Better Homes and Gardens - Perennials, Summer 2003

Island Melody

A garden composed of island beds adds lively color to a large lot.

by Susan Appleget Hurst

"Designing a garden is like composing music", garden designer Linda Wiggen Kraft says. "Some notes or instruments come to the forefront while others recede." Kraft used that approach to design a garden composed of individual beds, or islands, for a St. Louis couple, and the garden plays beautifully through a long growing season.

The cluster of perennial-filled islands at the home of Ann Tretter and Holmes Lamoreux started out as a dull patch of ivy bordered by a fence and the neighbor’s two story carriage house. Busy professionals who travel frequently on business, Ann and Holmes needed a yard that would invite them to relax and rejuvenate at home.

"We asked Linda to plan our garden because she is good with color and composition,"Ann says.

Music for the Soul

"Your garden should be about both your inner and outer landscape," Kraft says. "I want people to fall in love with their garden. They should be drawn into the garden and feel a part of it."She encourages clients to think about the things they enjoy and the places they have been to help them plan a garden that reflects their personalities.

"In our travels, we are always looking at gardens,"Ann says. "I enjoy the highly manicured English gardens, but my favorite is Monet's garden in Giverny France." To reflect Ann's preferences, Kraft designed their island beds in a loose, cottage style. Visitors can stroll through their yard for an intimate view of the plants or admire the pleasing vista from afar. Plants are changed or added often, depending on what the couple have noticed on various trips.

"They saw a beautiful arrangement of daisies and roses in a hotel in Paris, and Ann thought it would be nice to have that combination in the garden,"Kraft says. "On another trip they say yellow tulips, and bringing them into this garden is a wonderful way to create a remembrance of that time."

Kraft starts her garden design process by taking into account existing trees and shrubs that are to be kept. She then plans the beds and adds pathways for access.

"People often base their garden designs on a border pushed up against a fence, which keeps the garden at too much of a distance," Kraft says. "Island beds draw you into and around the garden, and the space is more attractive than a big, blank expanse of lawn. When you have a large space, you have to divide it up. " In this garden, each island is a stand-alone unit, but the entire plan is coordinated.

"There is a rhythm throughout the garden, created by repeating certain plants and by the stepping stones,"Kraft says. "The repetition of certain elements, as in music, draws you from one view to the next."

Adding a flagstone path turned an existing crab apple grove into a hallway from pool to garden. Foster's holly (Ilex x attenuate Foster #2) and flowering pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Cleveland Select") trees soften the edges of the fence and the carriage house, and create winter interest.

A Changing Melody

The St. Louis climate can make it difficult to plan a garden that looks good from early spring through late fall. Midsummer's high heat and humidity take a toll on the early bloomers, and there are many weeks to fill with color before fall ends. Kraft chooses perennials based on their typical bloom periods, repeat bloom and ease of care. Heat-loving annuals, such as gold and white Zinnia haagean and purple globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa), help bridge the gaps between perennial bloom periods. Kraft finds that the perennial salvia (Salvia nemorosa) seems to finish blooming too soon in the St. Louis heat, so she substitutes Salvia farinacea 'Victoria', which is an annual in this climate.

Kraft placed the tallest plants near the center of each island and stair-stepped shorter and shorter plants towards the edges. Various colors of tall Asiatic and tiger lillies (Lilium spp.) are used near the centers, along with butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), phlox, and Allium giganteum.

"When the lilies finish blooming, I cut the stems back by about half, so they are less obvious." Kraft says. "The stems should not be cut back all the way to the ground until the end of the season, so that the plants can continue to feed themselves for the next year. Meanwhile, the blooming Phlox, butterfly bush, and Verbana bonariensis help hide the lily stems."

Kraft continues to work with Ann and Holmes to shape how the garden evolves over the seasons and the years.

"I like to think of the garden's development over time as similar to the evolution of a piece of music, rather than a still picture," Kraft says. "The garden becomes a composition of color, form, and texture that complements the seasons and responds to the climate and conditions that support its life."