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New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014, Part 2

Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

Clockwise from upper left: flowers of ‘Lemon Frost’, ‘Neutrino’, ‘Chartreuse Wiggles’, ‘Thumbelina’, and ‘Feather Boa’.

My last post called New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014 highlighted four new additions to our extensive offerings of miniature hostas. In that post I talked about ‘Alakazaam’, ‘Baby Booties’, ‘Cherish’, and ‘Kiwi Golden Thimble’. To see the photos and descriptions, click here. This post will add five more profiles of cute little hostas that you will want to add to your containers and gardens.

‘Feather Boa’ is extremely useful because it grows rapidly to form a dense groundcover of bright gold leaves. It is 11″ tall by 27″ wide, and its leaves are 3 3/4″ long by 2″ wide. The narrow gold foliage with very wavy margins is topped by attractive purple flowers in July.

‘Thumbelina’ departs from the usual color scheme to give us a very cute bright green and gold mini with wavy, heart-shaped leaves and a wide yellow margin . It is 10″ tall by 24″ wide, and its leaves are 4″ long by 3″ wide. It has medium purple flowers in July and forms a small, dense rounded mound, great specimen!

‘Chartreuse Wiggles has glossy, bright gold, very narrow and heavily rippled leaves that really stand out in the garden. It is 10″ high by 25″ wide, and its leaves are 5 1/2″ long by 1″ wide. Pale purple flowers appear in August. It forms a low dense mound, making an excellent specimen, edger, or groundcover.

‘Neutrino’ is another mini hosta that really stands out. The bright green, pointy leaves have a wide white margin that streaks into the center. It forms a 5″ tall by 16″ wide neat but dense mound. Its leaves are 2 3/4″ long by 1 3/4″ wide topped by medium purple flowers in July. It is a tiny plant, a seedling of H. venusta.

‘Lemon Frost’ features a very unusual color combination of light chartreuse leaves with a pure white margin. It is 10″ tall by 24″ wide, and its leaves are 3 1/2″ long by 1 1/2″ wide. The gorgeous, dark purple striped flowers appear in July (next photo). It is very fast growing and useful as a variegated ground cover or edging plant.

The buds of ‘Lemon Frost’ are a desirable dark purple, and the flowers are striped—a hosta I would grow for its flowers!

There may be a third post in this series with a few more new additions. Meanwhile, if you would like to read more about little hostas, click on any of the following links:

New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014, Part 1

New Mice for 2014

2013 New Miniature and Small Hostas

Miniature (& Small) Hostas

I LOVE Mice

Beyond Mice

Hostas Containers and Companions

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: The 2015 Miniature Hosta Availability for mail order and pick up at the nursery is here. You can sign up to receive emails by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

If you are within visiting distance and would like to receive catalogues and information about customer events, please send your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

Facebook: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens has a Facebook Page where I post single photos, garden tips, and other information that doesn’t fit into a blog post. You can look at my Facebook page here or click the Like button on my right sidebar here.

Notes: Every word that appears in orange on my blog is a link that you can click for more information. If you want to return to my blog’s homepage to access the sidebar information (catalogues, previous articles, etc.) or to subscribe to my blog, just click here.

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New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014

Posted in container gardening, containers for shade, hosta, miniature hosta with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, dwarf hostas, Hosta ''Alakazaam', Hosta Baby Booties, Hosta Cherish, Hosta Kiwi Golden Thimble, little hostas, mini hostas, mini hostas for sale, miniature hosta, miniature hosta mail order, miniature hostas, Mouse Ears, mouse ears hostas, New Mice, small hostas on May 22, 2014 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

Clockwise from upper left: ‘Lemon Frost’, ‘Alakazaam’, ‘Baby Booties’, ‘Neutrino’, ‘Kiwi Golden Thimble’, ‘Curly Fries’, ‘Thumbelina’, and ‘Cherish’.

