Monticello
Greetings from Charlottesville, Virginia
The "Lloyd" border is, indeed, lovely. However, the bright orange daylilies or oriental lilies have to go as they clash with the violet shades. Use PRIMARY YELLOW Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns Tall," a rebloomer, and "Hyperion." In fact, the Green Man suggests eliminating lilies COMPLETELY from the landscape as the have many drawbacks: short-bloom period, they are messy and the stalks and foliage unattractive, they proliferate like weeds. Get rid of them, and use Hemerocallis exclusively.The Green Man got a hearty chuckle out of White Flower Farm's latest missive since he has always encouraged clients to plan and plant IN TRIADS. Planting a ONE creates a focal point, whether intended or not. By carefully planning and planting in TRIADS or disequilateral arrangements of three, gardeners work hand-in-hand with Nature to achieve a harmonious integration of plant materials into the existing landscape.
In most landscaping situations, think in a schema of 1, 3, 5, 7 to replicate Nature's own patterns. Use 2, 4, 6, etc. only in those few areas where symmetry is required. Those spaces are usually at the entry to the house and in formal areas such as rose gardens or
parterres.
Meanwhile, the Green Man is mostly in agreeement with White Flower Farm's suggestions below. He posts his caveats at the conclusion:
"In gardening, as in music, a single note can be simple and pure and hauntingly lovely. But a trio of notes, known in music as a triad, completely changes the esthetic experience, offering depth and contrast and complexity and rhythm and balance. This epiphany of effect explains why good gardeners so often design by using plants in threes, sometimes also repeating plant groupings three times within larger plantings. With a little extra commitment, the result is vastly enhanced. Had we not learned this experience on our own, our customers would quickly have taught us, since their purchase habits clearly reflect the principle.
At our end, triads offer further benefits because it's much cheaper per plant for us to provide three plants of one variety to a single customer. Economical growing cycles on a number of favorite perennials have allowed us to take further discounts when you purchase in threes. You'll find these items below. There has never been a better time to experience the magic of triads."
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
3 for $21.45
SAVE 20%
Salvia x sylvestris 'May Night'
3 for $31
SAVE 20%
(The Green Man asks readers to note how well the above
Coreopsis and
Salvia work together.
Yellow lies exactly opposite violet on the color wheel, not orange. In general, use orange sparingly. Think of it as paprika: just a dash. On the other hand, PRIMARY YELLOW is the ideal color to tie together plantings around the entire site. And be advised, MAGENTA is
always wrong
anywhere. Eliminate it now from your palette.
Visit WHITE FLOWER FARM here:
tx2.ssprd10.net/hostedmessage/message.aspx?2408761.1602153.304629518.9666
