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The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

Perennial Border

The Perennial Border is the linear planted area which Lilacparallels the walkway at the lower end of the Great Lawn. The Border is 150 feet long, and from 10-15 feet wide; most of the area is shaded until midday, and receives varying amounts of afternoon sunshine. Over 100 species of perennials fill the border, many of which are native to our area. Plants are selected to provide colorful blooms and interesting foliage from April through November.

A team of 3 or 4 graduate and intern Master Gardeners volunteers work on the Border every Friday morning during the growing season. This constitutes very low maintenance for such a large area, and the border exemplifies the vigor of the plants chosen to thrive in this environment. Besides coping with their low-maintenance regime, the Border plants survive without a watering system and despite the attentions of the local deer.

(First Section, next to the cottage): This is a shady area with dry, acid soil. The yellow-leaved groundcover Lysimachea numularia (Moneywort), and Ajuga pyramidalis with green-red crinkled leaves and blue flowers, thrive along the pathway. Black Snakeroot Cimicifuga “Hillside Black Beauty” (now formally classified as ‘Actaea’), produces striking purple-green leaves and, in early September, tall spires of wonderfully perfumed white flowers.
(Second Section – the middle, sunny area): The second section is planted to more sun-loving perennials: Dianthus (Cheddar Pinks); Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan); Phlox; Echinacea (Purple Coneflower); Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage). Centering this area, against the stone wall, is a large clump of Miscanthus sinensis (Zebra Grass), which will reach a height of well over 8 feet when it flowers late in the season.

Dittany(Third Section – under the Redbud tree): Shadier than the central portion of the Border, this section is home to a butterfly bush Buddleia “Lochinch”,the meadowrue “Thalictrum rochebrunianum with glabrous purple stems reaching to 7 feet and topped by masses of tiny lilac blooms in August. In front of the meadowrue, Ligularia stenocephela “The Rocket” produces rocket-burst inflorescences of yellow flowers in August. Lower-growing plants include Astilbe; Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s mantle), primula and low-growing Aster dumosis.

The Perennial Border is bracketed by two notable trees: the Heartnut (Juglans ailantifolia var. cordiforma) is a grafted tree produced by Dr. Francis Bartlett: the frost-tender Heartnut scion is grafted onto the roots of the closely-related and cold-hardy Butternut tree. The tree at the far northern end of the Perennial Border is an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). It flowers in early May for Mother’s Day and for our Spring Plant Sale. This tree is leguminous, a member of the pea family, and is interesting because it produces red-purple pea-shaped flowers all along its woody branches.

The Perennial Border is a feature of the monthly Gardens In Bloom tours which are offered at the Bartlett once a month from May through August. These tours include the Cottage Garden and the Sundial Garden, and are a wonderful introduction to a wide variety of perennials and annuals which are ideally suited to local garden conditions.