My last post called New Mice for 2014 profiled the new additions to the adorable Mouse Ears Series of miniature hostas. In that post I talked about ‘Sunny Mouse Ears’, ‘Mouse Cheese’, ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’, and ‘Church Mouse’. To see the photos and descriptions, click here. I extolled the virtues of their round, rubbery slug-repelling leaves in beautiful colors, their symmetrical habit, and their lovely proportional flowers.

‘Alakazaam’ planted in the knot hole of a tree.

I have added a lot of new miniature and small hostas that are not mice to my offerings, and I want to profile a few of them here. But first I would like to answer the question what is a miniature hosta? The American Hosta Society defines miniature hostas by their leaf size. The leaf blade area, length x width, can be no greater than 6 square inches. Clump spread is irrelevant. Therefore, some of the hostas listed below are not technically “miniature”, but they are all little!

‘Alakazaam’s’ unusual spiky habit makes it stand out from the crowd no matter where you place it. It forms a clump 5″ tall by 10″ wide, and its leaves are 6 1/2″ long and 3/4″ wide. They are bright green with gold ruffled margins changing to creamy white.

‘Baby Booties’ departs from the usual gold and blue color scheme to give us a very cute green and white mini with oval leaves and a wide creamy white margin . It forms a 5″ tall by 19″ wide compact mound, and its oval leaves are 2 3/4″ long by 1 3/8″ wide.

‘Cherish’ is an adorable tiny hosta, “child” of the wonderful ‘Baby Bunting’, with heart-shaped creamy yellow leaves and a wide blue margin streaking into the center. It has pixie-like, tiny flowers that are coming into bloom right now. It is 8″ tall by 12″ wide, and its leaves are 2 1/2 ” long by 1 1/2″ wide. It needs more sun due to its extensive variegation.

‘Kiwi Golden Thimble’ is my most popular new mini hosta. Its unusual gold color and narrow, cupped leaves really stand out. Plus it rapidly produces an adorable mound of golden foliage. It is 5″ tall by 18″ wide, and its leaves are 2 3/4″ long by 1 1/4″ wide.

Look for another post on four more new additions. If you would like to read more about little hostas, click on any of the following links:

New Mice for 2014

2013 New Miniature and Small Hostas

Miniature (& Small) Hostas

I LOVE Mice

Beyond Mice

Hostas Containers and Companions

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

18 Comments »

New Mice for 2014

Posted in container gardening, containers for shade, hosta, miniature hosta with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, dwarf hostas, Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears', Hosta Church Mouse, Hosta Giantland Mouse Cheese, Hosta Giantland Sunny Mouse Ears, Hosta Mouse Cheese, Hosta Ruffled Mouse Ears, Hosta Sunny Mouse Ears, little hostas, mini hostas, mini hostas for sale, miniature hosta, miniature hosta mail order, miniature hostas, Mouse Ears, mouse ears hostas, small hostas on May 5, 2014 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Clockwise from upper left: ‘Holy Mouse Ears’, ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, ‘Green Mouse Ears’, and ‘Mighty Mouse’.

In 2012, I wrote a very popular post called I Love Mice about little hostas in the Mouse Ears Series. In that post I talked about ‘Holy Mouse Ears’, ‘Frosted Mouse Ears’, ‘Green Mouse Ears’, ‘Mighty Mouse’, and the little hosta that started it all, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. I extolled the virtues of their round, rubbery slug-repelling leaves in beautiful colors, their symmetrical habit, and their lovely proportional flowers. Since then some new mice have arrived on the seen, and I want to introduce them to you.

‘Sunny Mouse Ears’ is tiny and adorable in a new color for mouse ears minis.

It was just a matter of time before someone selected a gold-leafed mouse ears hosta, and ‘Sunny Mouse Ears’ is it. It has tiny, perfectly round leaves 1 3/4″ long by 1 3/4″ wide. It forms a mound 3″ tall by 10″ wide. ‘Sunny Mouse Ears’ is the first gold-leafed cultivar in the Mouse Ears series, although there is another described below. It has the same thick substance that repels slugs and the same enchanting, pixie-like pale purple flowers in July as the rest of the mouse ears clan.

Hosta ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ in the foreground contrasts nicely with the rounded shape of most of the other mouse ears hostas, here ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ in the background.

A close up of ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’

‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ is another new addition to the group. It has blue-green leaves 2 3/4″ long by 2 1/2″ wide with highly ruffled margins. Although it has the same rounded, thick, rubbery, slug resistant leaves as its parent ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, its rippled and frilled margins provide a great contrast to the other mouse ears hostas. ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ forms a mound 6″ high by 14″ wide and has the same desirable flowers.

‘Mouse Cheese’ is definitely a clever name for this gold-leafed mouse ears hosta.

‘Mouse Cheese’ is the other new gold-leafed mouse ears hosta available this year. At 2 3/4″long by 2 1/2″ wide, its leaves are larger and not as round, but they are bright gold with the same thick texture as the other mice we have come to love. ‘Mouse Cheese’ forms a slightly larger mound 4″ tall and 12″ wide. It has very cute pale purple flowers in July and retains its gold leaf color all season.

The texture of Hosta ‘Church Mouse’ stands out in a mixed planting. Photo courtesy of Walters Gardens.

‘Church Mouse’, the last of the four new mouse ears hostas, has very blue leaves with unique, highly ruffled margins that make a good contrast with other mouse ears hostas. It has the same thick substance that repels slugs and adorable, well-proportioned lavender flowers in early summer. It forms a larger mound 8″ tall by 15″ wide, but has the same neat and symmetrical habit.

A close up of ‘Church Mouse’, photo courtesy of Walters Gardens.

If you would like to read more about little hostas, click on any of the following links:

2013 New Miniature and Small Hostas

Miniature (& Small) Hostas

I LOVE Mice

Beyond Mice

Hostas Containers and Companions

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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Letting Go Part 2: Naturalizing Bulbs

Posted in bulbs for shade, How to, landscape design, my garden, Shade Perennials, snowdrops with tags Anemone nemorosa Alba Plena, Anemone ranunculoides, Buried Treasures book, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Chionodoxa forbesii, Chionodoxa Pink Giant, common snowdrop, Corydalis solida, Corydalis solida 'Beth Evans', Corydalis solida 'Blushing Girl', Corydalis solida 'George P. Baker', Corydalis solida subsp. incisa, Crocus tommasinianus, Dicentra cucullaria, Dutchman's breeches, Eranthis hyemalis, European wood anemone, fumewort, Galanthus nivalis, glory-of-the-snow, Jans Ruksans, Mertensia virginica, naturalizing bulbs, Puschkinia scilloides, Scilla mischtschenkoana, Scilla siberica, Siberian squill, snow crocus, snowdrops, striped-squill, Tubergen squill, Virginia bluebells, winter aconite on April 10, 2014 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

When I stopped trying to keep all my Corydalis solida separate and let the colors hybridize, this is what I got.

In May of 2011, I wrote a post titled Letting Go Part 1: The Lawn. It is a well-documented discussion of why gardeners should get rid of their lawns and let what lawn remains go “natural”. At the time I intended to write another article about letting go of garden beds, but time got away from me.

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Common snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, and snow crocus, C. tommasinianus, naturalized in Charles Cresson’s meadow—a wonderful combination for late winter.

I was inspired to get back to the topic by reading a gorgeous book on bulbs given to me by one of my customers. Not to digress, but I have the nicest customers who constantly send me articles, bring homemade food, send beautiful cards and letters sometimes hand drawn (one customer is a professional calligrapher), and write complimentary and encouraging emails. Thanks to you all.

This book was no ordinary gift but a 400 page hardcover book with over 300 color plates. It is called Buried Treasures and was written by Janis Ruksans. Ruksans is an internationally famous nurseryman and plant explorer with a mail order nursery specializing in unusual bulbs and located in Latvia. He has introduced hundreds of bulbs and one of his focuses is Corydalis solida (first photo), which happens to be one of my favorite plants.

Winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis, naturalized with corydalis and hybrid hellebores.

Winter aconite in bloom in February.

As I read his book, I was struck by what he said about naturalizing bulbs:

“There are two different kinds of naturalization. The first kind occurs when you plant your bulbs so they will look as natural as possible. The second kind is the real thing, which will happen only if your bulbs start to reproduce by self-sowing.… Some of the most beautiful displays happen in spots where bulbs … have been left to develop naturally.”

As simple as this statement appears, many gardeners have trouble applying this concept to their gardens because it requires letting go. You are no longer in control of where plants appear and how they combine with each other. I know because it took me years to embrace it myself.

Tubergen squill, Scilla mischtschenkoana, on the left and Dutchman’s breeches, Dicentra cucullaria, spread randomly at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

However, once I let go of deciding where bulbs (and many perennials) could grow, I believe that my garden reached a whole new level of interest and beauty. Ruksans’s book inspired me to write this post about the bulbs, including tubers, corms, and other bulb allies, that spread well in my garden. If you feel inclined to let go, here are some of the bulbs that work the best.

Siberian squill, Scilla siberica, provides a splash of early brilliant blue and moves all over the garden, even into the lawn.

Striped-squill, Puschkinia scilloides, is pale blue and spreads beneath my winterhazel.
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A close up shot better shows off striped-squill’s elegance.

There are hardly any beds in my garden that do not sport Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica, in early spring. All I planted was the original clump given to me by a good friend many years ago.

Wood anemones, including Anemone ranunculoides pictured above with Virginia bluebells, have been allowed to form gigantic patches in my woodland.

European wood anemones, A. nemorosa, are a favorite, including ‘Alba Plena’.

My woodland with wood anemones and bluebells.

Glory-of-the-snow, Chionodoxa forbesii, is everywhere even the formal beds by the front door. It doesn’t take up any “room” because it goes dormant and perennials can be planted right in it.

‘Pink Giant’ is the pink cultivar of glory-of-the-snow, and it too plants itself wherever it wants.

The most wonderful result of my new relaxed approach came from Corydalis solida, a plant with no real common name. It is a bulbous corydalis, which comes up very early in spring and dies back shortly after flowering. Unlike the colorful herbaceous corydalis that never come back due to our hot summers, this corydalis returns year after year without fuss and even self-sows. Here are a few of its cultivars:

‘George P. Baker’

C. solida subsp. incisa

‘Blushing Girl’ selected by Jans Ruksans.

‘Beth Evans’

All four cultivars are very beautiful in their own right, and at first I kept them separate so they would stay pure. However, when I let go and nature took its course, the results were amazing. Now I have a rainbow of corydalis.

Cordalis solida left to its own devices.

Although I have a large garden, this is not a technique limited to big spaces. Any garden bed full of perennials or any area beneath trees and shrubs is perfect for naturalizing bulbs. Just give them a free hand after you get them started.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: Our third sale is Saurday, April 26, from 10 am to 3 pm. Customers on our list will get an email with all the details. You can sign up to receive emails by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Coming soon is a shrub offer. If you have any shrubs you want, please email me at carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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Fall at Brandywine Cottage

Posted in books, Fall, Fall Color, garden to visit, landscape design, Shade Gardening, Uncategorized with tags Brandywine Cottage, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, David Culp, The Layered Garden on October 14, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

I recently had the privilege of visiting Brandywine Cottage, the house and gardens of horticulturalist and author David Culp. I have toured these extraordinary gardens many times over the last 20 years, but always in the winter and spring as David and I share a passion for (or should I say obsession with) snowdrops and hellebores. The arrival of a special shipment of snowdrops from England gave me an excuse to make the trip and experience Brandywine Cottage in October.

Looking down on the gardens from the driveway.

