In My Garden: James Golden
James Golden, Stockton, NJ
Open Days Garden Host: Federal Twist
James Golden's garden at Federal Twist, near the Delaware River towns of Lambertville, NJ, and New Hope, PA, is a naturalistic garden in the New Perennial tradition: plants grow in interwoven communities and emphasize structure, shape, and form as much as flower. Flowering begins in early June and peaks in mid-July, when the perennials and grasses reach maturity; then a second peak occurs in October, when low sunlight makes the grasses glow in yellows, russets, and golds.
James joined our In My Garden series late last year and is sharing his garden with readers for a fuller season this year.
In My Garden, October 26, 2021
Autumn is bringing an explosion of color to Federal Twist, as James heads to the UK for the release of his new book, The View from Federal Twist: A New Way of Thinking About Gardens, Nature, and Ourselves, (Filbert Press, March 1, 2022). Above, left: Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' on the terrace with multi-stemmed snag; above, right: Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry'.
Above, left: Aster tartaricus 'Jindai'; above, right: Rhus glabra 'Laciniata'. Below, left: Miscanthus in the morning breeze; below, right: the reflecting pool in all of its autumn splendor.
In My Garden, August 31, 2021
In New Jersey, James Golden reports that "this year’s unusual weather pushed the garden’s summer peak much later than usual. The height of summer flower occurred about two weeks later than usual, with a subsequent rapid fading—the lull that always precedes the autumn color show." Below are a few scenes of late summer at Federal Twist.
From top to bottom: A brightly lit Aralia ‘Sun King’ against a tempestuous sky; self-seeded phlox claim a formerly shady spot; a close-up of an aerobatic burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis); and inula, Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum), ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennae), and Oriental spicebush (Lindera angustifolia) backlit at sunset
View more images and commentary in James's Federal Twist slideshow attached here.
In My Garden, August 3, 2021
James's July 17 Open Day demonstrated the virtue of visiting a garden in all kinds of weather. "Overlooking the terrace and garden from the house," says James, "my Open Day seemed to promise a hot and sunny day. By mid-morning, out in the prairie, the compass plant (Silphium lacinatum) and cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum), both in the photo above, right, towered above the visitors who were exploring the many pathways."
Pictured above, right, are some Open Day visitors on the terrace outside the living room. "Although the garden is relatively small, it has many paths and guests frequently get lost," says James. "I encourage them to come onto the terrace, where they can get an overview and better orient themselves to the garden's meandering structure." Pictured above, left, is Hemerocallis citrina, "one of the best daylilies, which brightens the prairie at lower levels."
A drone's-eye view of the small pool (above, left), just a short distance from the Adirondack chairs on the terrace. "Storm clouds, arriving earlier than expected, created a dramatic contrast of green garden against ominous grey-blue sky (above, right). We began to get nervous that our Open Day would be cut short...and it almost was," James says. "But in spite of the highly changeable weather and intermittent heavy rain and wind, the day was a success. We had larger attendance than ever before and our last visitors discarded their umbrellas and walked happily through the garden in the rain."
In My Garden, July 6, 2021
After the garden at Federal Twist is cut and burned in early spring, it enters a period of explosive growth as summer arrives. Pictured above: early summer highlights include "a bed of plants with elegant foliage" behind the Adirondack chairs on the terrace, says James. Picture above are Syneilesis aconitifolia (whose flowering wands are visible), Disporum longistylum ‘Night Heron,’ Helleborus foetidus, ferns, Smilacena, and "other unusual plants with striking foliage."
At the end of the terrace, butterflyweed (Asclepius tuberosa) flowers around a small reflecting pool. Grasses and other perennials will flower later in the summer.
Above, left: Rodgersia pinnata. Right: Rays of the setting sun light up the darkening garden.
Click here to view James's full slideshow of early summer at Federal Twist.
In My Garden, June 8, 2021
"Unusually high temperatures quickly lifted the garden out of its winter doldrums," James reports. Looking back toward the house and terrace (below, left), it's clear how low the garden still is at the end of April. It will become immersive, with masses of giant plants towering over eight feet by mid-summer. The reflection of the far side of the garden in a wall of windows (below, right) creates a surrealistic backdrop for the shade plant matrix below the windows."
"A lover of wet soil, Euphorbia palustris is in its glory in early April (below, left). On the terrace, one of the most beautiful shade plants in the spring is Disporum longistylum 'Night Heron', a plant from Japan (below, right)."
"A matrix of petasites in flower, sensitive fern, and camassia covers the area around the pond in the lower garden (below, left). Amsonia 'Stormcloud' is in full flower by early May (below, right)."
"Just before June arrives, the garden takes on a park-like look reminiscent of a spacious landscape (below)."
In My Garden, May 11, 2021
This week we bring you some highly dramatic shots taken last month, as the garden at Federal Twist was coming out of winter. "Annual cutting in late winter or early spring is absolutely necessary for prairie and meadow-style gardens," says James. "This year, an icy crust of snow lingered much later than usual, delaying the annual cutting and burning of the grasses and herbaceous perennials."
"We were finally able to start cutting near the middle of March. We leave the debris cut long to give invertebrates time to complete their life cycles. Burning is minimal now; I do it only when necessary and in limited areas. The bare landscape is the result. I’ve come to enjoy this annual cleansing ritual."
"Light, weather, and the surrounding landscape of trees provide most of the visual interest in this slack time of year. This is the garden about the third week in April," James says, "as trees flower and early perennials such as Helleborus foetidus come into flower."
