In a Dramatic Garden: The Shapes and Colors of September

The first thing that struck me when I entered the space of my friend Chris Esten's remarkable garden were the gorgeous bright green leaves of the Robinia 'Frisia' tree, a type of locust. It captured light, and within the framing arch of its leaves were hostas and hydrangeas welcoming me to the rich colors and textures of September in northern Vermont.




Chris designed her garden as though she were an artist faced with a huge and complex canvas. There are large forms to anchor the composition; geometric forms to add clarity and looser ones for grace; colors change and repeat to create rhythms; a variety of textures enliven the whole. (click on the image above to see an enlargement of the garden overview)




Although late in the season, the garden is full of color, with sedums and Joe Pye weed, autumn crocus and anemones, hydrangeas and heleniums. Chris is partial to large plants, and there are many that towered over me as I wandered the paths; there are also lower growing large leaved plants such as the one you can see in the smaller foreground garden.




The grandest plant of all in this garden, which made me exclaim in total wonderment, is this Paulownia tree, a plant that looks as though it belongs in a tropical clime, or even on the mythical planet of Pandora, certainly not in northern Vermont. It grows 20 feet in a season and dies back in winter....




and forms a stunning backdrop to other large plants, such as grasses and hydrangeas.




The large leaves of different ligularias and silphiums are a strong presence throughout the garden, and many are now blooming. This is a silphium, Prairie Dock.




This garden is not only a place of grand gestures; there are many smaller moments that ask for our attention in more intimate ways. A beautifully shaped ceramic container raised on a pedestal holds a variety of succulents and cacti...




while a large pot set amid sedums adds an homage to craft. Alongside it is a boulder, on which balances sparkling glass objects and for a bit of fun, a garden gnome.




A small garden of succulents is set with paving stones and small pieces of blue and white china; the variety of color and texture is dazzling.




Chris has paid great attention to contrasts of texture throughout the garden. When I saw this patch of frothy grass, I immediately bent down to stroke it, thinking it would have the gentle softness of moss; I was sorely mistaken...ouch!




But then there are the gentle, hairy lamb's ears. I loved this tiny composition: a small piece of wood, balanced on a rock, supports the red fruiting bodies of lichen, a piece of woodland growth brought into the cultivated garden.



The seeds of autumn add another element of drama to the garden landscape; their clear forms, expressing the geometry of the Golden Mean, make us aware that amid all this fecundity is an abiding order.


❋❋ For my local Vermont readers: Chris Esten and Boots Wardinski, as The Green Reaper have plants for sale at the Capitol City Farmer's Market each Saturday in Montpelier. For more information, including contact info, go to the vendor's page of the market, here.