informal

My north bank in high summer is where most of my native plants reside, along with some favorite hybrid cultivars. By July it is like an orchestra in perpetual warm-up. Colors start trumpeting their hues. Soon soft drumbeats of rhythm and bass notes gets the whole show going, ending with a chorus of anemones in a jubiliant finale. Each year the effect is slightly different, just as a musical score varies with every performance.

I’m a total pushover for this look, I must admit. I live for it all year long. To me, jazzy colors and intricate layers of texture are as uplifting as any piece of music. So what makes a garden invigorating as opposed to visual cacophony? Is it okay to mix annuals and perennials?

First let’s look at technique, then review the best performers.

A California garden in the English style (photo off the web)

Many of us admire the beauty and romance of English gardens, from formal estates to simple cottage plots. Clipped parteres, pleached lime allees, thatched bungalow pastorals, walled kitchen enclaves — the United Kingdom is unrivaled for its iconic gardens and soaring arboretums.

Blessed with a mild rainy climate and a wealth of plant collections, no other nation has elevated horticulture quite the way the British have. Indeed, gardening there is practically a national past-time. Even city dwellers cherish their “allotments” and balcony pots.

It’s tempting to want to recreate these looks in a North American landscape. But our vastly different growing conditions can make success with many English cultivars a challenge. But there are ways to merge English ideas with American innovation to get comparable, if not entirely authentic outcomes. The results can be just as lovely.

What are some ways to do this? Here’s one approach to get you thinking. Feel free to borrow or adapt whatever appeals to you.

The Informal Garden in High Summer

An English-style Garden in Your Backyard