Well done. I have always admired this little piece of heaven in the foothills area of Boise. Actually in the Highlands, at the base. This week, it was completely popping perfect. I went to snap some photos and was lucky to find the garden owner toiling away in the front garden. We chatted, I snapped some pics.
This is a xeric garden done well. Not the bleached bones and cactus look. No gray gravelly garden. Tucked into a draw in the Highlands, the turf has been replaced with woolly and creeping thymes, and yards of uva-ursi arctostaphylus (Kinnickinnick), probably v. Massachusetts. It had the fattest red berries and the leaves were shiny and green. I don’t generally recommend using aspen in the valley, it is too hot here, they die out in 7-10 years and suffer from borers, but this stand is doing fairly well. In fact, the gardener reported that to be the case: a single trunk will die out every few years, but another one comes up. This colonizing gives the planting a handsome, natural look. To make it pop, liatris ‘Kobold’ is exclaiming all over the place: “Look at me!” Mountain ash is dangling gold berries in one corner and a handful of rudbeckia and pineleaf penstemon rounds out the scene.
An excellent example of the design motto: simplify and repeat.
Hi Mary Ann,
I enjoy reading your blog. I really like this posting about the perfect plant in the perfect place and simplicity. A thought occurred to me when reading this…I am working on a calendar project for gardening in the Treasure Valley and I thought you might be a great resource to speak with about recommendations for gardens to appear in the calendar. If you would be up for discussing this with me a bit further please email me at abruceniederer@msn.com. I would really appreciate it.
Andrea