6 January 2022
Lovettsville, VA
Dear Scott,
I thought I’d confuse you by preempting your letter with one of my own. No, you are not behind, I am simply ahead.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! And I use that exclamation point with great precision. Your last Rant on overused plants was wonderful. The surgery sharpened a delightful edge which I very much hope lasts at long as the scar tissue.
As I mentioned in the comments, I hate that you wrote it and I didn’t. I did much of my laughing through clenched teeth.
Writing a subjective, yet authoritative, list begs criticism, rebuttal, and haughty opinion; but by and large the comments were extremely kind. I can only assume it is because much of what you said is uncomfortably true, but diffused by that ridiculously affable personality of yours.
Your remark on Metasequoia was particularly funny – and disturbing – and I must now second guess my adoration of the species as evidence of my numerous personality flaws. I currently have three planted, including the golden ‘Ogon’ which has struggled due to poor placement. The straight species do so well in my loamy, often moist soil, and are the closest thing to Sequoia I can grow as the winter winds turn even the hardiest (‘Atlanta’ perhaps?) into a dwarf conifer.
Regardless, it did spark in me the desire to fool around with an opposing list of underused plants which I typed into my phone in the back seat of a car bound for a Christmas light display — until nausea and self-reflection got the better of me.
The sweet blue blossoms of Brunnera macrophylla against autumn fern and variegated Solomon’s Seal – one of my favorite spring shade combinations.
First on my list, Brunnera, Crinum, Podophyllum… but I realized soon after listing Carex pensylvanica and some choice cultivars (Heliopsis ‘Burning Hearts’, Deutzia ‘Chardonnay Pearls’, Pyracantha ‘Silver Lining’ to name a few) that I wasn’t being fair, as singling out species and cultivars gave the impression that everything else in that genus was meh except the one making the list. And it’s not as if Carex isn’t fantastic and possibly one of the best genera out there, it’s just that cultivars like C. morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ and C. oshimensis ‘Everillo’ are overused (mostly by me) so they throw off the purity of the list.
A flagrant overplanting of Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ under my pergola. But boy is it low maintenance. Until it isn’t.
Brunnera? I never see it overplanted in home gardens, and I’m in the shady Mid-Atlantic where it thrives and is never bothered by deer. Or gardeners, apparently. Podophyllum pelatum is severely underappreciated unless you’re Mt. Cuba, and the only people who could be accused of overplanting any one of the numerous, fascinating Asian species/cultivars (P. pleianthum!) are planting them under Metasequoia. ‘Nuff said.
A very new P. pleianthum in the midst of a lot of foliage by the front door – including that wonderful ‘Everillo’ carex – and ‘Chardonnay Pearls’ deutzia. And now that I think about it, Tricyrtis formosana ‘Autumn Glow’ should be on that list too.
Now THAT would be a fun list for you to compile if you wished to annoy all your friends: Hackneyed Choices for Plant Geeks. Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’ tops that list and the moment I can get hold of one cheaply I will.
Native podophyllum unfurling in a colony on a bank behind the kitchen window is such a cool sight in spring.
In any case, by the time I painfully typed Trachystemon orientalis, tried to dictate Arachnoides standishii four times and gave up (Google says” “A rack knows these, stand this year I”), I realized the many reasons (apart from nausea and middle-age) I had to stop.
1. It’s so regional
This by the way is the obvious flaw in your own [Midwestern] list which you no doubt recognize, but which neither of us can fully rectify without an expense account and a year’s sabbatical.
You’re lucky you didn’t get more flak on that point. Your affable personality aside, perhaps it has something to do with a homogenized big-box, big-brand, national plant palette making most of these plants way too recognizable from sea to shining sea. (More on that someday perhaps.)
When reading your list, the first overplanted genus I thought of was Agapanthus (which hearkens back to my Southern Cal days), but which ignites fires of passion in Mid-Atlantic gardeners who continue to tell me of hardier and hardier cultivars no matter how hard I roll my eyes. Stephanandra incisa – underused here, apparently overused in the south. Ditto Plumbago. Texans roll their eyes, Pennsylvanians get breathless.
I will admit to feeling tempted by Agapanthus ‘Ever Twillight’ by Southern Living Plant Collection.
I’d love to see more overplanted contenders from readers commenting from different regions, but perhaps your Midwest-centric list was the final narcissistic straw and they’ve left us for less biased pastures?
2. Do tender perennials count?
Yes, in my book – and apparently yours, as you mention zonal geraniums – but not everyone north of 7b/8 wants to containerize Plumbago, or dig Hedychium, no matter how in-your-face gorgeous it is (‘Tara’), how unusual its foliage (‘Tahitian Flame’), or how it scents summer evenings better than a rugosa rose at full bore (well, not hardy H. coccineum, but no genus is perfect).
An unnamed hedychium in my garden last year. Unbelievable scent.
