Inspiring North Carolina Garden

An immaculate carpet of zoysia grass is as lush as a fairway. Its bright green hue complements the warmer colors used near the house. The brick walk, laid in a traditional running bond pattern, leads the eye (and guests) right to the steps. Too often, a foreboding hedge of large shrubs obscures the porch. Here, low plantings complement the facade.

Stalwart annuals and perennials such as purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, angelonias, Persian shields, SunPatiens, coreopsis, lamb's ears, mandevillas, and Shasta daisies offer nonstop color throughout the hot summer. Some also provide cut flowers. The landscape's formal design reins in the tumult of exuberant plantings and also provides an excellent venue for strolling and entertaining.

A sculptural armillary sphere fixed atop a pedestal Christine found at an antiques store is the garden's centerpiece and bumps up the formality of the space.

Planters, pedestals, and even rooster statues can be nestled into beds for added color and interest.

Lamb's ears, boxwood, yellow creeping Jenny, and pineapple lily make a striking combination.

One step down from the kitchen door on the side of the house (adjacent to the formal garden) sits this quiet space ideal for intimate conversation and daily reflection. The pergola gives a sense of enclosure while still letting light into the sheltered nook. "The patio garden is an extension of our home for outdoor living," says Christine. "It's a quiet spot to enjoy flowers and plants."

Pots are versatile and varied, offering many sizes, shapes, and colors, and you can move them around. Most plants grow better in pots than they do in the ground due to better soil. Here, Japanese maples, conifers, vines, and summer annuals thrive in Christine's collection of containers. "I'm a pottery junkie," she confesses. "I've never met a pot I didn't fall in love with, so they dot this garden and provide a nice continuity to the overall look."

Tall hardwoods behind the parterre garden required a drastic change in the plant palette to shade-loving plants that could thrive in the dappled light. This naturalistic space offers an inviting, relaxed contrast to the formal parterre garden. Fieldstone and other irregularly shaped rocks nestled into soft pine straw form the winding path. Pines, Japanese maples, ferns, and moss blend different foliage textures and shades of green.

Pots of shade-loving caladiums and impatiens add splashes of color along the way.