Garden with perennials happily blooming in large flower bed
One of the classes I took in my Master Gardener’s continuing education was taught by Roy Diblik, plantsman, designer and author of The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden book. He is the owner of Perennial Farm, a nursery in Burlington, Wisconsin and is best known as the plantsman behind the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park in Chicago.
His philosophy is simple. Knowing your plants means less work. His book is about gardening in a new way — one that is in harmony with how plants grow and interact with each other. He uses perennials that do well in the Midwest and his method provides diverse, beautiful gardens.
In early June, 3 friends and I drove out to the Perennial Farm in Burlington and toured the gardens that serve as a life sized demonstration of his philosophy. We were all impressed with how beautiful those perennial gardens were and the interesting thing is that his method takes much less work. Of course we all bought plants that we admired growing on site and most of us bought his book. There is also there is some talk about us going back to see the same gardens this autumn to see the seasonal transition.
As my garden friends and I have gotten older, we all talk about how to make our gardens easier to manage but still maintain their beauty. I think, for me, I will start transitioning to some of the plants that Joe Diblik recommends that are easier to maintain and phase out some current plants that I call my “sickly children.” Basically they are the plants that look good for a short time, but need far too much care to justify their brief moment of glory.
To see more: www.northwindperennialfarm.com
Rock wall in another section of Roy’s garden with small perennials and background of trees