Tuesday, May 5, 2015

As seen on Pinterest: The Stock Tank Garden 2015

My Pinterest account has over 3,000 pins on 90 boards.  How many of those thousands of potential gardening projects have I put into action?  Several, including last year's crevice garden, an idea I originally pinned from other blogs like Danger Garden.  This year's stock tank garden was inspired by photos on Pinterest.  The results have exceeded expectations.


Last fall I decided to tackle an idea which kept turning up in my Pinterest boards--soft ornamental grasses mixed with violet-hued perennials.  If I pinned so many similar ideas then it's a concept I must like a lot.  That why I planted Verbena bonariensis and Mexican Feather Grass in my tank garden last fall.  A happy surprise is the appearance of Larkspur in analogous shades of violet to add an extra dimension of color.


Combining perennials and ornamental grasses isn't a new idea, it's been employed by the world's most celebrated landscape designers for years.  That's why my inspiration photos aren't in this post.  I hesitated to write Bury Court or Piet Ouldolf for permission to use their photos.  Instead my Pinterest board is linked for you.

What was my design approach?  With so many local variables it's best to adapt the concept instead of directly copying an idea.  Several of the photos showed allium which are not reliable in my climate and the short bloom season means the effect would be fleeting.  Verbena bonariensis grows well in my climate as does Mexican Feather Grass.  Even better, both were existing in my garden.  Verbena bonariensis had problems with powdery mildew in its previous shadier location and needed to be moved.  Now with all day sun it never wilts and didn't die back even after several light frosts this past winter.  It will bloom continuously all summer with occasional deadheading.


Before, this is how the garden looked in Fall 2014.  The grasses shown here are not in the stock tank. 


As a bonus, towering flowers and flowing grasses are mesmerizing in the wind.  We had wind gusts last week providing an opportunity to post another of those Awesome Motion photos.  I especially like how the Verbena bonariensis stays upright and sturdy in the wind.


Love the greens and violets together.


Larkspur is an annual and when it goes to seed, I'll probably move blue-violet Henry Duelberg Salvia over to keep the analogous color theme working.


Unless I decide the slightly red-violet of Salvia Amistad works better.  Then again, I could combine both colors with the verbena.


And to think this all happened because I needed to cover up a dead spot in the lawn.


I love it when a plan works, especially this well.

23 comments:

  1. The green and violet combination is superb Shirley. The grass, verbena, and larkspur together just looks wonderful!

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  2. Die Kombination aus Reihergras und Verbene sieht wunderbar aus. Ich werde deine Idee nachpflanzen.
    Gruß, Anette

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    1. Thank you Anette, I'm so glad to hear you like the combination so much you plan to try it in your own garden too.

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  3. That did work well, so well I might copy it in my gravel garden. I keep seeing Verbena bonariensis on other blogs, and I think it's time I gave it a try. Love your motion photo!

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    1. It would work great in your climate, I rarely water it even in summer.

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  4. Dead garden spots are nature's nudge to get creative! It looks great!

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    1. It's so much better than dead lawn as is your new garden.

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  5. Nice! Love it! Have you liked the Salvia Amistad? It's beautiful in your photo and you've mentioned it before, but I don't recall (or missed) how it handled summer.

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    1. The Salvia Amistad struggled a bit when first planted since it went in a little late so I had to water it more. So far this year it has not needed any supplemental water. I'll know more after this summer.

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  6. It's a wonderful combination and I love that Mother Nature added the larkspur. I've also had problems with powdery mildew on my Verbena so perhaps I'll follow your example and place it in a sunnier zone in an effort to realize its potential.

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  7. Fan-fricking-tabulous, Shirley! I love love love it, especially seeing it in motion.

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    1. Thanks Pam, those motion photos help a lot.

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  8. I have this combo in my hellstrip, and I've been admiring it all week. And as a bonus, the verbena is a butterfly magnet like I've rarely seen. I think putting that combo in a stock tank really elevates it and makes it pop. I may have to do that in my across-the-street project instead of the agave I was planning on using!

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  9. terrific colors, textures and proportion, plus those little purple verbena blooms going off like firecrackers over everything!...elevating the whole shebang in the stock tank really took it to another level (ahem) and framed everything so well...cannot wait to see it up close, she said pointedly ;)

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    1. Of course you would love the purple and you will see it soon before the Larkspur fades.

      (For my readers: Linda is the owner of the fabulous Rushing St. Garden)

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  10. Bravo! It really is quite lovely, well done!

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  11. The way you've combined all of those plants is wonderful Shirley! Makes me want to copy that too! That's what I've liked about following your blog and others. Great ideas are contagious!

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    1. Can't wait to see your version, I know you have some of these plants in your garden already.

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  12. Soooo satisfying. And now your photos will go up on who knows how many other pinterest boards! I don't think you could go wrong adding more purples to the mix. Though...if you go with a little color theory, a pop of orange mixed in, perhaps in proximity or peeking in from plants in the background, will really make those purples sing even when the wind isn't blowing.

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    1. The surrounding garden has plenty of yellow and orange for accent. I'm enjoying the restful colors as they are right now.

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  13. The limited palette and the way the grasses spill over the edges, fountain-like are very appealing.

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  14. Wow, I'll say! It looks fabulous. That garden project was a success--the design really works!

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  15. I love the deep purples of the larkspur with the flowing movement of the grasses - beautiful!

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