My friend Palmer has a gift. Every plant I have ever given him has performed better. He is a tenacious gardener. Palmer has a care schedule in his head. I cannot compete with this plant whisperer.

I made a trip down the mountain just to see his azaleas. Palmer is a zealous azalea artist. Many of his shrubs had to be moved due to road construction at a property line.

He carefully moved dozens of old azaleas and is nursing them back to their prime. Due to this event he had to redesign beds and fill in holes. This is why you may notice a mixing of mature and new shrubs.

Palmer stated that he liked for the various shrubs to mesh together like a painting. This will happen because he trims them by hand carefully to avoid the artificial squatty shapes formed by hedge clippers. Those balls and squares are not natural.

The undisturbed beds have a flow and mixing that is delightful. I especially liked this mixing of light pinks, dark pinks and white.

The trimming to make the front shrub dense is evident here. I need some training Palmer!

I like how the circular beds have a tall centerpiece such as a Flowering Dwarf Crabapple or a small Redbud. 

He just got a Okame Flowering Cherry to put as a focal point elsewhere. He keeps a running list of plant wants like I do my grocery list.

I really think the secrets to a show-stopper display are flow, variation and healthy plants.

This yard has taken a lot of thought, planning and work. My friend Lucy, his wife, is the back-up waterer. If you have azaleas, you know how important her role is. I always enjoy visiting these two friends and their yard.

FLOW flew south