3. Motives may be suspect
Are plants listed because they are underappreciated, versatile species, or because the writer wants to show off knowledge of obscure and bizarre species otherwise discussed in dark corners of plant society meetings? I confess to a cynic’s heart. But I also confess to a heightened desire for approval, and a subscription to Gardens Illustrated.
Ticking the strange and unusual, but very cool, box — Syneilesis aconitifolia. Saw it at the Elizabeth Lawrence Garden and fell in love. So did the deer, but despite their attention, the clump is slowly growing bigger.
4. It’s begging to be challenged
There is so much moralistic gardening going on now that any list that singles out great plants for their ornamental or ‘garden’ qualities in anything remotely resembling a hierarchical structure will definitely face righteous opprobrium at high volume. The smart writer with a Twitter account and their next job in mind chooses plants for their ability to feed voles and leaf cutter bees. Native leaf cutter bees mind you. ‘Attractive to humans’ is so 20cen.
Begonia grandis – but how long will I be allowed to love it? These at Plant Delights Nursery/Juniper Level Botanic Gardens in North Carolina.
So, while I think your Overplanted List was a good one, I’m not going to counter it as it is just plain easier to throw stones than stand in a circle awaiting them. And besides, I was far too tempted to mention beautiful Asian temptations such as Begonia grandis or [the horror] Tetrapanax papyrifera (which almost bloomed in a friend’s Rehoboth Beach garden this year and made me fall in love with it a little more and envy his beach house a LOT more).
John Boggan @DCTropics was chronicling this tetrapanax inflorescence at his Rehoboth Beach home through November. I never see even the hint of a bud on mine by the time winter comes around. T. papyrifera ‘Steroidal Giant’. Photo credit: John Boggan
I even fiddled with the thought crime of mentioning Viburnum dilatatum, but it’s clearly on the ‘don’t even think about it’ PDF I have tacked to my wall and I don’t want to find myself selling pencils outside the convention centers I’m supposed to speak at this year.
All this said, I wait in joyful anticipation of your Underplanted List, as you do have that affable personality etc. etc. and will no doubt pull it off.
A warm winter thus far. Rain has replaced grey tones with rich tawny shades on the hillsides, and the scent in the air in the morning makes it a pleasure to open the door and step outside. And no I didn’t get trapped on the 95 with that crazy snowstorm – we didn’t get more than a flake here.
Yours,
Marianne
P.S. No forsythia on your list? No buddleia? Or were you pulling your punches after all?
P.P.S. Got to the end of the letter and realized I have a picture of a metasequoia planted smack in the middle of your garden. In fact I think you have several. Have you no shame Mr. Beuerlein?
“J’accuse!” shouts the face on this metasequoia in your garden.
Recently I was listening to the excellent tree-lover’s podcast Completely Arbortrary, and the two hosts, who are both from the Pacific Northwest, were rolling their eyes hard about the ubiquity of camellias around Portland. I was aghast!! I have collected many tiny camellia specimens over the years and I fuss and fret over them like no other plant. When one blooms it’s like the birth of a child and I send pics to all my friends. I guess we never appreciate the stuff that grows easily in our own zones.
There’s a reason some plants are ubiquitous. They’re “good doers” and readily available when the mood strikes to plant (usually around Mother’s Day). The “average” gardener wants something that will do well with a minimum of fuss.
There was phase when I bought plants simply because I’d never seen them before. I’ve (mostly) matured past that. I’d like to think I give more thought to what role the plant will play in the garden, but, hey, nobody’s perfect.
As for Portland Camellias, if they were talking about Camellia japonica, I agree. If the flowers get wet, and they WILL get wet in Portland, they get a fungus that turns them brown. Sasanquahs are a much better choice.They bloom when the temps are too cold for the fungus.
I’m on the sasanqua train too when it comes to camellias, but have yet to grow them well here. – MW
I love your planting for the pergola. I’m possibly the only person on this planet who thinks that it’s what you do with any old plant which is what matters really.
I like unusual plants, but not to the exclusion of good design. Not saying I have talent in the latter mind you….
Thank you for this combination: Varigated Solomon’s Seal,
Brunnera macrophylla and Autumn Fern. I have the first and
it thrives here but it’s all by itself. Can’t wait for the garden
center to open.
Thanks – truly one of my favorites. Party begins in early spring with little clumps of tete a tete narcissus and Pink Frost hellebores. The brunnera, polygonatum and ferns want to dominate in time and the look depends on brushstrokes of each, so vigilant editing is called for after a few years. – MW
I second this, thanks for the plant combination inspiration Marianne! I added a shade bed on the north side of my house and filled with hostas, dicentra, brunnera Jack Frost and variegated Solomon’s seal. Still needs more texture and interest – think I’ll swap out the hostas for autumn fern.
Can we agree that plants required by an HOA are just wrong?
(Another shade combination I learned from Brookside that I’m trying to use is Anthyrium fern, rodgerisia, and astilbe).
Linus, that combination sounds dreamy! Thanks for the inspiration!
