Four daylilies (Hemerocallis 'Pink Attraction') are the featured plants that provide flower color. Houttuyia cordata (Saururaceae) groundcover with its tricolor heart-shaped leaves and pink splashes echoes the color of the featured plants. Sword fern (Polystichum) offers contrasting foliage.
Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria
Today’s photos are a new installment from Irvin and Pauline Faria’s garden in California! Irvin says, “With a rather large garden of approximately an acre we have become fond of creating vignettes throughout the landscape. These scenes serve to bring into focus some of the best features of the natural woodland garden. However, finding just the right combinations of plants, shrubs, and trees for a pleasing garden vignette is always very challenging.
Cordyline australis ‘Variegata’ (Asparagaceae) is the featured foliage. In contrast three vibrant pink glossy Cordyline encircle a bed of distinctive furry Stachys byzantia (Lamiaceae, ‘Lamb’s Ears’) that anchors this vignette. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria
“Not professionally trained landscape designers, we continue to learn from trial and error experiments. We bravely try various color combinations hoping they will work together harmoniously. Our goal is to select plant groupings that result in a striking mix of color, shape, and texture culminating into a pleasing scene. Anything that fails to blend or bring out the best in each other is transplanted to a more useful garden location.
‘Becky Lynn’ daylily is the featured plant framed by the burgundy leaves of Japanese maples. Heart-shaped leaves of Houttuyia cordata with splashes of pink and white repeats Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove) hues. Large begonia leaves contrast with fine cut Japanese maple (‘Water Fall’) foliage. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria
“In most instances to avoid over whelming viewers a limited variety of plants is selected. Leaf contour contrast is often used for eye-catching appeal. For each vignette a featured foliage plant is selected as an anchor to the scene. To impose a sense of movement plants with arching and/or serrated foliage are selected. With these photos we want to share several of our favorite woodland garden vignettes.”
Aspargus fern, with its green foliage sprays of needlelike “leaves”, is the featured foliage plant. Hosta and Japanese maple (‘Oregon Sunset’) provide contrasting leaf form. A daylily delivers flower color. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria
As gorgeous as always, Irvin. You and Pauline are so amazingly talented! Thanks so much for this latest batch of photos.
‘Usuguno’ Japanese maple, with its unique leaf form likened to a bat’s wing, is featured here. Maidenhair ferns and a ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple display complementary shades of green and contrasting foliage texture and shape. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline FariaTo keep the eye moving, groups of lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina), the featured plant, and Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) is repeated throughout this vignette. Ground cover is ajuga. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria‘Aureola’ Japanese forest grass, with its beautiful variegated cascading leaves, is featured here. Arching contrasting leaves of agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) form the background. Maroon leaves of ‘Shania’ Japanese maple are complemented by begonia and echinacea flower hues. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria‘Tamukeyama’ Japanese maple, with its dark purple-red multi-dissected leaves, is the featured foliage plant of this vignette. Hosta provides foliage texture that contrasts with the featured plant. Small orange-red flowers of an azalea add a delicate charm. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline FariaThis moss-covered boulder adds interest and anchors the scene featuring beardtongue (Penstemon) with spikes of tubular pink flowers. Lamb’s ears are a contrast of interest. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline FariaCordyline banksii ‘Electric Pink’ is the featured plant and, planted in a chimney tile, makes an impressive statement with its lively striped leaves with hot pink outlines. Cascading leaves of ‘Aureola’ Japanese forest grass contrast with the featured plant. Hellebore’s (Hellborus) dark green leathery foliage contrasts with other plants. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline FariaBlue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) with silver blue blades is the featured foliage plant. Heavenly bamboo’s (Nandina domestica) bronzy red leaves provide contrast. The boulder affords balance to the scene. Dome-shaped ‘Orangeola’ Japanese maple delivers foliage texture that contrasts with the featured plant. Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Irvin and Pauline Faria
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A pure treat indeed, as always from Irvin and Pauline's
garden!
