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I'm so glad you've time to tour Rugosa Gardens. I'm Vickie Perrine and I live with my family in northwest Ohio, USA in a rather large 'folk Victorian' house. We have an acre of land to enjoy with plenty of large old treees. My garden is in the style of an English cottage garden, with flowers mingling with trees and shrubs rambling over flowers, what I like to call a controlled disarray. I have over 200 different types of perennials, trees, and shrubs, and every year I add various annuals depending on my mood. Our summers are hot and humid, and our winters are cold, often without snow cover to protect the plants. I use bonemeal, compost, and alfalfa meal to amend our clay soil. Everything is well mulched with wood chips, so maintenance, watering and weeding, is minimal.
Why do I call my garden the Rugosa Gardens? Rugosa comes from the Latin rugo, meaning 'full of wrinkles.' If a professional designer were to visit my garden, they would find many 'wrinkles', areas that just seem to break all the rules of color placement and design. There are plants normally thought of as shade plants in somewhat sunny areas, and sun lovers in the shade. In many areas of my garden, Mother Nature has been the designer, and she seems to have her own rules. I don't use any chemicals or sprays, so yes, some plants have leaves with holes or chewed edges and there are some weeds. But I like to think of weeds as unrecognized 'wildflowers' and any critters who happen to visit the garden, as 'guests.' I have several varieties of the hardy Rugosa rose shrub. They are easy to grow, have pretty scented blooms and their leaves are a dark, lush green and are rugose, or wrinkled. The shrubs are scattered throughout the garden, adding their charm and wonderful fragrance. As we tour the garden, watch for glimpses of red dashing through the foliage. Look carefully, and you may catch a glimpse of my 4 basenjis. But you must be quick, for they rarely stand still. Your what? you may ask. A basenji is a small dog originally from Africa, with a curly tail, wrinkled (rugose) brow, and an inability to bark. The basenjis have access to 2/3 of the garden, and amazingly do not cause much destruction. They are very agile and prefer to weave between the plants, rather than trampling them. One of the most beautiful sights in the Rugosa Gardens is the basenjis bounding among the blooms.
Let's start the tour. Put on your walking shoes, grab some tea, and we'll begin. (please be patient while the photos load)
[ Meet the Rugosa Basenjis | View My Quilts | Email Rugosa Gardens ]
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