Among his other accomplishments, David Culp is the author of The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage (Timber Press 2012). The Layered Garden recently received the 2013 Gold Award from the Garden Writers Association for Best Overall Book. For more information on this wonderful book detailing David’s approach to garden design, his passion for plants, and the development of Brandywine Cottage over the last 20 years, click here.

the front entrance

Fall is a difficult time to view a garden in southeastern Pennsylvania. The leaves are falling off all the huge trees, obscuring the beds and detracting from the perfection we can achieve in spring. The wonderful plants that might provide some lovely close up shots are eaten by insects, browned by drought, and beaten down by torrential rain. However, a well-designed garden like Brandywine Cottage highlights the subtle beauty of fall. It was still a pleasure to visit even on an overcast and dreary day with more heavy rains threatening. I hope you enjoy your virtual trip through this special place.

A courtyard by the front entrance is shaded by a giant Norway spruce whose roots make an interesting pattern in the gravel.

David has several edgeworthias thriving in full shade.

The vegetable garden with its white picket fence is on the left and the largest perennial border is on the right.

large perennial border

vegetable garden

Narrow paths crisscross the hillside above the house which is filled with shade plants, including hundreds of hellebores.

An opening through the trees allows a view from the hillside towards the gardens below.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is closed for the winter. Look for the 2014 Snowdrop Catalogue in early January.

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2013 Camden (Maine) House & Garden Tour Part 3

Posted in Garden Tour, landscape design, Maine with tags Camden Garden Club, Camden Garden tour, Camden Harbor Maine, Camden House and Garden Tour, Camden Maine, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, maine gardens, Rockport Harbor Maine, Rockport Maine on August 31, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

The last garden on the Camden Garden tour has sweeping views of Rockport Harbor.

Before I get to the post, I want to let the customers of Carolyn’s Shade Gardens know that we will be reopening for the fall in mid-September. As usual there is a packed schedule including low maintenance gardening seminars, a double hellebore offer, and an opportunity to buy shrubs and vines. The first open house sale is scheduled for Septmebr 28, and cyclamen breeder John Lonsdale will be making a guest appearance with his gorgeous, fall-blooming hardy cyclamen. You will start getting emails shortly with all the details.

Another view of Rockport Harbor from the Holmes garden.

This is the last installment of the posts on the gardens featured on the 66th Annual Camden House and Garden Tour, which I attended in July. For photos of the Camden and Rockport, Maine, area and profiles of the first four gardens on the tour, read part 1 by clicking here. Part 2, which you can find here, features the fifth garden, a classic Maine cape with a gorgeous perennial garden. This post will focus on the Holmes house and garden, a palatial estate covering five acres overlooking Rockport Harbor.

The entrance to the Holmes garden is quite lovely with this handsome, stone-pillared gate opening onto a handmade bridge bordered by woods.

As we crossed the bridge, we came upon this dwelling, which we thought was the featured house, but it turned out to be the caretaker’s cottage. I want that job!

The Holmes property is located at the end of Sea Street, a road bordering scenic Rockport Harbor The house is newly built to resemble 20th century shingle-style Maine “cottages” (read grand estates). It has magnificent views of the harbor from every vantage point as well as extensive gardens and very impressive stone work. The inside of the house was gorgeous too but could not be photographed. Although I prefer a much simpler lifestyle, this house and garden were fun to tour and a great source of ideas. Enjoy the photos:

the Holmes cottage

Looking out from the house, across the perennial gardens and lawn, through the encircling edge of woodland to the harbor.

Between the house and the ocean are massive shrub and perennial gardens .

A lot of the plants were shade plants at their peak. I wish I could have gotten more photos, but it was noon on a bright and sunny day, great for viewing but not so hot for photography.

Looking down from the porch that extends the length of the house to an elegant circular garden in the center of the lawn area with the harbor as backdrop.

Up on the porch looking out.

Particularly notable in the design of the house and gardens was all the beautiful stonework in the extensive walls, stairs, and patios. Stone was used especially well in the pool area and the pond and stream that surround it.

Stone stairs leading to an elegant pergola over the full shade garden on the front of the house.

Stairs on the side of the house along the stream on the way to the pool.

The pool area: a naturally planted stream runs under and on both sides of the wide stone bridge in the middle of the photo.

Looking down the stream with the harbor in the background.

