Vignettes
I’ve been gone from my garden for nearly a week. But oh what can change in the garden in the span of a week! Since I left, we’ve had over five inches of rain and it shows–a large, unplanned pond floods beds south of the house.
But strife from rain aside, the gardens look fabulous, particularly the rock garden. I pulled up the driveway, flung open my car door, and bounded in two leaps into the garden, exploring and sniffing out the latest bloomers and faders and the taking pleasure in the momentary newness that comes from reuniting with a longtime friend.
That momentary newness, in my garden at least, grows from vignettes or the little windows of plant marrying together to form raucous moments of color and texture. These vignettes weave and sew themselves together into a tapestry reflective of my personality (zealous and a little crazy); a mirror that brings gladsome joy to my arrival. Never without the camera, I snapped a few worth sharing.
This moment of color was the first to snag my attention as I sped up the driveway to my parking spot under the tree. Wine-dipped poppy mallows (Callirhoe involucrata) have sprung into bloom in the last seven days and will lilely continue blooming through frost. I consider them the anchor here. But about five weeks ago I interplanted them with yellowdicks (Helenium amarum), yellow daisy-like annuals that I hope reseed from one end of the garden to the other. Who can’t fall in love with a perky yellow daisy springing up here and there? Blue flax (Linum perenne) flops gracefully into the mix.
Adjectives that come to mind: Charming, elegant, serendipitous, and joyful
Expanding the field of view, I panned my camera to the left to include the rock outcropping and a quintessential preview of my upcoming Ozarks trip. The eastern beebalm (Monarda bradburiana), which too few people grow and will thus star in an upcoming plant profile on this blog, has neared its peak performance. It’s subtly spotted, pink blossoms engulf a dwarf mound of red-tinted foliage. Fabulous! At its feet, amid boulders grows a pink Opuntia (probably O. polyacantha though it was given to me as a pink O. humifusa). 2009 marks its inaugural bloom in my garden. The rich green foliage in the background belongs to the overgrown Solidago drummondii, the wrinkleleaf goldenrod. It needs cut back and reinvigorated for a showstopping September performance.
This vignette is perhaps my favorite. Wild-looking and burgeoning with color, this ample situation bounded by bright, cheery Coreopsis auriculata ‘Jethro Tull’ in the background and Sedum spurium ‘Fuldaglut’ in the foreground overwhelms the senses with energy. The star of this evening’s showcase rises at the center–a two-year clump of Silene ‘Rockin’ Robin’. Electrifying and intense, that
rich and vibrant pink burns goosebumps into your arms while delightfully soft Calamintha grandiflora (calamint) soothes the onslaught. Yowza, grab the thermometer this kid is hot!
 | Published on June 9th, 2009 | Posted by Kelly Norris |