I am inspired by the wild, untamed beauty that surrounds me. Whether its walks down old abandoned roads, or deep in the bush. I am enchanted by old mossy rocks and lovely native Blue Flag Iris‘ at the edge of a swamp. Mother Nature knows her stuff so I take her cue. When we were restoring the cottage garden it was important to us that we give our guests a taste of the Grey County landscape.

The following are some images of the landscapes we used for inspiration.

Eco-Chic ~ Form, Function, Foliage & Flower

The pond area itself has been a work in progress these last 3 years. This year the area just went nuts. With the early spring we had it gave everything a jump-start.

Form here is first established by the large piece of driftwood. I shifted some things around in the spring, added some Miscanthus Sinensis ‘Morning Light’ & a lovely single bloom Dwarf Delphinium ‘Diamonds Blue to give the area more colour. Blues are always a good choice I find in naturalized areas as they hit both the flower aspect as well as adding sophistication and dimension to the collage of grasses. Most grasses hold their own all winter and provide habit for birds.

Function is pretty much always the same – attract wild life. Sometimes though I find a plants function is its foliage, such as that bit of wispiness to soften the harsh lines a bit – such as with with the Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ (far left in first image).

Foliage and Flower here is important. Cardinal Flowers [Lobelia Cardinalis], Dwarf Delphinium ‘Diamonds Blue’, Cosmos, Wild Spotted Knapweed [Centaurea biebersteinii], Mountain Bluets (Centaurea ?], Bee Balm [Monarda didyma], Sundrops [Oenothera Missourensis], Native Blue Flag Iris, Common Iris’, Daylilies, Native Reed Grass, and of course a pot of Fuchsia coloured Mums all give the area subtle punchs of colour. In the second picture down the Papyrus in the ponds is called Cyperus papyrus ‘King Tut’. Foliage varies, and that variation is key to adding interests to the area as a whole.

This Indigo Bunting is not a regular here, but illustrates the very principles behind naturalizing. He stopped in to check out the space, and I was delighted he did.