Good Timing

Photographing mature gardens is always serendipitious: on the days when I am free to photograph, the weather doesn't always accommodate. This is particularly true of snow while it is still fresh & clean. Light is the other big challenge and of course, rain. Not to mention street cleaning, construction and block parties. I lucked out yesterday while driving back from a current client's installation in Evanston, when I swung past a client's garden that we had installed a few years ago. Not only was it cloudy, but at the end of the day as well, so the light was soft & at a good angle.
Most people know that blooms are often the last thing I contemplate in design (after form, foliage, texture, seasonal interest, movement, frangrance etc.), but here I was pleasantly surprised by the bloom on the native coralbell (Heuchera villosa macrorrhiza). Below, you can see its creamy, bottlebrushy plumes waving around bemusedly.
I also want to point out another plant that delighted me in its seasonal combination: the Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia caespitosa 'Goldtau'). It is a pretty tough grass that takes less than full sun. Its simple, elegant foliage contrasts effectively with the many other larger & rougher leaved plants in this garden.
This spring, these clients had such a busy life that they asked me to plant the windowbox that they usually do so well themselves. I had fun playing with foliage to compliment the home & garden and was pleased by the lushness of the annuals after our summer of heat & humidity. Hopefully, in this space, you will appreciate the subtle play of those many traits I hope to create in a garden to engage the people living nearby.