Today we look at Perennial border gardens at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville
Georgia. Scott Mahr is the general manager and provides some background on this
beautiful resort. The village is in the form of an English country resort
because they felt it best fit the property. In designing the property they
considered what guests would like. Thus they built a golf course, a full
service spa, it has mountain biking, fishing, sporting clays and paint ball,
hiking trails and of course wonderful gardens. Barnsley is located about 70
miles Northwest of Atlanta in the foothills of the Appalachians. It is a great
corporate retreat during the week and a romantic getaway for couples on the
weekend. Each cottage has its' own particular beds, there are no two beds
alike, each cottage has a front and a rear door and all have beautiful gardens.
Robert Stoney is the resident horticulturist and responsible for the
restoration of this property. Not only is Robert knowledgeable but fascinating
and enlightening.
The gardens have been in existence for about 160 years although they had fallen
on hard times. The restoration started 15 years ago. Robert has been a part of
the restoration for 6 years.
One of the stars of this Perennial border is the Peony. It is one of the
easiest plants to grow and provides pleasure for a long time. The secret to
growing good Peonies is good soil, nice, deep, fertile soil, with lots of
organic matter. Time also helps, if you have 5 years that is a great bonus
because they will flower one or two blooms the first year they are put in but
they are really at their peak at 5 years onward. We view a glorious white
variety, Festiva Maxima. It is a double and has a wonderful raspberry ripple in
the middle. Peonies come in different shapes and sizes, most are fragrant.
Since most are doubles they have lots of petals. Robert does have some single
varieties, they are all colors-pinks, reds and whites. With Peonies you usually
see little ants. Many think they are necessary to get the flower to open, that
isn't true. They're just feeding on the nectar coming out of the Peony flower
bud. If you want to pick the flower and not bring ants into the house, pick
them before they open, when they will look like a marshmallow. They will then
open inside and be beautiful. Peonies don't need a lot of care, if you have good
soil you're set. They will flop over, especially in the Spring, especially if
there has been a lot of rain. At that point the heads tend to be lush and
heavy. To combat this problem Robert uses a mesh grid, this one is plastic
coated wire and will last a long time. Set it in the ground before the leaves
emerge, as they're coming up, at that point they're more stems than leaves.
Push it into the ground, as the plants grow move the frame up and it keeps the
plant upright. For the occasional stray bloom Robert uses a different staking
mechanism, he calls it a Lily staker because it works well on Lilies as well.
When pushing it into the ground, if it will go down 18 inches, if it does this
easily you know you have good composted soil.
A Perennial border is usually a long area, usually 15-20 feet wide, but long
and almost anything but trees can be grown. Most people think a Perennial
border is composed of Herbaceous plants. Robert is making use of a new trend
which is to use other kinds of plants in the border. This is called a mixed
border. You can do pretty much anything you like in this setting. Robert has
Irises against a backdrop of higher plantings, in this case Native Azaleas. This
Iris is called Pallida and he calls this variety Kool-Aid because it smells like
Kool-Aid. It is easy to grow, you just need time to get it established. It is a
rhizomatos Iris and has a nice fleshy root, like a long potato. To plant it you
don't bury the root, just cover half the root, put mulch over it and it will do
well even in dry conditions as well as quite moist habitats. Irises are
adaptable, you can find an Iris for almost every soil condition. They will even
thrive submerged in water. This variety likes slightly dry conditions, doesn't
need especially fertile soil and it thrives in this climate. The only problem,
it may get too lush and overgrown. When that happens it tends to produce fewer
and fewer flowers so periodically they need to be thinned. To do this
physically dig them up and divide them. They are forgiving plants and can be
divided anytime, although it is probably best done when they're dormant, during
the winter months. But they can be divided when in full flower, Charlie has
divided them in the North after blooming, in the middle of the Summer, because
with cooler temperatures you can get away with it. Robert shows us how. Pry up
a clump and you see the knobby roots. You can see the older parts, those can be
cut off. Some people will break the roots apart. Either way works. Choose roots
that look reasonably fresh, not old. Also cut off the foliage about 6 inches
above the base of the riser. That is all that is needed to replant. Don't treat
the wounds, maybe let them dry a little. Set it on the soil so the roots will
be under ground and the riser is on top of the ground. Give it some water add
some mulch to conserve moisture and it should grow. Place them about 10-12
inches apart and they'll soon fill the space. They will hopefully produce at
least 1 flower stem per riser.
Slugs love the lush green leaves of Perennials. There are some old fashioned
ways of controlling slugs-pouring salt on them, even creating beer traps causing
them to drown but there are some new ideas as well. One is iron phosphate
pellets. They're great because all you do is sprinkle them around the plant, the
slugs eat them and die. They are safe for the environment, they break down in
the soil and they don't harm insects or pets. Another way is to try high
caffeinated coffee, this supposedly repels slugs, so just pour it around your
plants and watch them run.
