With recent rain and mild temperatures, some of the Fearrington Gardeners’ favorite spring perennial combinations are in their prime in the Village.
At the side patio of the Fearrington House Restaurant, Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis cultivars) and Bradbury's Beebalm (Monarda bradburiana) create a dramatic purple focal point in the garden. Beebalm’s fluffy lavender flowers top a blanket of soft green foliage, with hints of purple along the veins and stems. More compact than many other species, Bradbury's Beebalm fits well at the front of a bed, where its lovely flowers and fresh minty foliage can be appreciated up close.
Nearby, the dark purple foliage of Beardtongue makes a striking background. A mix of cultivars, including ‘Husker’s Red,’ ‘Onyx and Pearls,’ and ‘Dark Towers’ add a range of pale flower spikes in white to lavender. Though most spectacular in bloom, this combination provides garden interest nearly year-round. Beardtongue’s seedheads add texture after flowering, and its basal leaves persist as a deep purple rosette through winter. Beebalm takes on a complementary burgundy tone in the fall before going dormant.
Hostas and ferns are a classic combination for shady gardens. Visitors can see a few Fearrington favorites at the water feature on the way to the Restaurant. Three different Hostas create a soothing foliage combination- ‘June’ has bright golden leaves edged in a wide blue border. Miniature ‘Funny Mouse’ creates a low patch of green and cream leaves. A solid green Hosta grows at the edge of the water feature, an unknown Fearrington ‘heritage’ variety passed along through generations of Village gardeners.
Autumn ferns (Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’) flank either side of the bed. Featured in many gardens throughout the Village, these tough ferns are more sun- and drought-tolerant than many others. In the spring, their new fronds unfurl in a bright coral pink, maturing through copper and olive tones, and finally bright green. Nearby, a small Hart’s Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) with strap-shaped fronds shows the fascinating variety of shapes in the fern world.
At the roadside bed near McIntyre‘s Books, pink and silver tones create an ethereal combination. The pale, shell-pink flowers of Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa) glow against the iridescent silver-purple foliage of Coral Bells (Heuchera ‘Silver Gumdrop’) also in bloom with an airy spike of bright pink flowers. The Coral Bells’ defined, mounding form counters the loosely spreading habit of the Evening Primrose for a balanced design.
Rachael, Fearrington Gardener
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