Though claiming not to be professionally trained landscape
designers, you certainly HAVE me fooled!!
All of today's photos had me spellbound in each of these
absolutely magnificent vignette's! Loved it all!!!
What a delightful way to start the day...the ultimate garden tour as captured by your camera lens. Having these enchanting vignettes preserved in a photo slows down the process of viewing them so that the subtle successes of the plant pairings can be enjoyed more fully. If I were there in person,especially if it were my first visit, I know I would be tempted to rush because I would be eager to see what's coming next.
Thank you so much for the careful plant identifications.
Definitely a delightful distraction on a busy morning. I need more japanese maples (and space in which to put them!). Usuguno is on my hit-list now....
Reading Irvin's words lovingly describe 'Vignettes from Pauline's Garden' is my idea of a dream book. It would definitely be on the reading list for aspiring landscape designers... and the rest of us looking for inspiration!
It's so nice to see all the plants I love in someone else's garden, but arranged so differently and artfully! Also a pleasure to see Houttuynia showing up and looking so lovely and well-behaved. I have decided to stop battling it as a garden bully in my Northern California garden and embrace its presence, although it will take me a while to consider introducing it to my new beds...unless I can get my hands on those amazing daylilies! Always a pleasure to see pics from your garden!
Professional or not, you guys have an eye for combining plants. The idea of creating small vignettes within the larger landscape makes designing a large space much more manageable. I have started to think that way. If I like a combo in a pot, I will try on a larger scale in the garden. All you vignettes are fabulous, but some of my favorites are the pink attraction day lily, the asparagus fern, and the usuguno maple combos.
Thank you for sharing these great photos and, especially, the detailed captions so we know what we are looking at. I love the way the golden forest grass is used in so many places. The one thing that surprises me is that I wouldn't have thought the grass and the lamb's ear would thrive under the same conditions.
How lovely! Your perfectly chosen and arranged foliage colours, shapes and textures in ferns, grasses and Japanese Maples framed by the low groundcovers create works of art. Flowering plants add temporary jolts of colour. Thanks for sharing!
I'm just starting to experiment with grasses. Seeing yours, I'm tempted to try a lot more. Is Japanese Forest Grass difficult to maintain?
Interesting foliage combinations are my gardening passion, and yours are particularly beautiful. You use many plants that I wish were hardy in New Jersey. Jealous!
Watch out for Houttuylia cordata. Here in the mid-Atlantic impossible to stop. Repeated digging, smothering and Roundup hasn't stopped it It only needs a little piece of root to reappear, and it often reverts to a bicolor or plain green leaf. It hitchhiked to my new garden on daylily roots.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful gardens. Your sense of balance color and texture is very appealing to the eye. Are you going to be pruning all of the Japanese maples that are small now to keep them as little as possible or just change some of the understory planting to accommodate the maples? Your talent is very much enjoyed on the wet morning in the Pacific NW. Thanks for sharing
Have a happy day
Nurserynotnordstroms that is a good question! For the most part we like to allow the Japanese maples to take their natural structure and form by cutting back only dry branches. So, as you said when needed we first look for possible changes in the understory planting. Our large Japanese maples are now approaching 50 years of age so at times a lot of careful cutting is necessary.
Nurserynotnordstroms that is a good question! For the most part we like to allow the Japanese maples to take their natural structure and form by cutting back only dry branches. So, as you said when needed we first look for possible changes in the understory planting. Our large Japanese maples are now approaching 50 years of age so at times a lot of careful cutting is necessary.
Comments
always a treat to see Pauline's garden especially on yet another rainy morning.
A pure treat indeed, as always from Irvin and Pauline's
garden!
Though claiming not to be professionally trained landscape
designers, you certainly HAVE me fooled!!
All of today's photos had me spellbound in each of these
absolutely magnificent vignette's! Loved it all!!!