Some Irises will successfully grow in part sun, part shade. They don't mind
being in part or full shade but probably flower more profusely in full sun.
Siberian Iris has wonderful colored blooms, a reed like foliage, a thinner
foliage, almost goose neck. They do tend to straighten out as they start to
flower. It is fibrous rooted, very different from the big bulbous risers we saw
earlier. They can be grown from seed and if planted in the Autumn oftentimes
will flower the following Spring or Summer. It forms clumps and doesn't need
much dividing. This batch is in a Swamp Cypress grove, which is unusual because
it tends to be wet, in fact there is a section actually flooded. With the Iris
popping up between the knees of the Cypress it makes a nice effect.
Robert has some Yellow Flag Iris that are growing in water, after they're
through flowering Robert leaves them. They are very decorative, the foliage is
handsome. If cut, it would probably spoil the flowering the next season. They
are a vivid yellow color and the striations and markings inside the flowers are
beautiful. This is the flower that gave rise to the Fleur-De-Lis, the emblem of
the French kings shields. It has a wonderful structure and shape. This Iris, in
some parts of the country, is aggressive, it is an interloper. Don't let it
colonize outside of where you're cultivating because it will spread. It doesn't
need fertilized.
We've seen Irises with beautiful flowers now we look at one with stunning
foliage. This is an Iris Pallida but it's a variegated form and showy. It does
flower, although later than most varieties. They struggle because they're so
variegated, they do require patience. That is true of variegated plants in
general, they tend to be a little weaker, they need to be pampered in order to
get them to grow and flower. Because they are stunning they draw the eye and
you must be careful what you put with them. Blues work well and even whites.
Thus Robert has planted low growing Salvias.
Abraham, this week, shows us concrete stamping. Here we have a concrete
foundation, he wants to give it more character. He uses a concrete stamping
product that is latex based, it is water cleanable. He starts by cleaning the
patio, he wants a nice clean surface. He then lays down a dark gray shade that
is similar to paint but it has a texture. He rolls it on, this become the grout
color. Abraham then starts designing the stones. He tapes everything which
forms the rock shapes. If you wanted you could draw this first. Once the design
is taped, he starts trowling on the first texture which is the solid base for
the stone. After the whole surface is covered he goes back, removes the tape
which produces the stone look. He then goes back again and adds other colors,
grays, blacks, maybe a little copper and khakis. To mix it in he uses a sponge.
When done you have a realistic stone look. Abraham then seals it and the patio
has a flagstone look.
Robert next shows us attractive foliage plants in the shady part of a Perennial
border. They brighten the area. The star of the show is the Japanese Painted
Fern. It is a silvery and purple stemmed plant that looks good with practically
anything as the foliage changes and develops over the year and contrasts
beautifully with the Angel Wing Begonia. It also contrasts nicely with the
beautiful Heuchera foliage. In the same bed is a large, dramatic Mayapple, it
has a dramatic leaf that has a deeply divided and a large round shape. Next to
it is a little Shamrock, Pink Oxalis. These are great examples of common
Perennials that can grow in shady areas.
Robert has an unusual Columbine with yellow variegated foliage. It came up from
seed and has a beautiful yellow and green pattern. Another Columbine has a nice
blue color and is a double. The name Columbine comes from the old Latin name
for a Dove which was Columbus. So the name literally means a combination of
Columbus or Columbine. In fact they look like a little collection of Dove like
shapes. Charlie sees the little heads, wings and tails. They provide a great
source of blue and purple in the border this time of year. Since Delphiniums
don't do well in this climate, Columbine provides a perfect replacement. They
are carefree plants, they self sow readily and last for a while. They are
bi-annuals. Plant them in the fall, let them go through their leafy stage in
the fall and build into a nice big plant so they'll flower properly the
following year. That's a great tip-some plants are either annuals, bi-annuals
(meaning they die the second year) or perennials in your garden, depending
where you live. Here in Georgia these are bi-annuals, in the North they might be
short lived Perennials, further South they might be Annuals. Thus you need to
know the type plant and the climate.
Robert has Perennials growing in a formal setting. Perennials don't need to be
grown in an English cottage look, they can be in a much more formal setting.
This is a portage, a little French garden. The French tend to have ornamentals
mixed in with their herbs and vegetables. It provides an opportunity to try
combinations of color in a much more formal setting. This is a very geometric
design and a great tip. If you're growing a formal garden and planting
Perennials that take a while to fill in you'll probably want to fill in with
Annuals. Robert has used Pansies, some bulbs and Anemones, even Snapdragons
which make a great filler-in in that gap period when there may be a lull in
color. Later on he will clear the bed and grow some cutting flowers, something
like Zinnias.
Thank you Robert you have showed us beautiful Perennial flower borders, how to
grow them in different designs and we've looked at some beautiful flowers. Thank
you for showing us Barnsley Gardens.
Links:
Barnsley Gardens
www.Beautifauxfinishes.com
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