“There are lots of blue palms, many of which are cold-hardy. For a bigger plant with specimen status, try the Mexican Brahea armata.”

By “cold-hardy,” just how cold are they hardy to? BTW, that garden looks fantastic! I won’t disagree with the “year round garden interest,” but I’m skeptical of the “minimal care.” Especially when it looks that good.

15-20 degrees F. In these parts, that's cold-hardy!

Minimal care might not be the best way to describe it. But what I really mean is that the maintenance is on my terms, not the plant's. If a woody plant needs pruning, you generally have a 3-6 mo window. A perennial on a six-week bloom cycle? A 3-6 DAY window.

Brandon do they have any trouble with cold up there?

They don't were I am, but we're nestled in a nice micro-climate from the lake shore. This one is on Hope College's campus, which is 6 miles inland.

Beautiful garden!

What type of Golden Atlas cedar is that? (Aurea)? I wish I could grow the little blue Pinus maximartinezii shown in the 7th photo. Is that a dwarf?

Superbe garden, just amazing!

Stuart it's not a dwarf - they get huge in the wild - it's just young. The cedar is 'Sahara Ice', not very gold, rather blue with goldish highlights.

How fast does 'Sahara Ice' Grow?

The Pinus maximartinezii looks like it takes well to pruning.

It's been pretty slow, actually - partly because it's in rather spare soil there and on the slope it gets less water than it would in other parts of the garden.

The P. maximartinezii is showing its juvenile foliage. I daren't touch it because it's borderline tender here and it has now survived three winters in the ground and I want it to have as much insulation as it can (branches/needles). I'm hopelessly in love with it.

“I daren't touch it because it's borderline tender here and it has now survived three winters in the ground and I want it to have as much insulation as it can (branches/needles). I'm hopelessly in love with it.”

So you’ve moved on from Tsuga canadensis to Pinus maximartinezii? Wouldn’t it be easier to love plants that prosper?

You’ve got me thinking about the use of blue to cool a garden. Do you think this is more important in a hotter/drier climate vs. a cooler region?

I'm a hopeless flirt. I'm in love with them all. My husband says that I'm like the guy who's in love with the last girl he kissed.

Blue is just such a cool (literal, figurative) color in the garden. It really heats up the autumnal oranges, and cools down the summer greens. So yes, I do think that it's probably more necessary in a hot summer climate, but even if I lived in northern Maine, I'd want some blue.

I love blue as well! My favourite is this one: Picea engelmannii ‘Jasper’, because it keeps its color all year round.

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Hear hear! I second that awesome! Stunning work Sara.

That Picea engelmannii 'Jasper' looks to be a great alternative to the ubiquitous Picea pungens 'Globosa' that seam to be declining due to needle cast in my area.