What a delightful way to start the day...the ultimate garden tour as captured by your camera lens. Having these enchanting vignettes preserved in a photo slows down the process of viewing them so that the subtle successes of the plant pairings can be enjoyed more fully. If I were there in person,especially if it were my first visit, I know I would be tempted to rush because I would be eager to see what's coming next.
Thank you so much for the careful plant identifications.
Definitely a delightful distraction on a busy morning. I need more japanese maples (and space in which to put them!). Usuguno is on my hit-list now....
Irvin and Pauline's landscaping ability is as good as any professional and better than most.
Reading Irvin's words lovingly describe 'Vignettes from Pauline's Garden' is my idea of a dream book. It would definitely be on the reading list for aspiring landscape designers... and the rest of us looking for inspiration!
It's so nice to see all the plants I love in someone else's garden, but arranged so differently and artfully! Also a pleasure to see Houttuynia showing up and looking so lovely and well-behaved. I have decided to stop battling it as a garden bully in my Northern California garden and embrace its presence, although it will take me a while to consider introducing it to my new beds...unless I can get my hands on those amazing daylilies! Always a pleasure to see pics from your garden!
Professional or not, you guys have an eye for combining plants. The idea of creating small vignettes within the larger landscape makes designing a large space much more manageable. I have started to think that way. If I like a combo in a pot, I will try on a larger scale in the garden. All you vignettes are fabulous, but some of my favorites are the pink attraction day lily, the asparagus fern, and the usuguno maple combos.
I am sure I just wrote all your vignettes and daylily was one word. My computer does weird things to my words.
Thank you for sharing these great photos and, especially, the detailed captions so we know what we are looking at. I love the way the golden forest grass is used in so many places. The one thing that surprises me is that I wouldn't have thought the grass and the lamb's ear would thrive under the same conditions.
How lovely! Your perfectly chosen and arranged foliage colours, shapes and textures in ferns, grasses and Japanese Maples framed by the low groundcovers create works of art. Flowering plants add temporary jolts of colour. Thanks for sharing!
I'm just starting to experiment with grasses. Seeing yours, I'm tempted to try a lot more. Is Japanese Forest Grass difficult to maintain?
Interesting foliage combinations are my gardening passion, and yours are particularly beautiful. You use many plants that I wish were hardy in New Jersey. Jealous!
Watch out for Houttuylia cordata. Here in the mid-Atlantic impossible to stop. Repeated digging, smothering and Roundup hasn't stopped it It only needs a little piece of root to reappear, and it often reverts to a bicolor or plain green leaf. It hitchhiked to my new garden on daylily roots.
Lovely! Great texture combinations, but since I am also a big fan of color, my favorite is the Japanese maple and azalea combination. Fantastic!
GrannyMay to answer your question about forest grass - It likes partial shade and will hold its color much better in that environment.
You must be doing something right to have maiden hair fern growing like that.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful gardens. Your sense of balance color and texture is very appealing to the eye. Are you going to be pruning all of the Japanese maples that are small now to keep them as little as possible or just change some of the understory planting to accommodate the maples? Your talent is very much enjoyed on the wet morning in the Pacific NW. Thanks for sharing
Have a happy day
Nurserynotnordstroms that is a good question! For the most part we like to allow the Japanese maples to take their natural structure and form by cutting back only dry branches. So, as you said when needed we first look for possible changes in the understory planting. Our large Japanese maples are now approaching 50 years of age so at times a lot of careful cutting is necessary.
Nurserynotnordstroms that is a good question! For the most part we like to allow the Japanese maples to take their natural structure and form by cutting back only dry branches. So, as you said when needed we first look for possible changes in the understory planting. Our large Japanese maples are now approaching 50 years of age so at times a lot of careful cutting is necessary.
Lovely, Lovely, Lovely!!! So soothing,,, you have created a beautiful peaceful garden!
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