The boulder stream pours over several small waterfalls as it heads down the hill and under the stone slab to the pond.

The waterlily pond lined with boulders.

Looking back at the house from the harbor’s edge.

A path leads through the woods at the edge of the harbor to a stone couch with a view over the water to the open ocean. I could have stayed there all day.

Click here, Camden House and Garden Tour , for information about next year’s tour on July 17, 2014.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens will reopen shortly with a packed schedule including low maintenance seminars, an open house on September 28, a double hellebore offer, and a chance to order shrubs and vines. Customers on my email list will get an email shortly.

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2013 Camden (Maine) House & Garden Tour Part 2

The Sortwell property in Camden contains everything that is beautiful about Maine gardens.

The 66th Annual Camden House and Garden Tour, which I attended in July, gave me a chance to admire up close a few of the many gorgeous gardens along the Maine coast For photos of the Camden and Rockport, Maine, area and profiles of the first four gardens on the tour, read part 1 by clicking here. I intended to include the final two gardens in this post, but even when pared down there were too many photos for one installment. This post will focus on the classic Maine garden at the Sortwell residence.

The elegant garden shed at the other end of the property from the house.

The fifth garden on the tour was located within walking distance of downtown Camden. The house is an 1860s cape, a style prevalent in New England. The gardens surrounding the house suit the setting perfectly. Large beds are filled with big stands of perennials and shrubs and partially covered by elegant shade trees. A picturesque garden shed nestled at the opposite end of the property from the house provides a perfect focus for perennial beds.

The view from the house to the shed, as you can see the perennial border is huge.

I have mentioned on this blog many times how beautiful the summer gardens are in Maine, and this garden captures the essence of the coastal Maine gardening style. I am not sure what makes the plants so big and beautiful. It could be the cool but sunny and himidity-free weather. Or the ocean breezes. Or the relative (to Pennsylvania) lack of pests and diseases. Whatever the secret is, here are more photos of this quintessential Maine garden for you to enjoy:

This was a very high quality tour, and I highly recommend that anyone in the area attend next year’s Camden House and Garden Tour on July 17, 2014. Photos of the final garden on the tour will be in the next post.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

21 Comments »

2013 Camden (Maine) House & Garden Tour Part 1

Posted in Garden Tour, landscape design with tags Camden Garden Club, Camden Garden tour, Camden Harbor Maine, Camden House and Garden Tour, Camden Maine, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Fresh Restaurant Camden Maine, Laite Beach Camden Maine, Rockport Harbor Maine, Rockport Maine, Towne Motel Camden Maine on August 22, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Laite Beach, Camden Harbor, Maine

I spend time on an island near Portland each summer, and I have been admiring from afar the beautiful private gardens that seem to be everywhere along the Maine coast This year I decided to venture to the mainland and go to a couple of the many garden tours listed in the July 2013 issue of Downeast Magazine. Earlier in the summer, I went to a tour in Brunswick, which you can read about here. On July 18, a friend and I attended the 66th Annual Camden Garden Club House & Garden Tour in Camden, Maine.

Camden Harbor (unfortunately there is invasive Japanese knotweed in the foreground).

Camden is a charming New England seacoast town in the midcoast region of Maine about two hours north of Portland. Because we had never explored that area, we decided to go the day before the tour and do some sightseeing. We walked around the downtown, which is lovely but quite crowded with tourists and traffic. Thanks to our hosts at the Towne Motel, we spent the afternoon swimming at Laite Beach, a beautiful spot only blocks from downtown. Luckily it doesn’t seem to have been discovered by the casual visitor, and the water was quite warm for Maine. That night we had a fabulous dinner at Fresh, a restaurant on the harbor also recommended by our hosts. Here are some more photos of the Camden area:

Camden Harbor

A church in Camden, quintessential New England.

Towne Motel in Camden, nothing fancy but economically priced with very helpful owners and a delicious continental breakfast.

Rockport Harbor is right next to Camden and several of the gardens on the tour were in this area.

