Frequent visitors to Fearrington may have noticed some changes to the gardens- throughout the spring, gardeners have completed new installations and re-designed existing areas to improve the gardens’ aesthetic appeal and function.
Along the sidewalk to the Fearrington House, a portion of the border garden has been re-designed for improved flow and function. Three ailing Boxwoods were removed, and in their place, five Anise (Illicium x ‘Woodland Ruby’) shrubs were added to match an existing patch under a tree-form Camellia. When mature, they will create a lush, curving evergreen border interspersed with deciduous Witch-alder (Fothergilla gardenii) and Hydrangea (H. arborescens) shrubs, and a variety of annuals and perennials blooming throughout the year. Visitors now can see the Anise’s bold magenta blooms alongside Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum’), Toothwort (Cardamine diphylla), and Comfrey (Symphytum officinale).
Past the House and beyond the Garden Terrace is the Stone Courtyard, a secluded and often quiet space in the Village. The recent addition of nine Viburnum ‘Moonlit Lace’ shrubs enhances the courtyard's room-like feel, and unifies the space with the neighboring Terrace, already home to several happy Viburnums. These reliable evergreens now create a loose hedge against a charming glass greenhouse, and wrap around the side of the courtyard into a tiered rock garden. Their dark leaves contrast pleasantly with the chartreuse foliage of Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) above, and a groundcover St. John’s Wort (Hypericum calycinum ‘Brigadoon’) below, adding bright, welcoming highlights to the courtyard's shady canopy.
While full, healthy gardens are always the goal of a successful design, newly planted beds offer their own opportunities, with empty spaces inviting creative gardening. Curious visitors may want to watch the progress of the Village’s newest plantings, to see where gardeners experiment with unusual annuals, try out new perennial varieties, or create mixed plantings that change as the garden grows.
Rachael, Fearrington Gardener
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