Oudolf's Stachys Spires (The Battery Gardens-Part 2)

Spires of pink-purple Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' (Alpine betony).
Gardens of Remembrance at The Battery, New York, NY. June 2011

I know it, I grow it. But, exponentially increase the number of plants and the result is jaw-dropping!  Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' inspires as a major player in the mass planting at the Gardens of Remembrance within The Battery in New York City. The design is by Dutch designer Piet Outdolf.

'Hummelo' is not your ordinary stachys. The crinkled green foliage is lush and in my zone 7b garden, it never dies back completely in the winter. Like many perennials, you'll know to divide it when a shallow pit (not quite a donut hole) appears in the middle. Suitable for zones 4-9, I find this perennial likes rich, well-drained soil and mostly sun. When it needs water, the plump mounds look totally deflated. Just add water to the base. A nice size of around 18 inches high (in bloom) and 15 inches wide, makes this a suitable plant for small spaces.  Rabbits and deer have never bothered my 'Hummelo'. It make take a year or two for the perennial to begin producing the lovely purple spires.

Designer Piet Oudolf used an incredibly thick and wide mass planting of 'Hummelo' in his design. I can't begin to estimate the number of plants used in his vignette, but I think it's safe to say more than thirty!

Echinacea (coneflowers) and two colors of monarda (bee balm) are used as companions en masse to add to the breadth and depth of the garden island vignette.  Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low' is added for the grey foliage and lacy, hazy blue flowers. I have experience with this nepeta. Another variety in my garden, Nepeta faassenii 'Six Hills Giant' is a possible substitution. In fact, I have that nepeta grouped with my 'Hummelo', ice plant and monarda 'Blue Stocking'. But, I digress. Let's get back to The Battery Gardens.

Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low' provides lacy blue blooms
that fall onto the coneflowers, backed by stachys 'Hummelo'.

Two colors of monarda (bee balm) rise behind the
shorter stachys 'Hummelo'.

The big picture of the perennial vignette
with Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' at the core.

There are six echinacea (coneflower) varieties used in the Gardens of Remembrance, but select a variety that grows well in your zone to achieve a similar effect. There were no plant markers that I could locate, so I cannot say with certainty which varieties are used in the designs.

The purpurea varieties in the gardens include 'Rubinstern' (a favorite in my garden), 'Leuchstern' and the native purple coneflower. Echinacea pallida (pale coneflower) and echinacea tennesseenis are two North American natives also in use in different locations.

Of the monarda, there are seven varieties listed in The Battery Plant Database. The red one in the photos is most likely monarda didyma, perhaps a 'Jacob Cline' though it is not included in the database. I grow 'Jacob Cline' and it is a stellar performer, growing over 4 feet, but needing more moisture than the wine-red 'Raspberry Wine'.

The pale pink bee balm looks lighter than the varieties listed by the Conservancy. Perhaps it is the 'Marshall's Delight' based upon the color description.

What I like, other than the scale and simplicity of the design, is that the plant choices are easy to maintain and fairly easy to find. Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' may be the most difficult to locate, though here are some online sources (at the time of this story):

Digging Dogs Nursery(California)
High Country Gardens (New Mexico)
Bluestone Perennials(Ohio)
LazySSFarm(Virginia)

Other aspects of the gardens that I find to be positive for home gardeners—the bee balm spreads quickly to fill in large space; the purple coneflowers can be grown from seeds; the stachys and nepeta can be easily divided—making the design achievable on a small budget.

Finally, this design is attractive to humans while attracting beneficial pollinators. That's a lot of positive reasons to create your own design—inspired by Piet Oudolf.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Piet Oudolf's Design at The Battery, New York City (Part 1)

Millions of tourists rush to the ports in New York City to catch a ferry to visit landmarks such as The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In the dash for the line, they seem unaware of a peaceful park. By the ferry port, by the water, at the tip of Manhattan, there are gardens overlooking the New York harbor. Paths and benches invite visitors to stroll and pause—but the paths and benches are mostly empty, except for a few who either stop to rest or photograph the flowers.

Introduction to The Battery Conservancy Gardens

I'm a fan of the Dutch garden designer, Piet Oudolf. A few years ago I started making a list of his gardens and bookmarked The Battery Conservancy. The gardens did not surprise me as I had studied the plant lists and viewed photographs. However, the gardens did inspire me—the scale of the plantings and the combinations of color and texture.