Rockport Harbor

We took the tour the next day, which was bright and sunny so not so great for taking photographs. At first I was dismayed because there were only six gardens, but I forgot we were touring the inside of the houses too. Having that added dimension was so much fun as you rarely get to see gardens from the inside looking out. Also I am sure that unlike me many tour participants were more interested in the inside of the house than the outside. The tour was very well planned with houses and gardens of all types. It was also logistically flawless with a great map and descriptions, very helpful signage directing you to each garden, well thought out parking and even shuttles in hard to access gardens, and knowledgeable and friendly garden club members to answer questions.

The Anderson garden in Rockport has a beautiful and unusual sculptural awning.

Looking out from under the Anderson’s awning.

Tour participants could photograph the gardens but understandably no photos could be taken inside the houses. That means that I can’t share with you the gorgeous interiors, which were the highlight of several of the properties. I have also split this post into two parts because three of the gardens were nice enough to merit more than a few photos. This post will cover four of the six gardens, and the remaining two will be in Part 2.

Pleasant View Farm used to be an apple orchard, and the 1828 cape and barn housed migrant apple pickers.

Out back is an attractive gazebo.

The back deck at Pleasant View Farm has a wonderful view of Vinalhaven and Hurricane Islands.

Right in downtown Camden is this alpine chalet designed for optimum energy conservation and minimal maintenance. The inside was beautiful with a cathedral ceiling, spiral staircase, lots of wood, and interesting art.

In keeping with the low maintenance and sustainability objectives, the lawn and driveway have been replaced with gravel. Unfortunately, the sun was so strong that it washed out the photo, but the gravel was very attractive. This is something I would like to do at my house.

A one-room writer’s hideway behind the house is surrounded by gardens.

A sculpture in the herb garden.

The Einsel garden in the Rockport countryside is surrounded by blueberry fields and woods.

The view from the deck over the blueberry fields towards the Camden Hills and Penobscot Bay.

Extensive perennial gardens fill the sunny area in back.

The most beautiful parts of the Einsel property are the shade gardens that surround two sides of the house (now why do I think that?).

The shade gardens are intensively planted.

The back entrance to the shade gardens.

Garden room overlooking the shady areas.

View from the garden room.

Photos of the remaining two gardens will be in the next post. I highly recommend that anyone in the area attend next year’s Camden House and Garden Tour on July 17, 2014. I intend to if I can.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

33 Comments »

2013 Brunswick (Maine) Garden Tour

Posted in Garden Tour, landscape design with tags Bowdoin College, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick Maine, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, garden tour Brunswick Maine, Maurice Prendergast, Mid coast Maine, Mid Coast Maine Hunger Prevention Program on July 26, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

One of the gardens on the tour surrounded this classic New England cape.

Earlier this month, I attended the 2013 Brunswick (Maine) Garden tour with fellow blogger Jean from Jean’s Garden. We both spend parts of our summers in Maine, and this is the third summer that we have gotten together for a garden related event. The tour benefited the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. The MCHPP runs the Brunswick soup kitchen, food pantry, and food bank as well as providing services for homebound clients and offering a summer feeding program. It benefits over 1,200 families in need in the Mid Coast Maine area.

.One of the gardens on the tour was the Tom Settlemire Community Garden, a large part of which provides vegetables for the MCHPP.

.The area that grows food for the MCHPP is called the “Common Good” bed and is very neat and organized.

The tour included nine gardens. Although none of them were spectacular, they all had interesting elements and plants worth photographing. It was one of the days when it was 90 degrees in Maine with very bright sunshine which is not great for photography (or for people to be outside for that matter), but we persevered. It was fun spending the day with Jean and driving around beautiful Brunswick and its environs. I graduated from Bowdoin College, which is located in Brunswick, so I was also reliving my youth.

The first two houses on the tour belong to Bowdoin College. Behind one is this creative combination of traditional native plants like mayapples and jack-in-the-pulpits with hydrangeas and astilbes.