Absolutely Linus – see my article in the last issue of American Horticultural Society’s magazine The American Gardener for my thoughts on that one! – MW
10 underused to me:
10) salvia
9) baptisia
8) agastache
7) cyclamen
6) trillium
5) monarda
4) celandine poppy
3) Iris reticulata
2) geranium “Biokovo” (because it is green and red in winter, low, groundcover that is not on the invasive pdfs )
1) asarum canadense (please bear in mind I’m surrounded by forests filled with English ivy, Japanese pachysandra, and vinca vine, and also surrounded by a neighborhood filled with these “low maintenance” groundcovers as well, so when I go to cover some shady ground I want something I don’t have to lose sleep over.)
Your writing and exquisite plant choices are just leaps and bounds above to me. I truly enjoy it. Your choices do read as someone very in the industry, lots of experience, because so many of what you listed is never to be found in most run-of-the-mill garden centers. And they look lovely. Most of us will never be able to take the $56-for- 3.5 inch-pot- splurge. (Looking at you, Plant Delights.) It’s an expensive price for a little shaded woodland bragging right but as a plantswoman I’m sure I’d enjoy it if I could.
Thank you Amanda. I’m just a passionate and interested gardener who’s been gardening awhile. But I appreciate your kind words. Best way to find those and many other plants cheaply is by joining wonderful garden clubs nearby and attending their swaps. I owe much of my garden to the gardeners I know. – MW
P.S. I do have some Brunnera and I adore it. Especially when the mama sends the babies out on their own and you can shuffle them around. Also those tiny blue flowers are charming, and the leaves are basically a lovely heart shape, much like asarum canandense. I do have to tuck mine away as blue is not my passion color for our garden.
First, I have to say thank you so much for writing Big Dreams, Small Garden. It has been a while since I enjoyed another garden book so much. Your optimism and suggestions are inspiring. I plan on redoing a few areas based on some of your suggestions.
So many plants, so little time, or room, or budget.
I will be forever saddened that we cannot do justice to Brunnera Jack Frost.
We are 7b for tropical winter hardiness but strictly 8a for sweltering summers. Jack is so not impressed.
When moving here after living in New England and then Hawaii, most of our initial plant list was one of deletion.
Forget anything that grows well in most of the upper part of the east coast, but comes to a dead stop at zone 8a. Or even worse, a slow sad death over a few years while hope (delusion) still exists. Achellia mollis, Brunnera, dianthus, primrose, most rhododendrons, most heuchera, most pulmonaria, dicentra, the list is long.
Anything with Canada or Siberia in the name should have been a better give away, but I’m not always the sharpest tool in the shed.
For our house, we are fortunate to live in the shade of several beautiful older maple, cherry and gumball trees. I am always grateful for the 5 to 10 degree temperature difference in the summer, just walking in from the sidewalk.
Lol, we have to toss out most of the sun lovers though. We can’t even grow a decent flowering crepe myrtle tree in our limited sunlight.
The plant list that remains? Absolutely delightful! Yes, partly thanks to some of Tony’s less expensive offerings.
Many different evergreen fern species and a nice variety of Japanese painted ferns for the summer. Burgundy glow ajuga, the newer princess nadia, some black scallop for variety and a small amount of slow growing metallica in pots. Aspidistra comes in some beautiful cultivars from restful to bold. Different Fatsias and acubas, reblooming azaleas (fall flowering lasts a month without the blazing late spring heat.) Iris cristata, hardy cyclamen, trycirtis and a few woodland ephemerals. Rhodea and a few other woodland surprises from a wonderful nursery on rt 13 near Maryland.
Osmanthus and gardenia for fragrance. A few camellias for variety and winter blooming.
A variety of flowering dogwood trees under planted around the shade trees and some Lorepetalum as a small tree crepe myrtle replacement add to the summer shade.
Hardy and evergreen ‘tropicals’ are my new fascination in the last 20 years. Exploring neighborhoods and gardens and discovering a whole new plant list (lol, new to me) has been a true pleasure.
Surprisingly, cone flower, some tall phlox and blanket flower still do well with just 3 to 4 hours of noontime sun. (Not so much the blue salvias or verbenas or most other sun plants.)
I believe the only truly overused plants are tall privacy hedge plants.
Leyland cypress in the 90’s.
Arborvitae in the 00’s.
Matt – I’m so glad you enjoyed Big Dreams Small Garden. I’m proud of the message in that book – wish I could get it out to about a million more gardeners as it is (sadly) almost more relevant now than it when it was published four years ago. And thank you for such a thoughtful list of plants. I envy you your aspidistra and fatsia cultivars – F. japonica only holds on in my cold valley as it is sheltered and against a stone chimney. I have no hope of Spiderweb or any of the others. Aspidistra is a no go. And I’ll take ‘Green Giant’ over the leylands any day of the week, but I’m almost saddened to see them now overplanted – particularly in small yards with no shearing – which they take to well. They are big boys. – MW
I like your content, such a wonderful and informative one.