Fall 2008 - Border Renovation Update

Redesigning the NPA Border
by Glenn Withey

Charles and I have been working on the border redesign over the past several months, and it has been both a challenge and a pleasure.

When the NPA originally decided to install a display border, Charles was appointed lead designer.  I, being the supportive spouse naturally agreed to assist, and we asked Bob Lilly and Carrie Becker to help out. 

The original intent was to create a garden that would both highlight garden classics, and introduce to the public some of the newest cultivars. The border was meant to be an ever-evolving display, with most plants coming and going as trees grew, climactic conditions changed, etc.

Now the garden has been given a second chance.  I will be the first to admit that the renovation has been controversial, as some people believe nothing should change.  Life however is full of changes and surprises, and no matter how hard we try and hold on, things cannot and will not ever remain the same.

So, what is in store with the new border?  First off, more pathways will bisect the garden.  It has been very problematic, with the depth of the existing borders, to readily access the plants for maintenance and mulching.  There will still be visual blocks, as we don’t want the entire garden to be revealed in one view.  And, with more pathways it will be a lot easier to create ‘double border’ effects, where one is enveloped in plants and beauty.

The best of the existing perennials and shrubs will be reused, while other plants are being assigned to the compost heap.  Twenty years ago plants like Ranunculus ficaria were relatively well behaved.  Well, not anymore judging from the many square yards this plant has colonized. 

One of our main criteria is to use plants that don’t seed in or run rampant.  As the two of us have gotten older, while we still enjoy gardening as much as ever, we prefer to not spend our time endlessly weeding out thuggish volunteers.  And, we owe to what is left of our natural environment to not introduce yet more plants that crowd out the natives.

In order to provide more year round interest/structure, we’ll be creating a true mixed border.  To help ‘anchor’ the border in the doldrum months, some evergreens will be used--such as Taxus (yew), Buxus (boxwood) and Nandina (heavenly bamboo) among other plants.  Starting with winter blooming cyclamen and hellebores, the garden will progress through out the seasons with something always being in flower or fruit.  We decided to utilize some shrubs that can take crowding from vigorous herbaceous perennial neighbors, as this is something we do in all of our designs.

The main intent with the border was, and still is, to educate the public and our membership.  We’ll need all of your support in order to achieve this.

Two of the Northwest’s best-known garden designers, Glenn Withey and Charles Price brought much acclaim to the NPA Border in its early years. They founded the Border Committee and managed the Border for several years, during its glory days. The two are intimately familiar with the garden and savvy about working with the City of Bellevue, bringing a mix of down-to-earth pragmatism and soaring inspiration to the project. They are generously donating much of their time on the Border renovation project, which is the only way NPA could afford them!