The Perennial Garden



Today's Perennial Garden began years ago as a narrow border. It has gradually grown into many large borders with deep beautiful swaths of perennials, grasses, biennials and annuals flowing in and out of one another. There is Filipendula rubra 'Venusta  which lives up to its name, queen of the prairie. Its lacy pink plumes stand tall against the Thuja hedge which runs the length of the garden. The queen is joined by dusty meadow rue, a six footer whose thin bluish stems are lit up in early summer by bright yellow panicles. Rosettes of Verbascum mimic its perennial companions sending flower stalks skyward while shasta daisies take the middle road with their familiar white flowers. With no need to stand up and be noticed, diminutive plants hug the foreground. Tufts of Armeria bear their drumstick flowers above them while wooly lambs ears spread out nearby. The pink flowers of the showy evening primrose thread their way amongst its neighbors and various cultivars of Ajuga show their stuff up-front.

A wide brick walk flows through the middle of the garden. It splits beneath a bald cypress, forming an island filled with clumps of moisture loving plants. Blood red spikes of Astilbe 'Fanal' loom over the blue leaves of Hosta tokudama while the tiny rainbow water parsley creeps from the brick's edge towards the Japanese blood grass, 'Red Baron'. Cinnamon ferns and pulmonarias stake their claims all over the island while the knobby knees of the cypress tree poke up to remind everyone whose island it is. Across the walk, a rotund Fallopia japonica 'Variegata' is not impressed and waves its pink and green stems mockingly; however, a nearby Magnolia bows to the giant above him allowing the pure white clematis, 'Marie Boisselot' to climb aboard to pay homage.

Throughout the garden, plants merge and emerge creating a seemingly never ending, forever changing display. Over 300 different varieties of plants can be found, in widely diverse habitats. From full sun to full shade, from wet to dry, there is something here for every gardener to take home.

There is always something to see. Spring brings the bulbs in the garden alive with miniature Narcissus and Spanish bluebells taking the stage. Summer brings on the whole ensemble but Fall, the final scene, is not to be missed with the grasses at their peak. Miscanthus sinensis 'Purpurascens' is aflame while the 'Red Baron' glows against the rusty gold of the cinnamon fern. The Perennial Garden is one of Kingwood's best features. From spring to fall, the garden is alive with much to see and much to learn.