Tourists in line for the ferry seem unaware of
the gardens. I arrived just in time to be greeted by
a Monarch butterfly on the milkweed (asclepias incarnata).

There are two primary gardens to visit, The Gardens of Remembrance and The Battery Bosque.

Along the harbor walkway, 10,000 square feet are planted as The Gardens of Remembrance as a tribute to the victims of 9/11. Piet Oudolf's phase one plan includes 114 varieties of perennials and native plants. Most of these plants are laid to deep rows along the paved walks and waterfront.

Set back in the shade of 140 London Plane trees, The Battery Bosque, Oudolf's phase two, is planted with 34,000 perennials to create a cool, lush garden. Gravel paths, circles and a spiral fountain invite visitors to linger on one of the many garden benches.

There are too many combinations to show in any detail in one post. Over the next few posts, I'll show you close up photographs of the plantings that I found most inspiring—providing you with plant identification, growing information and other attributes of the perennials. Please follow along on this garden tour.

The Gardens of Remembrance, dedicated to the victims of 9/11.
Piet Oudolf's phase one garden plan.

The Battery Bosque.
Piet Oudolf's phase two garden plan.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Silver Foliage—A Perfect Foil (Part II)

Villain or hero? Is it possible for a simple silver plant to serve as a perfect foil—a contrast to highlight the finer points of primary plants in the garden?

We pick up the story, Silver Foliage—A Perfect Foil for Purple, where I left it in June 2010. The silver-haired character of this story is Dusty Miller.

Dusty Miller cools off his hot orange and yellow companions.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France.
May 2008

Dusty Miller has more aliases than a secret agent. He registers under many names—Senecio cineraria, Senecio candicans, Ceneraria maritima, Centaurea maritima—so you must look carefully at his photo identification to make sure no other seedy characters are impersonating Dusty.

An annual visitor to many regions of the world, Dusty puts down permanent roots to establish himself at his many homes in zones 8a-10b.

Dusty's short stature of 6-12 inches allows him to travel incognito among the throngs until the time he chooses to shine his bright, white spotlight behind a primary plant character.

Dusty Miller is incognito in a crowd.
Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France. May 2009

Look behind the most beautiful wallflower in the crowd to see
Dusty Miller shining bright.
Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France. May 2009

Dusty Miller contrasts with Salvia greggii 'Ultraviolet'.
My garden. June 2011

Dusty Miller doesn't clash with
the ground huggers sedum and purple heart.
My garden. June 2011

Dusty Miller dons his bright yellow blooms to attract pollinators.
My garden. June 2011

But, don't be fooled by the handsome Dusty Miller. When he dons his bright yellow hat, his charisma escalates and he'll court every pollinator in town. Be careful how you touch him, hold him and coddle him. He's lethal. He's toxic. All parts are poisonous.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden Inspiration: Does This Container Garden Float Your Boat?

Boat planters in Martigues, France. April 2011. Is there a hole in the bottom of your fishing boat? Well, don't despair—dry dock that vessel! Plant it up with your favorite flowers or veggies. The display of three boats planted with colorful annuals was spotted during a lunch stop in the French village of Martigues, located thirty minutes southwest from the Marseille Airport. Martigues is on the Canal de Caronte, a waterway that connects the Etang de Berre with the Golfe de Fos and the Mediterranean Sea. Martigues is made up of three villages, Jonquières, L'Isle, and Ferrières, that merged into one community around 400 years ago. Each boat bears the name of one of those villages. Context of the setting on Canal de Caronte: The bronze statues of a fisherman and his wife (repairing nets) are beside the boat planters. The three boats reside on a canal waterfront as part of a municipal display. A gardener living on a lake, river or pond might easily translate the boat planter inspiration into their setting. The turquoise paint on the boats reflects the hue of the sparkling canal waters, but could be color-coodinated with a house or flowers. Could this be an idea for a Fathers' Day surprise—from a gardener to her fisherman/gardener dad or husband? Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden Inspiration: The Bane of Rabbits?

Could this be doronicum orientale?
Found in a Paris park (Champs-Élysées); April 2011

Early mornings and late evenings in my meadow, the cottontails outnumber the whitetails. It is no longer the whitetail deer that have me running to look for chewed plants—it is the rabbits.

While in Paris in April 2011, strolling in a park off the Champs-Élysées, I was drawn to a mound of yellow flowers. Beautiful, perfect blooms glowed in mass planting in partial shade.

Researching the web, I decided this flower must be Leopards Bane (doronicum orientale). The perennial, being a native of Europe and Asia, supposedly acquired its name as a repellent of wild animals. In particular, rabbits! Could it be true?


