Garden description: A breezeway sits between our house and garage, connecting the front and back yards. From there you can view both gardens. It is a calm and convenient place to sit and read or have a little party. When we moved in this house 9 years ago, the yards were only lawn. Now they are alive with flowers, insects and birds from March through October. A majority of the plants are native. Many were either gifts, or planted in honor or in memory of someone. The front yard flowers are shades of pink and purple, plus white, to give a serene look. Those in the back yard are bright colors, red, orange, yellow and purple. There are statues, trolls, and a variety of decorative garden art for accent.
Who are the gardeners: Primarily me, Faith Kuehn, with encouragement and appreciation from my husband Erich. We have 3 cats, and two of the three like to sit close by when I’m working to provide moral support.
Why do you garden: I garden because I love flowers, and I like to make others happy with them. To garden is to be a person of hope, one who believes in the future, and the power of plants to heal. I garden to honor the people and places that have given my life meaning.
How has gardening impacted you during this time: This year gardening has provided much enjoyment and peace in a confusing and unsettled world, something that can be nurtured without fear of getting sick or making someone else sick. Being outside, especially with the absence of truck, car and airplane traffic noise and pollution has brought me closer to the good earth.
What do you have in your garden? Perennials Ratibida pinnata Praire coneflower Silphium perfoliatum Cup plant Phlox paniculata Garden phlox Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida Common eastern coneflower Carex plantaginea Plantain-leaf sedge Stokesia laevis Stokes aster Pycnanthemum muticum Mountain mint Vernonia noveboracensis New York ironweed Helenium autumnale Common sneezeweed Monarda didyma Scarlet bee balm Physostegia virginiana Obedient plant, False dragonhead Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower Geranium maculatum Wild geranium, American cranesbill Thalictrum aquilegiifolium meadow rue, feathered columbine Lychnis (Silene) coronaria Rose campion, Dusty Miller Stachys officinalis’Hummelo’ Betony Agastache foeniculum Anise hyssop Actaea racemosa (syn. Cimicifuga racemosa Bug Bane, Black Cohosh Alcea rosea, Hollyhock Bulbs Allium ornamental onion Oriental lily Lily orienpet Tulips Narcissus miniature narcissus Vines Clematis Athyrium nipponicum Painted fern Shrubs Callicarpa dichotoma Beauty berry Ilex verticillata Winterberry Holly Fruits Heritage red raspberry Victoria Rheum hybridum rhubarb Syringia vulgaris Lilac Hydrangea paniculata Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla Annual hydrangea Sambucus canadensis Elderberry Annuals Dahlia Zinnia Marigold Cosmos Sunflower
Do you have any problems with disease or pests? If so, how are you dealing with this problem? Japanese beetles are a chronic problem. My husband loves to collect them and put them in a jar of beer, for one last drink on their way out. I cut out aster yellows. Leafhoppers are a problem in the summer, but I minimize this by thinning plant foliage and spraying them off the plants with a water jet.
