Licorice, Zinnia and Verbena

I came across this plant and flower combination at the base of a tree along the sidewalk of a shopping mall. I love the contrasting colors and textures:

The trailing silver/green foliage of the Licorice Plant (Helichrysum petiolare) at the base makes a great groundcover. The middle layer is filled with Zinnia augustifolia in a brilliant reddish-orange flower color. The innermost layer is filled with the tall and wispy Purpletop verbena (Verbena bonariensis). All three of these have very different foliages, flowers and habits, yet they all seem to compliment each other as well. In addition, these three thrive in ordinary soil and full sun, which is why they look so great in this parking lot!

Garden Tour: House #2 Lattingtown

The second house on the Garden Tour along Long Island's Gold Coast was in Lattingtown, NY. The four acres of property at this house allowed for various types of gardens, from full sun to full shade.

The real unique feature of this property was the water view. As soon as we entered the backyard, that was the first place my eye went to - sweeping green lawn, cascading downward to the bay in the distance.

The owners kept most of the gardens off to the side with an occasional accent in the lawn like the water fountain, the rose buses or even the artificial sheep grazing on grass.


This garden was in full sun and ran along the side of the lawn. It was filled with foxglove, lilies and purple loosestrife.

The meandering path leading down to the pool was as delightful as the accompanying garden. The garden was filled with lots of lilies, catmint, and coreopsis (just to name a few). They apparently have some rabbits who like to nibble on the plants, hence the wire fencing along the plant bases. Along the pool were various rose bushes in mostly pinks and whites.

The gardens were pretty but it was the water view that made this property so spectacular!

Be sure to check out the other homes on the Garden Tour:
House #1: Centre Island
House #3: Bayville 
House # 4: Oyster Bay Cove