I'm sure there's some catch—perhaps the plant can't handle the humidity of the South? I've never seen this sunny flower around here, though it is said to be suitable for zones 4a-8a. Even without rabbit repelling qualities, the flowers are stunning!

Do you think they run the rabbits out of Paris parks?
Non, pas possible—they were far too nice (flirting).
Bonjour and smiles.

Or, could it be that Leopards Bane keeps the rabbits away?

Do you grow this pretty yellow daisy? If so, please let me know. I'd love to hear about your experience with Leopards Bane and rabbits.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Before and After: From Driveway to Gravel Garden

Sometimes it takes years of thinking before making a big change.

The area of disappointment was supposed to be a guest parking area separated from our concrete parking pad with an island garden bed. On the other side, there was just a narrow strip of garden due to the installation of a dry stream, necessary after torrential rains washed out all of the original driveway gravel in our first year.

No matter what we planted on either side, the area just never looked inviting because the plants struggled. It's a difficult site for plants. A hot, southwest exposure, but too wet in winter for drought-tolerant plants, led to losses every year. Replant. Repeat. Something else had to be done!

BEFORE: (View from driveway)
Starting in 2005, we tried plantings on either side.
Photo is from 2008 and the third iteration of failed plantings.

In 2010, we began removing plants in preparation for this big project. We weren't sure exactly what we would do. We drafted many ideas on paper and I searched through volumes of garden and landscape books and magazines. We thought about raised beds and a formal parterre, but that would eliminate the parking area. 


Out of our 2010 ideas, we decided to extend the row of hollies (ilex cornuta 'dwarf Burford') along our garage wall to form a hedge along the concrete side of the island bed. When the new hollies reach the size of the existing hollies, we'll have a nice "green fence" to serve as a backdrop.


Throughout our travels to Europe, we realized that in many areas, unable to grow lawns due to lack of rainfall, gravel is used throughout garden areas. Drought-tolerant plants were "mulched" with gravel. There is often no separation between garden/yard, parking areas and entertainment areas. The gravel covers the ground, integrating all the elements. The result is a simplified design.

Gravel is permeable, allowing rain water to reach the soil beneath. With land properly graded, the gravel doesn't wash away during rainstorms. Selecting a locally quarried gravel reduces the cost as well as making the selection "green" since it is not hauled in on trucks from long distances.

Garden inspiration:
Gravel used to integrate garden, path and patio.
Tractors drive on the gravel for tending this garden
at Chateau Val Joanis in France.
April 2011.

Returning from France on April 17, we decided to tackle this project once and for all. I pulled out an English garden magazine that had more photos of gardens mulched with gravel. We hopped in the truck and drove a few miles to our local provider of gravel. We decided to use the same driveway gravel that is standard in our neighborhood so that we wouldn't have to seek approval from our Homeowner's Association. The blue-beige gravel works well next to our sidewalk flagstone and the river rock used in the dry stream and French drain. Our French drain, installed in March 2010, was necessary to prevent erosion of our driveway gravel.

We arranged for screenings, a finely ground gravel, to be delivered (by dump truck). We used the screenings to build up the grade and level the area (with slope for drainage) to prepare for the blue gravel.

BEFORE: (View from front sidewalk)
Gravel parking area after plants
removed from each side.
 Landscape fabric pinned to the ground for patio installation.
April 20, 2011.

For the area to be welcoming, we installed a patio made of pre-formed concrete squares (16 inches square) on top of landscape fabric (to prevent weeds) and the graded screenings.

Opposite the patio, across the "parking area" section, I planted a row of rosemary to make a fragrant, low hedge. Rosemary is often used in xeric settings and can take the sun. The gravel will actually help prevent rotting of the drought-tolerant plant. I dug a trench, mixed in soil, gravel and compost before planting the rosemary in their biodegradable pots.

Once the patio was installed and we had graded the rest of the area with the screenings, we had a dump truck deliver the driveway gravel.

We raked the gravel around the new rosemary and the existing buddleia, hollies (future hedge backdrop), crepe myrtle and large, oakleaf holly.

This project solves a number of problem for us. It reduces maintenance of the area while unifying the garden, driveway and guest parking area. The simplicity of the design cleans up the entrance to our house, making it apparent that guests should enter at the front of the house instead of the side door. Finally, the materials used minimize plant watering while allowing rainwater to soak into the soil below the gravel.

