Happy Friday, GPODers!
It has been a while since we’ve gotten an update from Nina Eadie in Montana, and her latest submission revealed her absence has been due to a recent move to a new property . . . directly across the street from the garden we’re familiar with (check out some of these previous submissions to get a refresher on Nina’s previous garden: Nina’s Garden in Montana, Nina’s Dry Stream Bed, and Inspired Montana Paradise). While the move wasn’t far, and didn’t involve adjusting to a new climate or conditions, there are still plenty of challenges to tackle and a new, low-maintenance approach to execute.
My husband and I have gardened in Corvallis, Montana, (officially Zone 5b, but colder in reality) for the last 20 years. In 2020 we built a house directly across the street from our old house, where we had gardened for the previous 15 years (featured some years ago on GPOD). Even though we knew the area intimately, starting a garden completely from scratch has been challenging. Our goal was to create a garden that was more low-maintenance than our old one but still with a lush, colorful, and interesting feel to it.
This photo shows the south hill, which was the first area we landscaped, both to stabilize the hill and to give our neighbors something besides construction dirt to look at! This was our first attempt at “boulder-scaping,” and so far, it’s done its job of keeping the hill stable. Birch, low-growing ‘Blueberry Delight’ juniper (Juniperus communis var. depressa ‘AmiDak’, Zones 2–6), and ‘Pumilio’ mugo (Pinus mugo var. pumilio, Zones 3–7), ‘Westerstede’ Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra ‘Westerstede’, Zones 3–7), and ornamental grasses provide year-round interest, with seasonal color from barberry ‘Admiration’ and ‘Crimson Pygmy’ barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Admiration’ and ‘Crimson Pygmy’, Zones 4–8), ‘Royal Purple’ smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, Zones 4–8), ‘Amber Jubilee’ ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Jefam’, Zones 2–8), and spring and summer color from daffodils, ‘South Seas’ and ‘Yellowstone’ daylilies (Hemerocallis ‘South Seas’ and ‘Yellowstone’, Zones 3–9), and ‘Lemon Meringue’ and ‘Cherries Jubilee’ baptisia (Baptisia ‘Lemon Meringue’ and ‘Cherries Jubilee’, Zones 4–9). On the right, you can see the dog yard, which also includes an area they’ve grudgingly relinquished to us for our barbecue!
An overview of the front yard; this was the next area we tackled, since it’s visible from the street.
At one end is what we jokingly call “Wilderness North,” a densely planted area that will provide privacy from the street as it matures. Blue spruce, both upright and sprawling, are mixed with ‘Whitespire’ birch (Betula populifolia ‘Whitespire’, Zones 3–6) and my favorite low-growing evergreen, ‘Hillside Creeper’ scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris ‘Hillside Creeper’, Zones 2–8). Ivory Halo® redtwig dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Bailhalo’, Zones 3–7) provides additional winter interest. Bulbs provide spring color, along with Pinktini™ lilac (Syringa × prestoniae ‘Jeftini’, Zones 2–7), ‘‘Hillary’ Itoh peony (Paeonia ‘Hillary’, Zones 4–8), ‘Hook’ iris (Iris ‘Jefam’, Zones 3–8), and Winecraft Black® smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘NCCO1’, Zones 4–8).
The startlingly yellow new growth of ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’, Zones 4–8) adds more color.
Arctic Jade® maple (Acer × pseudosieboldianum ‘IsIAJ’, Zones 4–8) is a cross between A. palmatum and A. pseudosieboldianum from Iseli Nursery’s Jack Frost® collection. A. palmatum is not hardy here, but this cross has made it through four pretty brutal winters and is doing well, in part due to its very protected spot in this alcove between the house and garage.
Another section of the front yard with our soon-to-be water feature at the end of one of several dry creek beds made from rocks excavated during planting, while a quail family scampers across the fallen log: More red-twig dogwoods are visible in the background, along with sweet iris (Iris pallida, Zones 4–9) and ‘Blue Shag’ dwarf white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’, Zones 3–8). Tiny ‘Jane’ magnolia (Magnolia ‘Jane’, Zones 4–8) at the far right had a single, beautiful pink bloom this year!
The opposite end of the front yard is planted inside and outside the fence with a mixture of shrubs and perennials but is eventually destined to become “Wilderness South,” with its own mixture of trees and shrubs! The rusty piece in the foreground is locally known as a “tumblebug.” My husband and I found it years ago in the middle of the Bitterroot River, hauled it out, and brought it home. Several locals have told us that their grandfathers used these in the construction of the nearby Painted Rocks Dam. It’s now proudly part of my husband’s “rust collection.” Fortunately, we’re both up-to-date on our tetanus vaccines!
Thank you so much for this update and sharing the progress on your new gardens, Nina! Your previous garden was absolutely delightful, but in the short time you’ve been in your new space you’ve created an inspiring amount of beauty and interest. I hope more updates come as the plantings mature and evolve. 🙂
We’ve featured a lot of garden transformations on the blog this week, and I hope it inspires you to share your garden’s changes! Unlike other art forms, gardens are projects that are always in a state of change. Whether you’ve been tending your gardens for decades or just built your beds last year, we’d love to see how things have evolved. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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