The Goodbye Garden

In the garden that inspired Delores Cullivan to create Artistic Gardenscapes, she devoted 12 years to creating a sylvan spot out of overgrown bushes, wild wisteria, and long-fallow land. Cottage garden flowers in a perennial sun bed that spans the length of the lot include penstemon, purple coneflower, summer phlox, Russian sage and bluebeard. In the back yard, masses of purple-leaved perilla and oxalis make a showy border in the shade beds punctuated by a bright red Japanese arbor.

Delores recommends perennials over annuals and bulbs because, with proper fertilizer and mulching in Spring, deadheading in Summer and pruning back after the first freeze, the plants improve year by year.