Garden TOUR
Summer goes on and on in this garden of vibrant perennials that celebrates the abundance of the season
Stepping into Terry and Eileen Kelly’s back garden when it’s in full flow is an instantly uplifting experience. Lofty perennials are closely packed into five island beds and large, well-shaped borders, creating blocks and bursts of bold colour. The central bed contains blue and purple flowers, including salvias, penstemons and agastache, with stately, tall cultivars used to great effect to immerse the visitor in an array of very special blooms.
Elsewhere, fiery orange heleniums are mixed with tall pink phlox, plum-coloured echinacea and shaggy-topped monarda. These are highlighted by fountains of ornamental grasses and a backdrop of vibrant foliage. At the last count, the couple recorded 425 different varieties of plants, but “there’s a lot more than that now,” smiles Terry. “Our plant list just keeps on growing and we could do with twice the space!”
A metal bench at the bottom of the garden provides the opportunity to get lost among these glorious flowers right now. “All you can see when you sit there is the biggest bed and it’s lovely to be able to sit among the borders,” explains Terry, who moved here with Eileen 17 years ago. They have been gradually adding to the areas of planting to conceal the house and create an oasis to envelope you and allow you to get lost among the flowers.
A major feature is an enormous painted pergola, creating height in the otherwise mainly single level garden, measuring about 3.5m long and 2.5m wide. This sits at the left-hand side of the garden, opposite French doors from the house. Three years ago, Terry and Eileen decided to extend their patio because the border behind it wasn’t being appreciated and the pergola was built over it to cover the whole patio, allowing for a visual change of pace from the floral displays. “We have mainly foliage plants here, with some of our collection of 50 acers, ferns and different hostas. It’s our favourite place to sit as it’s so restful,” says Terry. With little natural shade in the garden, the pergola has been covered with shade netting to allow the acers the perfect growing conditions. Terry explains: “The netting keeps the sun off the acers. ‘Aureum’ used to have its leaves burnt by the sun but now it doesn’t.”
