Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’
Cole’s prostrate Hemlock
PINACEAE, The Pine family
Today I visited Gina’s garden with Anne, and found it lovely. In the front yard there is a small mixed border above a low wall that feels as if it is suspended in time, for many of the small treasures it contains would easily grow too large for the space. But I think its various diverse elements are frequently exchanged with fresh, colorful new puzzle pieces. Along the side yard there are container plantings with succulents and alpines (some that I made,) and small trees tucked here and there.
The back is calmer, more carefully composed. One of its elements is Cole’s prostrate hemlock, a soft textured dwarf, growing to the very manageable size of 2 feet tall and wide. It is often used in Asian style gardens, and it lends that air here. I’ve seen plants labeled as this cultivar behave in two very different ways. One spreads with horizontal branches, the other’s branches weeping down to the ground at an abrupt angle; I find the former much more attractive and don’t know if the difference is age, pruning, variation among grower’s stocks or if it is a case of mislabeled plants (oh horrors!).
Also in the back garden is a raised area with a teak pergola from New York. The neighbor will soon be removing a very large oak tree which now gives the garden much shade and a high ceiling. With all the sun coming in, Gina is renovating one section to introduce more light-lovers. In the meantime she also must find a way to protect a nice new Japanese maple and some black bamboo from sunburn. Before I left she gave me a really beautiful book of botanical illustrations by a 15th c. artist, Jacques LeMoyne.
