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Bones in the Garden - A Tale of Garden Planning, Part 1

© Carol Wallace

With that in mind I plan a grouping of azaleas and rhododendrons in the corner formed by the house and wall. The azaleas go along the wall, because their more open foliage will allow glimpses of the stonework. The rhododendrons will go closer to the house to help hide the concrete foundation.

In the opposite corner where the birch will be I pencil in red, oval blobs to indicate where two Cornus alba 'Argenteo-marginata', Variegated Red Twig Dogwood, will go. In the winter these have bright red twigs that will show off nicely against the white bark of the birch. In summer they have leaves variegated green and white - a cooling picture on a hot day. Eventually these grow quite large, so one will be transplanted to the backyard. (Or maybe MY yard!) This leaves me with a nice open spot between the greenery and at the end of the path, The perfect spot, in fact, for a small bench or chair in which to sit and enjoy the shade.

So there you have it - garden bones. Some of them living, some merely structural, but all of them things that will look good in summer and winter, give some height, depth and structure to the garden, and add visual interest even under snow. Next week we'll plan the plants.