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The patio

 

The back patio is a special place for us. Not only is it in constant view from our kitchen dining area, it's where Amy and I exchanged our vows in a garden-themed wedding, and where our kids like to play (often, illicitly, with water - either from the back spigot or from the pond).

The patio is surrounded by small-scale planting areas: along the foundation of our home, we grow various perennials that enjoy the morning-sun/afternoon-shade conditions (a rare commodity in our garden). The same kinds of plantings (the prima donnas of our garden) continue into the side garden which connects up to the right-hand side of the patio. Another area, featuring spireas, poppies and grasses links up the side garden to the pond, which is the main feature connected to the patio. Continuing counter-clockwise, we arrive at Poppop's rose garden, a tribute to Amy's father, where several tea roses share space with well-behaved perennials and annuals; and around a split-rail fence to the Japanese snowbell border, with mostly annuals providing all-season color.

A partial list of plants we grow around the patio

Along the foundation

Aquilegia fragrans (sweet-scented columbine)
Asarina procumbens (trailing snapdragon)
Astrantia major (masterwort)
Campanula zangezura
Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley)
Cyclamen cilicium
Cymbalaria muralis (Kenilworth ivy)
Daphne retusa
Geranium wallichianum 'Buxtons Variety' (cranesbill)
Lamium galeobdolon (yellow archangel)
Luzula nivea (snowy wood rush)
Rhododendron 'Delaware Valley White' (azalea)
Salvia roemeriana (cedar sage)
Solenostemon scutellarioides (coleus)
Viola corsica (Corsican violet)

Along the fence

Allium cernuum (nodding onion)
Anemone virginiana (thimbleweed)
Aquilegia 'Cap de Rositier' (columbine)
Aquilegia alpina (blue alpine columbine)
Begonia grandis ssp. evansiana (hardy begonia)
Commelina communis (asiatic dayflower)
Helleborus x hybridus (lenten rose)
Heuchera pulchella (Sandia mountain heuchera)
Lathyrus odoratus (sweet pea)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge)
Pulmonaria saccharata 'De Vroomen's Pride' (Bethlehem sage)
Silene banksia (orange robin)
Syneilesis palmata (palmate umbrella plant)
Thalictrum alpinum (alpine meadow rue)
Thalictrum minus (small meadow rue)
Thalictrum occidentale (western meadow rue)

Around the trough shelves

Allium moly (lily leek; golden garlic)
Antennaria plantaginifolia (pussytoes; lady's tobacco)
Aquilegia flabellata (fan columbine)
Aquilegia shockleyi (desert columbine)
Arabis alpina 'Snowcap' (mountain rockcress)
Campanula portenschlagiana
Chaenomeles 'Toyo Nishiki' (flowering quince)
Cleome hirta (sticky purple cleome)
Codonopsis clematidea (Asian bellflower)
Codonopsis lanceolata (bonnet bellflower)
Cymbalaria pallida 'Albiflora' (Italian toadflax)
Delphinium pylzowii
Dianthus 'Tiny Rubies'
Dianthus amurensis 'Siberian Blues' (Amur pink)
Gypsophila oldhamiana (Manchurian baby's breath)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Lobelia x gerardii (purple lobelia)
Papaver somniferum (bread poppy; opium poppy)
Penstemon hirsutus var. pygmaeus (dwarf hairy penstemon)
Phyteuma scheuchzeri (rampion)
Potentilla argyrophylla
Primula x polyantha (polyanthus primrose)
Pycnanthemum incanum (hoary mountain mint; white horse-mint)
Rosa (rose)
Rosa 'Knockout' series (Knock Out rose)
Salvia roemeriana (cedar sage)
Scutellaria pontica (skullcap)
Sedum caeruleum (azure stonecrop)
Strobilanthes atropurpureus (hardy persian shields)
Trollius chinensis 'Golden Queen' (globeflower)
Viola corsica (Corsican violet)
Viola walteri 'Silver Gem'

Planted in pots

Adenophora khasiana (ladybells)
Calandrinia grandiflora (rock purslane)
Clarkia speciosa ssp. immaculata (Pismo clarkia)
Dahlia 'Jazz' and 'Bishop of Llandaff'
Dipcadi viride
Hosta venusta (plantain lily)
Linaria aeruginea 'Lindeza Violet' (toadflax)
Mutisia ilicifolia (Chilean climbing gazania)
Pandorea pandorana (wonga-wonga vine)
Solanum melongena 'Ping Tung Long' (oriental eggplant)
Tetranema roseum (Mexican violet)
Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium)
Veltheimia bracteata (forest lily; Cape lily)
Viola (perennial violet)

Patio/side garden border

Acer palmatum (Japanese maple)
Arisarum proboscideum (mouse plant)
Crocus vernus (and hybrids) (spring crocus)
Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' (bicolor barrenwort; bishop's hat)
Hosta hybrids (plantain lily)
Spiraea x vanhouttei (spirea)

Miscellaneous patio areas

Allium tanguticum (lavender globe lily)
Campanula takesimana (Korean bellflower)
Campanula trachelium (bats-in-the-belfry, nettle-leaved bellflower)
Delphinium delavayi
Papaver atlanticum 'Semiplenum' (Atlas poppy)
Sedum dasyphyllum var. glanduliferum (Corsican stonecrop; blue tears sedum)
Sedum ternatum (woodland stonecrop; wild stonecrop)
Strobilanthes attenuata

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Last modified: October 18, 2017
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