star jasmine

The intoxicating fragrance of Trachelospermum asiaticum greets you along the fence as you enter the garden.

Louisiana iris

Elizabeth’s original Iris ‘Royal Velour’, which she planted below the terrace in 1958, lives every bit up to its name.

ground cover rose

Rosa ‘Snow Carpet’ drapes over a low wall behind the house.

yarrow

Elizabeth’s original Achillea millefolium var. rosea blooms May through August.

yellow-eyed grass

Sisyrinchium palmifolium, planted by previous owner and national treasure Lindie Wilson, marks cocktail hour, as its flowers unfurl around four o’clock every afternoon.

butterfly weed

Asclepias tuberosa is one of the most satisfying cut-and-come-again perennials for the summer garden.

Japanese iris

Elizabeth’s original Iris laevigata ‘Reine des Bulgares’ has bloomed every spring since she planted it in 1957.

clematis

Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’ winds its way through Rosa ‘La Marne’ in one of the sunny borders.

daylily

Elizabeth’s original Hemerocallis ‘Lady Bountiful’ is among the first daylilies to bloom.

Argentine sage

Salvia guaranitica begins to flower this month, and goes non-stop until hard frost. It is (thankfully) less aggressive than other tall sages, yet remains a pollinator’s paradise.

clematis (viticella group)

The flowers of Clematis ‘Venosa Violacea’ are as mesmerizing as they can be fleeting.

flowering tobacco

Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’ is another spectacular addition to the garden by Lindie Wilson. It blooms from spring through hard frost.

chocolate moneywort

Lysimachia congestiflora ‘Midnight Sun’ has performed beautifully for at least a few years in the landing above the pool.

St. Joseph's lily

Hippeastrum johnsonii refuses to go unnoticed! Its white-striped red trumpet flowers regale the arrival of summer in the beds by the pool.

Indian pink

A fantastic native wild flower, Spigelia marilandica blooms throughout summer if kept deadheaded.

climbing hydrangea

Schizophragma hydrangeoides ‘Moonlight’ is a mouthful, but those flowers—nearly ten inches across!—and silvered leaves are certainly an eyeful.

Japanese sweetspire

Find Elizabeth’s original Itea japonica along the lower back path.

prairie phlox

A bit of Elizabeth’s original Phlox pilosa ‘Peach Blossom’, which came from her dear friend Caroline Dormon in 1957, blooms in the lower sunny border.