The highlight of the day for me was our afternoon visit to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. We went to see the current exhibit called Maurice Prendergast: By the Sea. It features a truly spectacular assembly, filling three entire galleries, of the seaside paintings of American Post Impressionist painter Maurice Prendergast (1858 to 1924). The works, many of which were painted in Maine, span Prendergast’s career and illustrate beautifully how he progressed and changed as a painter and what events and people influenced his style. This excellent show will continue at the museum through October 13.

Hydrangeas grow so beautifully in Maine.

Here are some more images of the garden tour for you to enjoy:

Although white on white doesn’t always work, these hydrangeas look gorgeous in front of the home of the President of Bowdoin College.

This home has a lovely shade garden fronted by sundrops or evening primroses.

The sunlight shining through the common rue on the right and the complimentary (but unknown to me) plant on the left was a beautiful effect.

Fringed loosestrife, Lysimachia ciliata, is native to almost every state in the U.S. and much of Canada, but I have never seen it before. A large stand of it is quite pretty.

This garden has beautiful views of Maquoit Bay over expansive perennial beds.

I can see myself sitting in this charming little playhouse retreat working on the gardening book I have always wanted to write.

The last garden on the tour called Sky Hy had amazing stonework all completed by the owner from rocks on the property. It was built for entertaining and contained many different levels of seating areas, firepits, outdoor grills, a tiki bar, and other accoutrements of a fabulous party:

Seating area at Sky Hy.

Paths lead between all the levels and are enclosed by beautiful stone walls.

Stone floor of one of the party areas.

Firepit at Sky Hy

Exposed ledge with lovely complimentary plantings.

I hope you enjoyed the tour,

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

35 Comments »

More Annuals for 2013

Posted in annuals, annuals, container gardening, container gardening, containers for shade, shade annuals with tags annuals for containers, annuals for window boxes, Portland Maine, Rosemont Market and Bakery Maine, shade annuals, window boxes, Yarmouth Maine on July 16, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Although we are out on a beautiful island, my husband Michael and I do like to explore the mainland when we are in Maine. Not surprisingly we visit a lot of nurseries and gardens. On a recent excursion to Yarmouth, Maine, we discovered the Rosemont Market and Bakery on Main Street. This market sells all kinds of wonderful fresh and local foods, including meat and fish, delicious bread, fruits and vegetables, deli and gourmet items, sandwiches and soup, and beer and wine. They even deliver weekdays to the Casco Bay islands and have additional locations in Portland.

It was a cold day (that seems unbelievable now with the heat wave we are having) so we decided to have hot soup, which was delicious. We ate at the tables outside so that I could admire and photograph the spectacular window boxes. They were planted using the techniques I described in my last post (to read it click here, if you read this post when it had small, fuzzy photos, you might want to look again because I fixed them). The boxes are crammed with plants chosen to spill out the front, fill the middle, and provide some height in the back but not too much due to the windows.

But what I really love about these containers is the creative use of colors and plant material. Nontraditional color combinations like pink and orange abound, but they work. The plants are chosen not just for the color but also for their habit and texture. The designer clearly did not feel limited by the traditional group of annuals but cast a wide net for plants that would combine to create a striking whole. I hope you will incorporate some of these ideas into your own containers—I know I will. If you have already planted them stuff some more plants in.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

41 Comments »

CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

Archive for the landscape design Category

New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014, Part 2

New Miniature and Small Hostas for 2014

New Mice for 2014

Letting Go Part 2: Naturalizing Bulbs

Fall at Brandywine Cottage

2013 Camden (Maine) House & Garden Tour Part 3

2013 Camden (Maine) House & Garden Tour Part 2

2013 Camden (Maine) House & Garden Tour Part 1

2013 Brunswick (Maine) Garden Tour

More Annuals for 2013

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Welcome

Site Stats Since 11/3/10

Email Subscription to Blog Posts

Pages

Click image for links to all articles on snowdrops

Search My Website

All photos and text on this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without my express permission

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts

Click image to see Carolyn’s photos in The New York Times

Reader Locations (click to enlarge)

Plant Information (click for website)

Reference Books (click for website)

Places to Visit (click for website)