An island garden made in the shade

ALL SQUARED UP

Above image: Some of the plants used for the squares of the checkerboard garden (opposite) are blue rug junipers (Juniperus horizontalis) ‘Wiltonii' [1] and ‘Blue Chip' [4] and bird's-nest spruce (Picea abies ‘Nidiformis') [7]. ‘White Nancy' deadnettle (Lamium maculatum) [6] and, appropriately enough, ‘Chequers' [2] fill two squares. Other plants include sedum [3], the handsome ‘Burgundy Glow' carpet bugleweed (Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow') [5] and golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea') [3].

The back garden is bordered by a Brise d'Anjou Jacob's ladder (Polemonium caeruleum 'Blanjou'), Loraine Sunshine false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides 'Helhan'), Labrador violet, lilies, blue fescue grass, begonias and native red-leaf rose (Rosa glauca).

To the northwest, not far from the house, the LeGrows capitalized on a natural depression in the yard to create a bog garden. It's kept damp by a gravity-fed system wherein water flows from the eavestrough to an underground pipe and into a French drain (a gravel-filled ditch) leading to the bog, which is filled with an assortment of moisture-loving specimens. Beautiful coloration is achieved with chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata), whose triple-hued leaves are yellow, red and green. Astilbe, yellow-flowered 'The Rocket' ligularia and the yellow-orange blooms of globeflower (Trollius x cultorum) also add a variety of colour. Interesting form is provided by corkscrew rush (Juncus effuses forma spiralis), whose cylindrical, tightly spiralled, green stems unfurl and spread in all directions as they grow.

So who is the creative mind behind this unique and varied garden? Peter claims that Pat is the artistic visionary. Pat says she doesn't plan particular colour combinations or groupings, but rather moves things around until the right look is achieved. They both find that the willingness to experiment is crucial because, as Pat says, "Things don't always grow like the gardening books say."


Key native plants in their garden:
• Red and white baneberry (Actaea rubra, A. pachypoda)
• Beaked filbert (Corylus cornuta)
• Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)
• Sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)
• Tamarack (Larix laricina)
• Canada fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
• White spruce (Picea glauca)
• Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)
• Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
• Red-berried elder (Sambucus pubens)
• Canada yew (Taxus canadensis)

GARDEN FACTS:
Size: 1 acre
Orientation: surrounds the house
Conditions: shade, heavy clay, poor drainage
Growing season: April to October
Garden focus: native perennials and low maintenance plants
Zone: 5b

Need a perennial that behaves? Read here about the worst garden thugs and their more mannered cousins.

Read more in Gardens and Shade Gardens