Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour: Meticulously Maintained Urban Garden

A move from Southern California to Montana meant a big adjustment for this gardener, but her small lot is showing every sign of success

Hi GPODers !

In case you missed it yesterday , this week we ’re on a five - day , virtualBitterroot Secret Garden Tour ™ courtesy of the Tour ’s president , Kielian DeWitt . Yesterday we chitchat theexpansive garden of Gordon Nichols , and today we ’re visiting the smaller , but equally as capture garden of Betsy Merrell .

Betsy grew up in Bakersfield , California , avoiding all aspects of garden to the best of her power . It was red-hot , where invasive smoke , goat - headway pricker vines(Tribulus terrestris)and tumbleweeds thrived and could spring up in a garden overnight . But both her mother and grandma found great pleasure in arise blossom , trees and veggie and transform their surroundings into shady harbor of quietus and delight . home assembly always took position at one or the other ’s home because of the beautiful surroundings . As she grew up , Betsy learned to appreciate exhaust sweet strawberries as she made her direction up their private road after shoal , and there were fresh vegetable on the table most any time of year . As she started planting her own garden in Bakersfield , she memorise to make the subtlety and coolness brought by land covers , screening tree and shrubs and bring in good land and mulch to apply wet .

When she found herself in Montana 30 years ago , ready to make flowerbeds , it was a shock to be unable to identify even one industrial plant that grew here . She began to devote tending to friends ’ gardens and looked to see what she liked and did n’t like , taking offset and cuttings from anyone who offer . Many “ gift ” sprain out to be hearty spreaders and filled a garden ( too ) apace butRudbeckiaandEchinaceawere her first superb success . She enounce there will always be room for those two in her garden . In her small yard , she finds she prefers polite broadcaster who fill a outer space slowly with lots of color .

As for annuals , she used to believe embed them was “ cheating , ” that one had to be savvy enough to embed things that would bloom in succession throughout the time of year without the addition of crying color . Humbug ! yearbook summate splendor and lineament while wait for the seasonal plantings to tardily come into their time . The yearbook now have high place when she design her springiness planting .

Since withdraw five years ago , she find she wanted to make the good sense of heartsease she remembered in her grandmother ’s lilliputian yard . Betsy would find it backbreaking to label her style of horticulture in her own small yard but beauty and color are foremost , clean borders with a idle mix of color , texture and superlative , a little food for thought dot here and there , and a shoes where birds and louse can stop in for rest and a drink .

Chartreuse malt whiskey moss(Sagina subulata , Zones 4–8)highlights the garden border in Betsy ’s side garden . An espaliered Malus pumila tree and Black Lace ® elderberry bush(Sambucusnigra‘Eva ’ , Zones 4–7)provide the backdrop for a soothing fount . On the back side is a prominent raised plantation owner with flowers and vegetables .

The front corner garden containsheuchera , genus Dianthus , bivalent frolic ® gold spirea(Spiraeajaponica‘Yan ’ , Zones 3–9)and variegated Ivory Halo ® dogwood(Cornusalba‘Bailhalo ’ , Zones 3–7 ) .

The front garden double - flowerdelphiniumsbloomed powerful on cue for Tour day . Dianthus , veronica , and Nipponese wood grass(Hakonechloamacra , Zones 5–9)round out the color schema .

In the front garden , an antique vessel fill with piss covers the senescence leaves ofcolchicum . Once fall temperatures have fall , the vessel will be removed to show off the beautiful violet flush of this fall “ crocus ” .

Another slant jibe of the delicious front garden .

Another delightful garden that I ’m already itching to see more of ! Alas , we ’re onto the next stunning garden from the 2024 Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour tomorrow !

Have photos to share ? We ’d sleep with to see your garden , a particular solicitation of plants you love , or a howling garden you had the hazard to visit !

To submit , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photo . We ’d love to listen where you are locate , how long you ’ve been garden , successes you are proud of , failures you learned from , hopes for the hereafter , favorite plants , or funny stories from your garden .

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