty much the classic specimen plant for so many people, in so many climates. Here is one great example. You can tell, by the way that it’s planted, in the back of the guesthouse. It’s standing on its own, even though you’re only seeing this Japanese maple at this one moment in time. This particular one called Metamorphosa undergoes a lot of different color changes. In spring, it's kind of this bright glowing pink. Here we are in the heat of summer and it’s variegated, then it turns all sorts of colors in autumn. Even though it’s not really a flowering plant, where it might have an amazing moment, like a magnolia or something like that would, this is a dynamic plant that really is going to continue to grab your attention through the seasons. And all of those color changes give you so much to work with regarding all the other elements in your landscape, whether hedges or borders or other things we're going to be talking about like annuals and/or perennials that one would plant for color. The Japanese maple is a specimen plant that changes throughout the seasons and more or less celebrates those seasons. Of course, the Japanese maple is one of the iconic statement pieces in the garden.
What are some OTHER GREAT EXAMPLES? Well the Japanese maple is a deciduous plant. That means it loses its leaves every fall, but evergreen specimens can also play a really key part. Some people prefer that year round presence, even though the Japanese maple does have obviously a very, very dramatic and beautiful shape. Evergreen specimens can be important as well. Especially here in the north, where they have to survive long, endless winters. Snow helps decorate that evergreen and calls attention to it. Eric thinks in the space of evergreens there are way more choices than many people may even know about. Just in foliage and texture. And when you really start looking at conifers, plants in that space, there are so many amazing choices and so many new selections coming out every year. And some of them very columnar, very upright. Thus space saving. They can be an important part of the specimen grouping too. Even if you have a very, very small space in your landscape, that specimen is still going to be the plant that can define your garden and your style.
HEDGES are another important element in the garden and they can do a lot of different things. They’re incredibly versatile, and typically used to define space. It’s often like the walls of the garden; in many ways they help people know how to use the space, even navigate the space. Let's talk about some selections that are particularly good, and then ways they can be used in the garden. We were just talking about the specimen, or focal point. That's your chance to express your style. When we’re talking about hedges, things get a lot more practical, they tend to be about defining that space. But practical doesn't mean any less important. The number one characteristic in determining what type of hedge one might use is similar to the specimen. Are you looking for something evergreen or are you looking for something deciduous? A deciduous hedge, like the one behind is a Steady Eddy Doublefile Viburnum. It’s a re-blooming viburnum. It’s okay to have a deciduous hedge even if it doesn’t provide privacy. It provides privacy when we need it or not when we don't. If one lives in a warmer climate or you need year round privacy, like when trying to screen off a neighbor, or a view that's unsightly, then you might want the evergreen coverage of something like a conifer or another type of evergreen.
The key to STARTING WITH A HEDGE, besides knowing where you want it and why, is, do you want that year round coverage of an evergreen, or do you want something that looks absolutely fabulous in the summer when you're outside enjoying it? Something like a flowering plant, like the viburnum, or panicle hydrangeas make an awesome hedge. Rick loves diversity in a hedge. Stacy's mentioned the difference between evergreen or deciduous, he likes a mixed hedge. It provides interest all season long, whether it's screening or creating a room within your landscape, thus viewing your landscape as a room, an extension of the home. A lot of work is being done with flowering shrubs, we've seen an explosion in that category in the last 20 years. That work has given gardeners a tremendous number of new tools. It doesn't have to just be a green hedge. We've got all of these amazing flowering options now. Very often one may want something that is more uniform, something that provides sort of that quietness where one can have that backdrop to do anything off of. Maybe then you do some crazy plantings in front of it. But they're all great options. Don't limit yourself to selecting one cultivar of plants, because there are always new plants. The industry is constantly adding plants, like the long hedges of white blooming hydrangeas. It's perfect for their personality. Panicle hydrangeas can be great as a hedge. They're often the ideal plant for creating a room with a hedge. Oftentimes when people think of a hedge, they’re thinking of a clipped, formal hedge but a hedge does absolutely not have to be that at all. A hedge can be completely hands off, a plant that has the right size for the area that you want to cover. And there are plants for this category with a huge range of sizes. There are even hedges that are vestigate, or upright, so they don’t take up a lot of ground space. That means people with very small yards can still have a hedge. It doesn’t have to be trimmed, doesn't have to be formal. It can be kind of loose and free and still provide structure.
