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At present’s photographs are from Nancy Ondra.
Hayefield, my homestead in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, started over 20 years in the past, once I constructed a log cabin on a minimally managed hayfield on our household farm. I slowly created the gardens, which now fill about an acre, and let about two acres return to meadow. The remaining acre served as pasture for my alpacas; now I’m letting most of it return to meadow too.
The aspect backyard at Hayefield in late August, with golden lace (Patrinia scabiosifolia, Zone 5–8) and Deam’s orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, Zones 3–9).
Through the years, the backyard areas have served many functions. They’ve been a dwelling laboratory the place I’ve labored on plant combos and shade themes and experimented with backyard upkeep methods for the books I’ve written. They’ve supplied countless alternatives for backyard pictures as effectively.
This can be a transition space from backyard to meadow in mid-October, with fall shade from Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica, Zones 5–9), Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum, Zones 3–8), and Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii, Zones 5–8).
Regularly, my curiosity shifted from buying the newest trademarked cultivars to having fun with the genetic range of seed-grown vegetation. I’ve been collaborating in seed exchanges since I began gardening practically 40 years in the past, and a couple of decade in the past I began promoting seeds from my gardens and meadows on-line.
That is the aptly named seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia, Zones 4–8), an jap North American native with distinctive cubic seed capsules.
I’m making an attempt very arduous to not create new backyard areas, so every year I’ve been changing present beds and borders into seed analysis and manufacturing areas, changing lots of the cultivars with seedlings from my germination experiments and making an attempt out new-to-me seeds of unusual species, heirloom varieties, and horticultural oddities.
One in every of my favourite new vegetation this 12 months is ‘Keith’s Ailsa Gold Leaf’ tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, Zones 10–11 or as an annual), which is from seed shared with me by one among my prospects.
The soil right here at Hayefield tends to be on the moist aspect in some areas, particularly in winter, however that’s not an issue for marsh eryngo (Eryngium aquaticum, Zones 6–8).
As a substitute of placing vegetation collectively to create stunning combos, I now puzzle out the right way to hold them far sufficient aside to forestall the assorted seed strains from crossing. Many of the gardens nonetheless look garden-y, however that’s extra by luck than by design.
The again nook was once my vegetable backyard; now I name it my seed farm. I’ve given up making an attempt to recollect the place all the pieces is, so I needed to create a map and add labels to the beds to verify all the pieces I would like for seed will get planted and picked up.
Whereas I nonetheless drool over the newest perennial introductions and luxuriate in planning attention-grabbing combos on paper, the yearly cycle of sowing, rising, and accumulating seeds is so absorbing that I don’t a lot miss having a properly designed “present” backyard. There’s nonetheless loads of house left for brand spanking new initiatives, and there could also be extra modifications sooner or later—I’ve lengthy been tempted to strive my hand at rising minimize flowers, for instance—so I’m positive I’ll by no means be bored!
False indigos (Baptisia spp.) thrive right here within the areas with higher drainage, so I’ve planted quite a few species and a few older picks, together with ‘Purple Smoke’ and ‘Carolina Moonlight’. The bumblebees take pleasure in all of them and have created some terrific pure hybrids in a variety of heights, types, and colours. I save seed from the very best every year to promote as ‘Hayefield Hybrids’.
If you wish to study extra about Nancy and her stunning backyard, take a look at her web site.
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