The Screening Test

Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra

One of the biggest challenges of creating a new garden on a relatively flat, featureless field has been figuring out how to break up the view a bit. Partly, I wanted to create some privacy from the roads that border two sides of my lot. But I also wanted to add some screening within the garden, so the whole thing wasn’t visible from one spot, and to create some sheltered sitting areas as well. I also needed to find a way to screen the area under the raised porch, so the junk-storage space underneath wasn’t visible. (That’s the point of the the planting of ‘Lemon Queen’ perennial sunflower [Helianthus] and ironweeds [Vernonia] shown above.)

My previous garden was very small, so it wasn’t a big deal to invest in some special trellises and screens, or to have Mom build them. This place is so much larger, though, that even buying enough lumber for Mom-made structures really isn’t an option. Sizeable shrubs and trees are pretty much out of the budget too. So I’ve turned to another option: perennials that are eye-high or taller. (more…)

Published in: on August 24, 2008 at 6:48 pm Comments (20)
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Name That Garden

We all know the “right” way to choose plants for our gardens: figure out how much sun and shade we have, how fertile the soil is, what the drainage is like, what hardiness zone we’re in, which flower and foliage traits we want, yadda, yadda, yadda. It’s all excellent advice, of course, but I know I’m not the only one who quite often ignores all that and chooses plants purely on impulse. Sometimes it’s just because of a really cool flower, or terrific leaf variegation. And sometimes, I buy a plant just because of its name. (more…)

Published in: on July 9, 2008 at 8:37 pm Comments (11)

Got Rocks?

Boulder field at Ringing Rocks May 8 08

Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra

Have you ever noticed that other gardeners always have more difficulties than you do? You mention that you have deer/rabbits/voles/Japanese beetles/shade/whatever, and then you hear how the other person has the same problem but much, much worse than you could ever imagine. I’ve noticed that it’s the same with rocks: You grumble about hitting a few rocks when digging a fencepost or trying to plant, and invariably, someone else has more/bigger/harder rocks in their garden. Well, whenever I hear someone complain about rocks in the garden, I have to think that they don’t realize how bad it could be! (more…)

Published in: on May 12, 2008 at 6:46 pm Comments (15)
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Not-So-Mellow Yellow

Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra

Baptisia ‘Screaming Yellow’ Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ Cornus ‘Silver and Gold’ Salvia ‘Caradonna’ June 1 06In The Softer Side of Yellow, I trotted out some images of what I thought were relatively tasteful combinations of yellow with green, yellow with yellow, and yellow with blue. As I was choosing those pictures, I also found some combinations that showed a bit more zip, so I figured I’d put those in a separate group. This combination, featuring ‘Screaming Yellow’ false indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa) could have gone either way: Paired with the ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (Nepeta), the effect is rather soft, but the intense purple-blue of the ‘Caradonna’ salvia in the back saves it from being too sweet. Can you imagine this grouping without the catmint? That would definitely be zippy! (more…)

Published in: on March 1, 2008 at 11:22 am Comments (10)

The Softer Side of Yellow

Arc borders July 4 07

Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra

Of all the color combinations in my garden, yellow with green is one of my favorites. Specifically, I like bright yellow with bright green. Besides looking great together, these two have a sentimental meaning for me, as traditional John Deere colors. Our family has always had John Deere tractors; even as a kid, I had a pedal-powered JD tractor while other kids had Big Wheels.

It seemed only natural that the school colors of my agricultural college turned out to be yellow and green. There, a John Deere tractor with wonky steering was my nemesis: To pass Agricultural Machinery class, we had to back up that tractor and a two-wheeled wagon in a straight line, then at a 90-degree angle to the right and to the left. It took me all semester, but I finally managed it. (It’s harder than it sounds!) The following year, I happened to be nearby (though not responsible, I swear) when that tractor finally met an untimely end. That was one John Deere I wasn’t sorry to see go, but my triumph over it and the guilty pleasure I felt at its fate further solidified the significance of yellow and green for me.

Nowadays, I get my yellow-and-green fix from my gardens. Built around a long row of golden elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Aurea’), the curved borders that evolved along my driveway turned out to be a great place indulge in all sorts of yellow flowers and foliage. It wasn’t until months later, when I took the picture at the top of this post, that I realized the excellent color echo of the road sign in the background. The strong yellow of the ‘Zagreb’ coreopsis in the foreground is almost a perfect match, though I think rudbeckias would be even better.

As much as I hate to admit it, there is such a thing as too much yellow, as you can see below. (more…)

Published in: on February 28, 2008 at 12:10 pm Comments (14)
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