One of the most important uses for a HEDGE as one can see in this part of the garden is for SCREENING. Because if you live with neighbors, and sometimes even if you don't, there’s always stuff that you don't want to see or you want privacy. And that is one of the areas where hedges are most important. For folks who are new homeowners that's the first thing you want to plant. You may want those boundaries, or those edges you want to obscure? Get them planted. You can worry about everything else later, because the hedge is going to take the longest to get established. One can see in this garden there is massive hedge of Spring Grove Arborvitae. This is a big plant for a big garden, thus not for everybody, but it was the perfect choice for screening off this cemetery, which has a not so beautiful fence as well as a lot of color from flowers and tombstones and everything over there. And as you can see, the arborvitae hedge provides a beautiful, peaceful edge to keep your eye in the garden rather than wandering all the way off into the cemetery. Another thing that we encounter with many sites, one might have noise from the road or from industry that's nearby. Hedges do a great job of breaking that up, and also making the garden a more peaceful and quiet space to relax. There are many, many powerful ways in which hedges can transform a space. Rick feels if you establish that hedge it can often help with neighborly negotiations. And getting along. Rick calls it living on the hedge, but sometimes it really can help. Good fences make good neighbors.
We've talked about the specimen, plus the role of the hedge in the garden. We're working our way down closer to the ground. So now, let's talk about LOW HEDGES, and the role they play in the more intermediate parts of the garden. What is the difference between a low hedge and a hedge? A hedge is going to be human height or taller. You're kind of trying to shade and hide from prying eyes, or maybe don't want your garden to be visible all at once. Thus a hedge is really going to be something that is generally 5 or 6 feet tall, even taller, whereas a low hedge is going to have a lot of those same shape and space defining characteristics discussed with hedging, just at a much lower height. The Gem Box Inkberry holly is really a great way to show how this works in a garden because it really provides the structure for this bed. Then on the other side anything can happen, because you've imposed this kind of structural low hedge to the garden. It is evergreen and clipped once or twice a year. It can be trimmed with a bevel and that provides even more structure. But it's not crucial for the success of a low hedge. When talking about taller hedges diversity is important. But when we get to the low hedges a single plant can be used, because just like edging, when you use a low hedge it seems to tie in the whole garden.
What are some other good examples of PLANTS that we can use as a LOW HEDGE? Many different things really do work. We have this beautiful, Bubbly Wine, variegated Weigela that makes amazing edging. It is going to be something that is definitely going to introduce a little bit more color and chaos. It's a bolder choice. Spirea would be another great example of something one can use. They have a lot of Diarvilla used in this garden. There are a lot of different things that work well for a low hedge. The key is picking the right size, the right color, or coverage, whether it’s evergreen or deciduous. If you are going to trim it make sure that you start with young plants and start trimming them when young. Because once they start to get taller and more woody, it becomes a lot harder to maintain them.
