Notables in a Riverside Garden

David and Mary Lloyd Lay's 22-year-old woodland garden lies on the banks of a Virginia river that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The Lays' home--in a sparsely inhabited, historic region called Northern Neck--is reached by a dirt road that winds through woods and fields. There was no design plan for the five-acre garden that surrounds their one-story, contemporary-style house, but the property is blessed with beautiful mature hardwoods and native understory plants like mountain laurel.

For years, the Lays have joked about husband and wife "turf wars." David, an inveterate plant collector, is responsible for the plantings (mostly azaleas, rhododendrons and Japanese maples) in front of the house and along the driveway. In the back of the house, Mary Lloyd has commandeered space for perennials such as epimediums, hostas, columbine, lamb's ear, corydalis, peonies and iris. She has also mixed in small flowering shrubs like spireas and deutzias.

After fighting deer damage for years, Mary Lloyd and David finally installed an eight-foot fence around four acres of their garden. While the deer still look longingly at the goodies inside, Mary Lloyd says, they can no longer get to the "best restaurant in town."

The Lays are blessed with well-drained, acid soil, perfect for rhododendrons, but they grow a variety of shrubs, small trees and perennials, including: