When we moved to Hamilton, Ohio, in 1998, we purchased the adjacent lot to our north, so we call it the North Lot Garden.
The slope above the retaining wall was covered with winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei, Zones 5–9) and scrub trees that overhung the house. We cut down the trees, and with a lot of effort we removed the winter creeper.
It is a steep slope, so planting was a challenge. I relied on oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, Zones 5–9) and crape myrtle to anchor the area, gradually filling in with perennials. It is a sunny, south-facing slope that welcomed coneflowers (Echinacea species and hybrids, Zone 4–9), reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora, Zones 5–11), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida, Zones 3–10), Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum, Zones 4–9), and other sun-loving perennials.
I took the Master Gardener class from the Ohio State Extension after retiring in 2011. I enjoy working on public gardens with new friends and learning more about unusual and/or hardy plants that I can add to my garden.
‘Brilliance’ autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’, Zones 5–8) and wild ginger (Asarum canadense, Zones 4–6) border the path in the shade of the house.
Coneflowers and Joe Pye weed dominate the slope between the oakleaf hydrangea, accented with Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis, Zones 5–9) in the foreground and a few Verbena bonariensis (Zones 7–11 or as an annual) interspersed.
Reed grass anchors the slope among the bee balm (Monarda spp., Zones 4–8) and Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum, Zones 5–9) that always bloom on my birthday. Hummingbirds are frequent visitors to the bee balm.
Phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4–8) bloom just above the retaining wall, with crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia, Zones 6–11) in the background.
While this oakleaf hydrangea is turning pink for summer, blue mist (Caryopteris × clandonensis, Zones 5–9), in the background, is not yet blooming.
Joe Pye weed is standing out against the backdrop of shade trees.
Stokes’ aster shines out in purple splendor.
The phlox almost looks fluorescent against the hydrangea blossoms.
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Comments
I particularly like the naturalistic feel of your garden. Well done.
Beautiful!
Its beautiful and a pollinator / bird natural haven . Wonderful
Love this garden! The photo with the wild ginger and ferns especially - looks so cool and peaceful. Excellent work creating a wonderful space.
That's a super amazing perennial bed that you made on a slope above a retaining wall! That must have been hard to do and it turned out just beautiful!
What a beautiful garden! I can empathize with the winter creeper issue - I planted one pot maybe 15 years ago, removed it about 8 years ago but it had started producing berries that the birds spread and I am still finding it on our property here in North Alabama. I know you must have worked hard to be rid of it.
I bet being able to acquire the adjacent lot with the steep grade descending down toward your house has made a big difference for you. All those plantings that you have put in surely must soak up a ton of water that could otherwise create problems for you. How smart of you to deal with possible water problems and create all that beauty right next door in one fell swoop.
And daisies on your birthday---who could ask for anything more?
Nice job!
and doing all that planting has really made a difference in the amount of runoff that ends up down at your house.
Oops. Just scratch out that last sentence.
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