Something that is really helpful when talking about the different roles and responsibilities plants can fill in the garden is understanding that many of the PLANTS CAN BE USED IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. And it's really just - how do we implement it in the garden. Many of these roles are dictated by - how many plants, where you plant them, and what the goal is. And the plants here are plants that could really expand to any of the roles we've already discussed, but they are being used in a very specific way here. And it starts with this edging of golden barberry. One can see that edging is really pretty similar to the low hedge just discussed. But one of the biggest differences, and this area is a great example we can see how this really functions regarding crowd control. We're here on this beautiful patio, they have a lot of parties here, but it is important to make sure that people can't easily step off and fall down this slope. So this edging really does serve as the edge of this patio, it’s not just defining the borders, but really protecting the edge of this patio. And it shows that the change in the level and the landscape is here. So this is a garden of shrubs. You see very few gardens that are as entirely composed of shrubs, as this is. Here we’re using shrubs as ground cover, and that's what you can see going down the rest of this slope with this beautiful Kodiak Black Diervilla. It really functions as a stabilizer, which is one of the important things that a ground cover does for this slope, it transforms it from something that is high maintenance, something that would need weeding, trimming and fussing and transforms the area into this beautiful mass planting that protects the soil, protects the slope, and makes it more maintenance friendly. Importantly, ground cover does not have to be ankle high. And the barberry defines the area. Rick is a huge fan of Diervilla, because it's one of those plants that's a workhorse in the landscape. It can fill so many functions including, in this case, a stabilizing force for the bank as well as a ground cover. It's just rethinking the way that these plants can be used. We look at the tag and it states that the plant will grow to four feet, so it's obviously designed to be used in this way, but not necessarily. It's all just, how do we implement it in the garden. This is a wonderful example. Repetition and rhythm. And it just pulls everything together, and it makes an impact. It absolutely does. And that's such a creative endeavor. Oftentimes the plantings that Eric's most surprised by are probably not the way that one would ordinarily see them used in a garden. It’s someone creating that little bit of wow and wonder by just taking a little different way of thinking about using that plant.
One of the things that makes gardening so much fun is trying to figure out creative ways of bringing interest to every space. And VINES, oftentimes, are underutilized in the garden. It really brings a dynamic vertical element, plus there are so many options. And, home gardeners love vines and this garden provides a lot of vine inspiration. Every single time a new person comes into this garden, they are just floored at these gorgeous climbing hydrangea vines. They're the perfect example of what a vine can do in the landscape. Not that there’s anything wrong with tree trunks. They're perfectly lovely. But it is really nice to see these selected tree trunks, really transformed into these columns of green with beautiful climbing hydrangea vines. There are definitely a lot of different vines one can use for all sorts of things, but when it comes to covering a tree trunk or perhaps a chimney or an old stone wall, it's really hard to beat a climbing hydrangea. They are naturally shade tolerant, they flower, plus people have hydrangeas already. Who doesn't love a climbing hydrangea? They don't threaten the health of the tree? And they're beautiful.
Climbing hydrangeas are a great option but here are lots of other vines that people can use in different ways. Rick loves vines, especially late in the gardening season. They provide interest in the evening hours just after the sun has set. He calls it divine intervention. It's a great way to add impact to your landscape. What are some favorites? He just recently planted Scentsation honeysuckle and Kintzley's ghost. Loves those two. But he would really have to argue that his favorite is Sweet Summer Love clematis. It blooms in summer as it gets hot. Just at the time one needs those blooms. And it's a really beautifully fragrant vine as well. Plus, it's quite vigorous. And, that’s a key with figuring out how you're gonna use vines - what do you want to cover?
If you don't have something that you need to cover like a pergola, or a porch or a mailbox, one can do what’s been done throughout this garden, which is just to make these big, wire mesh pillars, then let the clematis or whatever vine you want, grow all over them. You create something that is really unlike anything else. You're going beyond that habit, and just creating this beautiful column of color. Clematis are a really popular choice for that. But Stacey also loves Crossvine, which is a southern native. Plus she loves any vine that attracts hummingbirds. And woody vines are great because you don't have to worry about retraining them every year because once they’ve created that woody framework, then all you have to do is just make sure it's going where you want it to go and continuing to do what you want it to do. They're a low maintenance solution that gives your garden something special, something that really no one else has.
Eric thanks Stacy and Rick, what a wonderful tour through the many, many different ways we can use plants in the garden. From trial gardens to our own backyard you have shown us how choosing plants for the right role can make every landscape more beautiful, balanced and successful. You have done a great job of breaking it down into simple categories and not putting too many rules in place. Just have fun with it. We've learned so much from you both and we’re looking forward to digging into your podcast as well. Thank you. Stacey and Rick in turn thank Eric and GardenSMART for visiting.
Dark, moody hues can create the prefect fall palette in the garden. This on-trend can be especially fun for spooky season decorating.
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