An Art Teacher’s Garden

Combining colors and textures with a professional eye

Today we ’re visiting with Nancy Clark .

I ’ve been gardening since 1986 and have a 3 - acre shrub - and - perennial garden locate on a 16 - acre property . As a retired high schooltime art teacher , I ’m still trying to apply design principles to my garden .

Perennials , bush , and bulbs are all interracial together here , with a big blue - glazed container in the heart as afocal point .

This is the same part of the garden , seen from the other side a little later in the season . Annualsare now growing in the dismal container , and Asiatic lilies ( Liliumhybrids , Asiatic group , Zones 4–9 ) that were just foliage in the old photo are now coming into flower .

Bear ’s breeches ( Acanthusmollis , Zones 7–10 ) has bold , glossy leaf and marvellous spires of white - and - purple flowers . Here the dark colors of the flowers show off all the better for being planted in front of a brightly yellow - foliaged barberry ( Berberisthunbergii , Zones 4–8 ) .

A rich planting of foliation in a change of colors and textures provides a wonderful backdrop to this planter of showy begonias ( Begoniahybrid , annual ) .

It is easy to see Nancy ’s setting as an art instructor at work in the garden in its expert combination of differenttextures , altitude , and point of color that glow against the green background .

Standardgarden designadvice is to put taller plants in the back and shorter 1 in the front , but this is a dandy example of why it can be great to commix it up . Here , taller gladiolus ( Gladiolushybrids , Zones 8–10 or as tender bulbs ) in the foreground frame the shorter plants behind them without close up the view .

This gorgeous coleus ( Solenostemonscutellarioides , Zone 11 or as yearly ) looks like it might be the variety ‘ redheaded woodpecker ’ . Nancy has permit it to have even more wallop in the garden by plant it in a tall container congeal up on a plinth to give it more height .

Neatly mownpathslead you on to explore .

Have photos to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular collection of plant you love , or a wonderful garden you had the fortune to visit !

To submit , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plant in the pictures and where you took the photos . We ’d love to hear where you are site , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are majestic of , nonstarter you learned from , hope for the time to come , favorite plants , or funny narrative from your garden .

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