Van Bourgondien

I swear my gardens must be Irish

I swear my gardens must be Irish. As St. Patrick's Day approaches, it is certainly clothing itself in green everywhere.

And why shouldn't my garden be Irish on St. Paddy's Day? Isn't that the one day when the whole world becomes Irish? When, proud as I am of a name that shows its Dutch heritage, just for the day I am knows as Debbie O'Van Bourgondien (which is kind of a mouth full, I'll admit)? This is a day when we allow ourselves to be fanciful, to sing about Irish eyes and to see the little people peeking up at us from the greenery.

For where else would you find the little people but in the greenery? And what color is more important in a garden than green? There is more of that color in most yards than any other - even though we tend to talk about flower colors as if the leaves didn't quite exist. We would never think of it indoors, but outside green is the great neutral color - the one that actually dominates and yet somehow manages to make it somewhat unobtrusive - Unobtrusive enough to play host to a whole party of leprechauns - and maybe a pot of gold.

Or if not a pot of gold coins, maybe a few Calla lilies 'Millennium Gold' to create the illusion? Or a nice display of daylily'Stella D'Oro'? Plant them now and later you can fancy them as a gift from those little people. The calla is almost large enough to be a leprechaun's bathtub - while the dainty Stella would make a nice cup for drinking the dew off the leaves. Plant them in containers and you really will have pots full of gold - quite literally!

But back to green. Did you ever stop to think of what your garden would look like without the green? Think about it for a moment and you'll know why the Irish are so fond of it. They know that green comes in many thousands of shades - which is what makes Ireland the "Emerald Isle." You can create a beautiful picture without even using any other colors!

There is nothing as charming as a vignette composed of green hostas and ferns - two plants that are simple to grow - almost care free - and which contrast perfectly with each other. In the heat of summer, the two together are a cooling site - at any time they look and make me feel serene. Plus, the giant leaves of the hosta make a perfect blanket for those leprechauns and sprites that we just know spend their nights frolicking in our flowers.

Try mixing the golden green of Hosta 'Sum and Substance' with the blue-green of 'Bressingham Blue', and add the lacy deep green deep green foliage of a Royal Fern or two to create an enchanted little Emerald Isle of your own.

Think about textures as well - from the finely divided foliage of ferns, to the exclamation point of an iris fan, to the broad bold lines of hostas and elephant ears. And I'll let you in on a secret - those bold 'Black Magic' elephant ears really are magic! Grow them indoors out of the sun and they turn to a plain and ordinary green. They look black as coal but are really the deepest, darkest most mysterious green around when the sun nourishes them. Isn't a little magic a must in your garden?

But think how well they would look combined with the fine texture of ornamental grasses - especially the gleaming blades of Miscanthus 'Morning Light' - like pairing day with night just to add to your enchanted garden.

And let's not forget the one shape that is of supreme importance to the Irish - even those who are Irish only for a day, like me. That is the three-leafed shape we call the shamrock. Most of us are familiar with the story of how St. Patrick taught the people of Ireland about the mystery of the Holy Trinity by using a shamrock to illustrate his point - but even if we aren't, we all know what a good Irishman wears on March 17th.

I'll tell you another secret - the shamrock that you buy in the grocery store around this time is really a plant called oxalis. There are many, many types of oxalis - including one that is a vile weed in my garden. But the one that I truly love is Oxalis triangularis, which has lovely pink flowers above deep, deep purple foliage.

That's right - I said purple. Not green. You do want to show off your shamrock, don't you? And what better way that to let it contrast with all those shades of green? It's a shamrock that any self-respecting leprechaun would be proud to acknowledge - and you'll love it both in the garden and in containers.

Make your garden an enchanted playground, not just for St. Patrick's Day but all summer long. You may get lucky and attract the little people - and we all know that they bring good luck (and perhaps that elusive pot of real gold). But even if you never catch them at play, the beauty and enjoyment you get from a garden is good luck and happiness all by itself.

Erin go bragh!