Today we’re in Hopewell, New Jersey, visiting with Courtney and Denys Turner.
We have worked very hard to create hardy but beautiful perennial borders in our back and front gardens, à la Piet Oudolf—the naturalistic style or “new perennial movement.”
The back border is against a fence and gets a lot of sun most of the day. The soil is dry and sandy on the mound and heavy clay everywhere else.
Lots of perennials, many of them native, create an informal, naturalistic look.
Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida, Zones 5–9) and a purple aster (Symphyotrichum species)
Neatly edged grass paths provide a tidy contrast to the informal plantings in the beds.
Coneflowers (Echinacea hybrids, Zones 5–9) take center stage with their bright pink flowers.
Ornamental grasses are key to the new perennial movement, providing a unifying texture to the design.
All of these coneflowers and Rudbeckia are beautiful and very popular with pollinators. Along the fence are sunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual), which will provide a snack for the local birds once their seeds have matured.
Different perennials growing together create a tapestry of color.