As part of last week’s garden tours at the annual Garden Writers Association symposium we had the distinct pleasure of visiting Montrose, the well-known garden and nursery of plantswoman Nancy Goodwin. It was my first visit and I have to say, the garden was nothing short of stunning. Nancy has been responsible for introducing some fabulous plants to perennial gardens and gardeners around the world, including one of the finest heucheras ever to grace a garden, Heuchera ‘Montrose Ruby’. It’s a classic!
I was able to add three species of hardy cyclamen to my own collection from Nancy’s garden, as well as a few other interesting and unusual perennials. I hope I have the opportunity to visit the garden again some day and see its spectacular beauty in every season. Here are a couple of photographs from our autumn visit. Notice the incredible use of textures in the garden. Though there are some autumn flowering plants putting their best foot forward, much of the interest in this garden comes from outstanding combinations of foliage juxtaposed against one another and against the creative and beautiful hardscape features of the garden.
Thanks so much to Nancy for opening her garden to a motley crew and allowing us all the pleasure of seeing it in person!