Your Home, Garden and Travel

When it comes to focal points in the garden, Helen Yoest knows what goes and grows well together! Perfectly placed objects partner with plants to create delightful vignettes as you meander along the charming paths.

I had the pleasure of visiting Helen and her garden, Helen's Haven, during the Garden Conservancy Open Days in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Helen is, as my husband stated, "a ball of energy" as she is a mom to three children, a gardener, a garden writer, a volunteer, champion and organizer of many charitable and worthwhile causes.

I first met Helen back in the winter, and she's great fun. I know that I could easily spend hours upon hours hanging out with Helen! After a warm greeting, all it took was "you have society garlic" and "love the castor bean plants" for Helen to present me with paper bags and seeds to bring home.

A flowing fountain in the front yard garden is framed by architectural plants, ground covers, perennials and annuals.

The curb appeal of Helen's garden is quite dynamic and I'm sure her neighbors must be thrilled to have such a beautiful view when driving past her house each day. This section was on the right side, while the left side included some beautiful roses along with the other plants. Boxwood hedges curve along the paths to carry you into the side gardens.

The tall, bending stems of cleome echo the shape of the bottle tree "branches" in the backyard garden.

Her backyard garden includes several connected "rooms" to enjoy, each one with welcoming paths. Among the different rooms, Helen has an herb garden, a formal section, and a mixed border that slopes down to create a colorful display for enjoying from her fabulous porch (that I'd call a loggia). Interspersed are places to sit as well as spaces for her children to play.

The birds, bees and butterflies find both homes and food in Helen's garden. During my visit, I noticed hummingbirds, a downy woodpecker and goldfinches darting among the flowers and feeders. Helen had a few interesting "garden friends" enjoying time on her back porch in their chrysalis houses. One interesting character was a saddleback caterpillar moth.

The gardens are filled with ornamental trees, shrubs and vines that work together to give the gardens a sense of lushness while serving as "walls" to separate the garden rooms.

I understand why the garden is called "Helen's Haven" as it is indeed a welcoming sanctuary for all who are fortunate enough to spend a little time there. My thanks to Helen for opening her garden to inspire and encourage gardeners. What a delightful visit!


Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Helen Yoest's Garden (Raleigh, NC); September 2009

Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' blooms in late summer and into fall. I planted four in the trial area of my deer resistant garden. I'm trying different companions to use with caryopteris.

Agastache, salvia, gaillardia and lantana require the same growing conditions in my zone 7 garden - drought tolerant, full sun, good drainage, deer and rabbit resistant. And certain varieties of these companions hold their blooms long enough to use with the caryopteris!

Caryopteris grows to about three feet high and can be planted two feet apart. It should be cut back to about twelve inches in early spring to promote blooms on the new growth.

The blue bloom color looks good with pink, yellow, dark blue, apricot, orange and white. So many choices!

The fourth caryopteris that I have planted is among other blues - with buddleia 'Adonis Blue', salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue', salvia 'Black & Blue' and caryopteris 'Snow Fairy'.

Therein lies my conundrum. When a plant works so well with so many other colors, I have a difficult time deciding on the companions. Fortunately, I have time to decide since I will wait until spring to move the plants out of the holding area and into a design.


Photos and words by Freda Cameron

It was an exciting thing when one of the Monarch caterpillars moved from the asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) over to a large container planted with purple fountain grass, lantana, Persian shield and ageratum. I first noticed the "J" shape (that indicates the cat is ready to form the chrysalis) on August 30.

The next morning the cat was still a "J" but by afternoon of August 31, the chrysalis was formed.



This morning, I went out for my morning walk/run and noticed that the chrysalis was changing. I could see the design of the Monarch. By the time I finished my walk, this little girl had emerged!



It took exactly two weeks from the formation of the chrysalis to today's eclose. Our Monarch took a few hours to dry her wings and flap them to get some strength. She then moved onto the lantana blooms for nectar. This afternoon, she was flitting about the garden to feed on buddleia, marigolds, zinnias, agastache and salvias.

What a thrill to watch the metamorphosis! I'll be on the lookout for the other six caterpillars that fed on the milkweed. I should see more of the Monarch butterflies later this week. I think my garden has definitely earned the Monarch Waystation certification!

For more information on providing a habitat for Monarchs, visit Monarch Watch.

Photos and words by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; August/September 2009

Review by Freda Cameron

The package arrived on my doorstep one summer afternoon. I immediately sat down and started reading the book. All other plans were put aside for the day as I consumed the information. I read all of Part One, Perennial Care Basics and skimmed every page of Part Two, Plant-By-Plant Perennial Guide, before putting the book down for the day.

The Perennial Care Manual by Nancy J. Ondra is indeed a page-turner for every gardener. So engaging, it is easy for any gardener, beginner or experienced, to get caught up in the plot!

Oh, and the photography! Photographer Rob Cardillo not only captures the details in the how-to photos, but provides drool-worthy eye candy in the photos of spectacular perennials and combinations.

This isn't your average plant care manual! Reading the book is like going into the garden with Nan as she explains her methods and tips on creating, caring for, and keeping up appearances in the perennial garden. She guides you through the basics of designing and creating a new garden or reworking your established garden. All the while, there is underlying light-hearted humor that makes the book lively, fun and easy to understand.

The perennial reference section of 125 popular plants is an absolutely wonderful resource to have on your bookshelf. There's no skimpy, incomplete information as each plant receives 1-2 pages of coverage. There is a description, photo, and sections on growing tips and seasonal care for each plant. With some perennials, Nan includes a section on troubleshooting common problems. Nan also does an excellent job of mentioning special considerations for zones, conditions and care in her "Relatively Speaking" sections.

The Perennial Care Manual won't be put away on the shelf to gather dust. But, it may gather some muddy finger prints when I take it into my garden!