Great Groundcovers and More

Built around an old two-story farmhouse, this large, rambling garden (3-1/2 acres) is nestled in the rolling hills near Asheville, N.C. Heather Spencer and her husband Charles Murray are physicians who relish the time spent in the garden away from beepers and cell phones. Their expansive garden features a large perennial bed in front of a long rock wall, stone steps that lead to more garden areas, a croquet court, a conifer garden, two "pondlets" and a new "secret" garden.

To Spencer, the garden is an art project, a place to express herself. Several areas of the garden allude to books from childhood (such as the secret garden with its evergreen walls). Although there are classical elements (the sweeping stone steps, for example), she describes the garden's style as "funky" and says her tastes gravitate towards the rustic and primitive. One example of her whimsical style is a large tree with old wheelbarrows hanging from its branches.

A self-described "plant nerd," Spencer has a hodgepodge of trees, shrubs and perennials, both native and exotic. Because of the vast area under cultivation, she uses large swaths of groundcovers--in particular 'Patriot' hosta, epimediums and hellebores, all of which she propagates and plants in the spaces beneath large trees.

Most of these plants: