The Summer That Was at the 45th Parallel, Part 2

The year in Susan’s back garden

We ’re back with Susan Warde in St. Paul , Minnesota ! Yesterday we looked back at the year in her front garden , and today we ’re taking the same tour of duty through the time of year but in her back garden , where things are a bit shadier but no less beautiful .

May 17 : The back garden is shadier than the front , and the colors are subtler , but the unfurling frond of maidenhair fern(Adiantum pedatum , Zones 3–8 ) in the foreground and purple fern(Osmunda regalis , Zones 3–9 ) in the top right give a pop of gloss to the spring garden . White trillium(Trillium grandiflorum , Zones 3–8 ) and white - edged Funka light up the background signal .

May 23 : Though this tall Northern Lights azalea ’s cultivar name is ‘ White Lights’(Rhododendron‘White Lights ’ , Zones 4–8 ) , it is actually pink unless originate in full sun . unembellished reason is exposed where I dug out quantity of gooseneck loosestrife(Lysimachia clethroides , Zones 3–8 ) . Tiny shoots keep coming back all summer . I do n’t advocate it !

May 27 : This area is surrounded by a flagstone path . The pocket-sized maple ( upper left ) isAcer × pseudoseiboldianum‘Ice Dragon ’ ( Zones 4–8 ) . Hostas ( the white - march 1 are ‘ Blue Ivory ’ , Zones 3–8 ) , ferns , bugleweed(Ajuga reptens , Zones 3–10 ) , and astilbes(Astilbesp . , Zones 4–8 ) crowd around it .

June 5 : The back garden is mostly about foliage . Here Japanese painted ferns(Athyrium japonicum , Zones 5–9 ) maidenhair fern , sensitive fern(Onoclea sensibilis , Zones 4–8 ) , meadow rue(Thalictrum dioicum , Zones 4–7 ) , and three different genus Hosta contrast nicely in a narrow garden along the garage .

June 7 : Purple Siberian iris(Iris siberica , Zones 3–8 ) are in bloom by other June . Behind them is a large clump of narrow - leave spleenwort(Diplasium pycnocarpon , Zones 3–8 ) .

June 19 : At this point I ’d begun replant the space ( photo 2 ) by now more or less free of gooseneck loosestrife . This domain of the back garden includes Japanese paint fern and beech fern(Phegopteris connectilis , Zones 2–5 ) on either side of the ‘ El Niño ’ hostas . The ground screening on the left isSedum‘John Creech ’ ( Zones 3–8 ) , and there are a couple of patches of wild ginger(Asarum canadense , Zones 4–6 ) . The azalea has leafed out ; it will turn orange in September .

July 11 : The back garden features pink and purples in bound . By midsummer most of the blooms are white or lilac-colored . These white spike , very attractive to pollinator , belong to to Culver ’s root(Veronicastrum virginicum , Zones 4–8 ) .

August 8 : A lot of hostas and many species of ferns fill up in the late summer garden .

October 25 : It ’s all over except for the cleanup up , but a novel - this - time of year clematis is order out a few last flush . On the left is a Korean maple(Acer pseudosieboldianum , Zones 4–8 ) , also ruminate in the mirror .

October 28 : The back of the garden is lit up by the flame leave of absence of the ‘ Ice Dragon ’ maple shown in the third photo . It ’s a hardy hybrid between a Japanese maple and a Korean maple .

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