The Clark Garden — A Backyard Woodland Oasis

I first encountered the garden of Gail and Hal Clark on a “Through the Garden Gate” tour in 2017. These tours of privately-owned gardens in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area are my favorites; they show what can be achieved by a typical gardener, and the Clarks’ garden was no exception. The front yard was dominated by a sunny round garden with lots of colorful blossoms, but the focus of the tour was in back. We were directed to a wide path that led us downhill pretty precipitously. At the bottom of the hill was the first of several paths that seemed to disappear into lush bands of foliage. I would never have guessed that this restful green retreat had once been a wet mess, overwhelmed by stormwater runoff from the hills adjacent to the backyard. It was that runoff, however, that sparked the beginnings of this glorious garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The transformation got rolling when the County of Albemarle reached out to the Clarks in September of 2007 with an offer to help tame the “waterway” that regularly ran through their backyard on its way to Ivy Creek. The Clarks then planted about 15 shrubs, including viburnums, pieris, and as Gail says, “unfortunately, mahonia as well.” Although these plantings helped, it was apparent that more were necessary, so the Clarks embarked on a riparian buffer project with help from the Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) offered by Albemarle County.

If your yard has a run-off problem, you, too, may want to explore the VCAP, which also serves the City of Charlottesville. Find out more at Thomas Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District.org and Va.SWCD.org (includes many photos of projects, from rain gardens to conservation landscaping to green roofs).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this next phase, the Clarks obtained professional assistance in laying out the beds — curved to give an informal feeling — and in choosing the native plants required by VCAP. This is when the well-known local garden consultant, Cathy Clary, stepped in. Gail was particularly taken by Clary’s collaborative approach, which consisted of “walk-and-talk” meanders through the backyard; possible plants were suggested and discussed as they viewed the beds.

After three of these sessions with Cathy Clary, the Clarks proceeded to plant a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, and perennials, including redbud trees (Cercis canadensis), Clethra alnifolia (commonly called summersweet or sweet pepperbush), Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), bottlebrush buckeyes (Aesculus parviflora), native ginger (Asarum canadense), green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), ferns, spicebushes (Lindera benzoin), and native ‘Anabelle’ hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, a naturally-occurring cultivar which was discovered in Illinois).

The result of all this consulting and planting: a strikingly beautiful woodland garden! One of the most delightful aspects of the Clark garden is wandering the paths and coming upon an eye-catching vignette.  A favorite of mine is the “Japanese Garden” — which is filled with flowing Hakonechloa macra, the Japanese forest grass.  This is one of the rare ornamental grasses that performs well in shade. It’s not a native, but that is consistent with Gail’s philosophy of combining natives and non-natives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like all gardens, the Clark garden is organic, changing as the canopy expands and neighboring plants impact each others’ growth habits. New plants make for change as well; in fact, Gail has recently expanded the garden, adding a ribbon of new Clethras.  The Clarks still have the notes that Cathy Clary wrote after each walk-and-talk consultation; in fact, when Gail reviewed them recently, she decided to add plants that she’d skipped initially — like ninebark (Physocarpus).

I asked the Clarks if they would do anything differently if they were starting fresh today. Gail would remove the eleven Ailanthus (Tree-of-Heaven) trees before even beginning the planning process. Her advice to anyone in the starting phase is to be sure to remove all invasives as the first step. Like Gail, Hal would never have planted any mahonias. They were “so worried about deer,” that this deer-resistant shrub sounded like a winner, but the Clarks now worry about its invasiveness.  Gail says she and the bees like the fragrant spring flowers, but she has been disturbed to see little sprouts of it all over the neighborhood.

 

Had any plants become their favorites? For Hal, it’s the bottlebrush buckeye, which he loves for its “wild woodland” appearance. For Gail, it’s the Annabelle hydrangeas, but not just for their blossoms; she also loves the steady green cloak they provide all summer.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that at some point in this gardening journey, Gail took the training to become a Master Gardener.  And I had the pleasure of working alongside her with the children’s After School Garden Club at a city elementary school.  Reconnecting during these pandemic days to talk about the development of this special garden has been a much-needed respite — rather like gardening itself.

 

 

 

SOURCES:

“Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’,” Missouri Botanical Garden/PlantFinder

“Japanese Forest Grass, Hakonechloa macra,” Univ.Wisconsin Ext.

“Clethra alnifolia: A versatile native plant in the landscape,” The Garden Shed (June 2015)

Through the Garden Gate/Piedmont Master Gardeners Projects, (when tours are reinstated, find details on the Events page of this website)