AFTER: Gravel used to integrate parking with garden.
Small patio installed for a welcoming bench and containers of xeric plants.
Space to park a car.
Just waiting for the holly hedge to grow to full size.
April 28, 2011.

AFTER: (View from driveway)
Note the hollies against the garage wall.
The same hollies are planted behind the bench area and
will eventually create a green hedge.
April 28, 2011

With all of this gravel, there needed to be a "welcome" area. We moved an existing bench to the patio and collected our spare containers. We had two matching containers for each side of the bench, so we purchased two more to make a trio of planters on each side of the bench. We used a square stepping stone (on hand) to elevate an existing container to make it higher than the urn container. (I will pick up a round stepping stone on my next trip to a garden store to make the elevation material less noticeable.)

In the largest, elevated container, I planted blue point juniper (juniper chinesis 'Blue Point') because it is drought-tolerant and does well in containers. Since the juniper is suitable for zones 4-9, it can handle our cold winters in zone 7b, without being taken indoors. Someday, the juniper may outgrow the containers, but that will be many years. Juniper is deer resistant unless there is a shortage of winter food. Being evergreen, I don't expect a problem with regrowth if there is any nibbling.

The urn containers were planted with English lavender (lavandula angustifolis). Again, for drought-tolerance and cold-tolerance, this plant is suitable for zones 5-9. Lavender is deer resistant.

Finally, the low "bowl" containers were planted with succulents. I used "hens and chicks" (sempervivum) and sedum as my experience with these for container plantings in 2010 were quite successful, having wintered well and required minimal water and no replanting for 2011.

This project took about 8 hours of time with two of us working. Raking screenings and gravel was tiring, heavy work, but easily a DIY project. We used four yards of screenings and five yards of gravel because it extends onto the driveway. We will use another five yards of gravel to finish dressing the entire driveway.

The patio, made of pre-cast squares, didn't require special skill beyond leveling. We minimized the expense by using existing containers and bench and using local sources for the all materials.

While I would like to paint these containers and bench in colorful colors to hide the bland brown, that idea was vetoed by my husband! I think a deep purple, matching the lavender blooms, would look great on the urns, don't you?

Containers of drought-tolerant plants
include 'Blue Point' Juniper, English lavender
and sempervivum with sedum.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden Inspiration: A Quince of a Different Color

Native to the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan, the beautiful flowering quince (chaenomeles japonica) 'Atsuya Hamada' boasts deep maroon-red blooms in spring. The camellia-like blooms heavily embellish almost every branch of this shrub.

Most quince varieties that I have seen lean toward white, salmon pink to orange shades—whereas the deep red of this quince is almost black-red. My photo below (click to enlarge) was taken in the middle of the day with strong sun and no shade.

chaenomeles japonica 'Atsuya Hamada'
at the JC Raulston Arboretum,
Raleigh, NC; March 2011.

I spotted this gorgeous shrub on a spring walk through the JC Raulston Arboretum (click link for more photos of this quince) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Never having seen this shrub, I searched the Web for more information on the growing conditions.

The quince will grow up to 10 feet in height and is suitable for cold up to zone 5. It was introduced to the United States by Northwest plantsman, Roy Davidson. Fruit can take years to appear.

So far, I've not been able to find online retail nursery sources, but I did find this at a local nursery. I didn't bring it home as I don't yet have a space identified. That said, I am definitely keeping this on my list of possibilities. Quince is seldom bothered by deer unless the herd is without other food sources.

If you don't have deer to nibble tulips—can you imagine this quince with perfectly coordinated masses of tulips? Inspiring!

Tulips, as seen in Monet's Gardens in France,
would be perfect companions with this quince.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

More of Monet's Gardens at Giverny?

Spring is in the air and gardeners anxiously await the first blooms in the garden. To boost my enthusiasm, I peruse the volumes of garden photos that I've taken in the springtime—my own garden as well as those that I have visited.

I always find myself studying the hundreds of photos that I took at Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny, France in May 2009. Are you ready for more Monet? 

Monet's Gardens at Giverny, France
The Clos Normand, May 2009.

Looking through a veil of purple. 

The beautiful Tamarisk tree
(can be invasive in some areas).

Perfectly planted in pink.

Lawn and garden merge.
No doubt the foliage of spent daffodils in the grass.

Another Monet moment?

We're returning to France in April 2011. Monet's gardens in early April will be filled with tulips and other spring bulbs. Will we take the train out of Paris for a return trip?

