Not an Ordinary Gardener

Teresa Wesselman is not a run of the mill gardener. She seeks out the different and the unusual. Even now in September, she has things in bloom that are out of the ordinary – yellow corydalis, Tricyrtis “Samurai,” Asclepias curassavica, and others.
How did her interest in gardening begin? Teresa cannot remember when she has not been interested in growing things. At this point Teresa estimates that she has at least 250 different varieties of perennial, bulbs, vines, and shrubs in her city sized lot.
Many unusual specimens can be found on a tour of her garden. While Teresa shows me around her yard, her love of her plants is plainly visible – she knows all the Latin names of her plants, their growing habits, their individual idiosyncrasies, and their cultivation needs.
Ephedra regia dates back to prehistoric times, and a specimen of it now lives in Teresa’s trough planter. Her bog planter has Horsetail rush and Corkscrew Rush, an oddity that is fun to see. A twig trellis features a climbing annual vine – “Love in a Puff” or Cardiospermum halicacabum. There is a plant with lovely foliage and unusual seedpods called Prairie Mimosa or Desmanthes illinoensis in her large sunny round mixed bed. In spring and into summer her shady beds feature plants such as Jack in the Pulpit, Uvularia, Corydalis, Tricyrtis, Anemonella thalictroides (Rue anemone), Birdsfoot violet, Hepatica, and Cimicifuga (Snakeroot). She has also planted some unusual hostas such as “Ghost Spirit.” This variety needs fairly dense shade to retain its unusual white color. Teresa has tried to include plants from A – Amsonia to Z – Zizia in her very personalized garden.
Some of her sunny areas include some really wonderful specimens. Berlandiera lyrata - “Chocolate Flower,” blooms for at least three months and smells deliciously just like chocolate. Caryopteris divaricata “Snow Fairy,” features beautifully variegated leaves and is just starting to open its many blue flowers. It will continue to bloom into October and is a small shrub to three feet tall and wide. The foliage smells just like cut up green peppers.
There are several overflowing containers on Teresa’s deck and around her yard. They are not planted with the typical and predictable (some would say boring) petunias or geraniums, but are creatively planted with intriguing combinations of Black and Blue Salvia (hummingbird favorite), Bat Face Cuphea, White Nymph salvia, Lotus vine, Gartenmeister fuschia with tubular coral blooms and various varieties of colorful coleus.
One of Teresa’ favorite flowers is the Columbine and she grows 17 varieties. Some of her more unusual columbines are Chocolate Soldier, Dorothy Rose, Ruby Port and her personal favorite - Nana Alba – a pure white columbine with short spurs.
Teresa’s fiancé Ted is supportive of her love of plants and has dutifully done quite a bit of planting, digging and mulching. Ted, an avid woodworker, recently completed a really lovely greenhouse for Teresa, to allow her to extend the growing season, and to winter over some more tender specimens that will not tolerate Ohio winters.
Teresa’s love of plants extends to her choice of profession. She works in the Perennial Dept. at Bern’s Garden Center, so is always aware of the newest arrivals to perhaps add to her garden. Teresa enjoys working among the plants she so loves. She also goes online frequently to learn more about plants she is interested in, and to shop for the more unusual varieties that are difficult to find locally.
Fall plans for Teresa include soon ordering and planting some unusual fall bulbs – Tulipa oculata – a white species tulip with a bluish base, Tulipa acuminata – another species tulip that is yellow with scarlet edges, a Triandrus Narcissi called “Katy Heath,” Fritillaria pudica – with bright yellow bell shaped blooms with purple tinged edges, Fritillaria pallidiflora – chartreuse blooms with reddish brown spots, and Brodiaea coccinea – that will sport blooms that resemble little firecrackers and also will attract hummingbirds in late spring.
Hummingbird feeders are hung here and there in Teresa’s garden and she loves to sit on her deck in the early evenings watching them feed. Teresa will be the first to say that her garden is very much a “work in progress.” She is always lovingly adding new plants, ruthlessly ripping out old ones that no longer serve her purpose, and moving things to satisfy her garden vision at the moment, so there is always something new to see and enjoy in her garden.