Garden Design

Today we’re visiting with Carol Lim, who gardens in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where she grows some beautiful and unusual plants.

close up of a Pitcher plant in a bog container with small tree behindSarracenia ‘Daina’s Delight’ (pitcher plant, Zones 5–9) is in the large bog container, with a seedling of Prunus ‘Bonfire’ (Zones 5–8) in the background. I brought the two bog container gardens from Pennsylvania in 2009 when I moved to North Carolina. I had some instruction from a North American Rock Garden Society group led by Larry Mellichamp where we made a bog garden.

close up of pitcher plants in a bog containerThe colorful leaves of pitcher plants lure in insects, which are caught and then provide nutrients the plant. The flowers rise up above the leaves to attract pollinators for a less dangerous interaction.

swallowtail butterfly resting on pitcher plantA swallowtail butterfly rests on incredibly colorful pitcher plant leaves. Don’t worry—the butterfly is too large to get trapped by the pitchers.

close up of pink Clematis texensis flowersI also have an extensive collection of native Clematis. This is Clematis texensis (Zones 4–8).

close up of dark pink Clematis viorna flowerAnother native Clematis, Clematis viorna (Zones 4–9)

close up of purple and pink native clematisHere is Clematis texensis growing with C. versicolor (Zones 5–9). I also grow C. carrizoensis, C. ochroleuca, and C. pitcheri. And I have some hybrids of those that have self-sown in the garden.

close up of purple Clematis Carol LimClematis ‘Carol Lim’ was named for me and registered with RHS by Roger Van Loon, a friend in Belgium.

large purple clemantis growing around tree branch garden structureA large-flowered clematis hybrid

pink Penstemon flowers next to yellow foxglovePink flowers of Penstemon smallii (Zones 5–8) with a yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora, Zones 3–8)

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

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