Sometimes seeing less can reveal more—as in the bones or structure of a garden that may be hidden behind the billowing blooms in peak season.

I may be ready for another Monet moment.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden Inspiration: Blue and Gold

Lantana 'Miss Huff'
with salvia 'Black & Blue'
in Helen's garden

A big happy birthday wish to the gardener who inspired the combination in today's feature. Helen Yoest at Gardening with Confidence™  is celebrating her birthday on March 3!

When visiting Helen's garden in September 2009, I was struck by the deep blue of salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' planted with the gold and orange blooms of lantana 'Miss Huff'.

These are two easy plants to grow as annuals in cold zones and perennials in warm zones. Both are water-wise and can handle drought conditions with minimal water. Plant in full sun. Afternoon shade is fine in the hottest zones.

Lantana camara 'Miss Huff' is a perennial in zones 7-10 with blooms of gold and orange. She can grow quite large, reaching a whopping shrub-size of 4-6 feet in height and width. Late to emerge in spring, usually May in zone 7b, don't cut back lantana in the fall. This shrub is a wonderful butterfly magnet. Deer don't usually browse the blooms until late autumn and their preferred food is very scarce.

Butterfiles love the lantana 'Miss Huff'
growing in my garden; July 2010.

Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' is a perennial in zones 7-11. Growing up to 4-6 feet in height and width, with splendid deep blue blossoms, this is a hummingbird favorite. Also late to emerge in spring, you may find the offshoots several feet away from the original mother plant. Don't but this one back in the fall either. As with the lantana, deer tend to leave this alone unless they are desperate for food.

I will divide my Salvia 'Black & Blue'
to plant with the Lantana 'Miss Huff'.

I have been growing both the lantana and salvia in my garden for years, but not together. When I moved coreopsis last year, I made a note to fill the space with a combination of lantana and salvia. This May 2011 will be the time to put this inspired combination together in my butterfly garden where I also grow bronze fennel, a host plant for Black Swallowtail Butterflies.

Bronze fennel in my butterfly garden
serves as a host plant for Black Swallowtail Butterflies.

Bronze fennel is perennial in zones 4-9 and can usually be found in the herb section at garden centers. Growing to a height of five feet in my garden, it will self-sow with abandon unless you deadhead the blooms in the fall. The foliage starts out very dark and fluffy before the stems shoot up and produce gold-yellow blooms. Fennel is reliably deer resistant, though the critters may sample it now and then without doing any damage.

Lantana, salvia and bronze fennel are great companions with similar growing conditions and are beneficial for pollinators—an easy butterfly garden inspiration to replicate!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Garden Inspiration: Lilies and Bee Balm in Buffalo

Missing out on the July 2010 Garden Walk Buffalo, I had to tour vicariously through the reports of other garden bloggers. Gardeners, such as Gail at Clay and Limestone were all wowed by a combination of bee balm (monarda) with lilies!

I can do that—because I already grow the plants! All I need to do is a bit of garden tweaking to replicate the inspiration.

Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' is a big player in my cottage garden as well as in my outer gardens (aka "the deer resistant gardens"). Also growing inside my cottage garden fence is the perennial 'Starfighter' lily. However, the lily is NOT deer resistant, so I will replicate the Buffalo inspiration inside the cottage garden. All I need to do is transplant the lily from behind my azaleas to pair it up with the monarda.

Monarda 'Raspberry Wine'
with echinacea 'Prairie Splendor'
and annual castor bean in the cottage garden.

My favorite color combination is a mix of blooms and foliage colors that work with cool reds (magenta) and burgundy. The oriental lily 'Starfighter' is a natural to fit into this combination. The 'Starfighter' is a sister to the famous 'Stargazer' lily.

The 'Starfighter' is around three feet tall in bloom, so I will transplant it on the far side of the monarda which is the opposite side from the coneflowers. The lily will be between the monarda and salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'. The monarda and the salvia will keep the roots of the lily shaded—a necessity in this full sun location in my zone 7b.

My 'Starfighter' is now in the fourth year in my garden and is rated for zones 4-9. Oriental lilies are best transplanted in the fall, but I can safely shovel out this growing clump to transplant it in early spring. Since it flowers in July, the plant should have time to catch up and bloom again this year.

You can also plant new lily bulbs—and monarda plants—this spring, so there is plenty of time to recreate this garden inspiration at your home, too!

Oriental lily 'Starfighter' blooms in July in my garden.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.