Garden of the Month

It had been hard for me to pick a January Garden of Month. I thought I had exhausted the ones I had in mind. Then, I happened to pay a visit to Lowes and passed a garden I have looked at a million times (or so it seems) over the past six years, and the light came on. Of course! I had forgotten about this privet garden and I wanted to talk about and spotlight it.

The garden I am highlighting this month is more like a hedge, but you remember when I started this blog that I said a garden can be as small as a houseplant or as large as an estate and everything in between-just as long as you are growing something. In this case, the something is a large and well maintained hedge of Variagated Privet and Leyland Cypresses along an entrance road into Lowes from a side road. One can't help but see the privet along the privacy fence, but in case you haven't noticed it, look the next time you go to Lowes.

I stopped in and asked the homeowner if she could tell me about the hedge and what kind of an impact it has made on her and her family's life. Tracey Dunn and her lovely daughter, Vianne, were happy to talk with me (Tracey was at least-maybe not Vianne though she did give me a picture she drew in school before I departed. Vianne was taught well not to talk to strangers such as this particular gardener!). Tracey told me Lowes planted the privet hedge and put in the privacy fence. Good move Lowes! I know the houses were there before Lowes was built and in order to keep the homeowners happy, it was only prudent Lowes try to block off their commercial business from the surrounding homes.

It was amazing to me what a big impact this hedge made on the house and environment at Tracey Dunn's home. The traffic noise was seriously reduced and unless you knew there was a busy road on the other side of the hedge, you could almost forget that fact. Tracey likes the hedge very much. She said she hasn't had to do anything to maintain it except a little pruning on the inside of the hedge. One leyland had to be taken out because it was blocking road views for drivers, but basically the hedge and privacy fence have been a BIG asset for the neighborhood.

Tracey gardens a little too. While she appreciates the hedge, she really loves irises, many of which were passed down to her from family (if she can just keep hubby from mowing them down). Tracey also started some Japanese maples from seed and has sown narcissus and wildflowers in the garden. Her hedge and garden are my choice for January's Garden of the Month due to the fact the garden has added so much to the property and community.

in the garden.... hoping for privacy from a nice hedge.

December Garden of the Month

My choice for December's Garden of the Month is this garden in Colony Estates near Exit 8 in the Rossview area. For the record, I would like to say I do not drive around looking for special gardens. The few gardens I have featured so far are gardens I have found in my ordinary travels. I spotted this garden when a fellow freecycler (Susan) gave me a ton of Red Hot Pokers. Susan lives on this road so Jimmy and I both had the opportunity to spot this garden. He liked it as much as I did. We thought this neighborhood was a very nice neighborhood and enjoyed our visit to it and with Susan. That visit was back in June and I am just now able to spotlight the garden. This blog has given me a forum to spotlight gardens I think are special and while not everyone will agree with my choices, you will all agree they are special gardens.

As you can see from the front picture this garden is unique and grabs your attention. It is a garden entirely of topiary, which is something I love, though I don't have any in my garden (as yet). The garden's one constant is that it is all unified. There is not one or two topiary plants, but nearly ALL of them are topiaried. It is important gardens be unified in order for them to seem cohesive. Another benefit of this garden is the fact that seasonal changes do not affect it much. Evergreens are constant year round so this garden shines even in the winter and is a perfect choice for this month's Garden of the Month. This garden matches both the house and the homeowner.

The homeowner (Puok) loves her garden and has a special connection to it. I was fortunate she was home when I came by to take a few pictures. I woke her up but she did not seem to mind at all. Puok told me she spends up to 1.5 hours on some bushes and loves trimming them. During the daylight hours residents of this neighborhood are likely to see her in the garden trimming her very artistic creations.

As I have said, I do not have any topiaried trees or shrubs in my yard but I know from watching others and reading about the art form, it is not easy to topiary trees. One wrong cut can ruin the tree for quite awhile. Fortunately, trees will grow back (kind of like bad haircuts-it grows back) and be none the worse for the wear.

You have to have a good eye to masterfully sculpt and shape trees into such intricate shapes. All of these are in fluid forms and shapes, I did not see any animal topiary so it is clear Puok has a certain style she likes and follows. She has consistently maintained that style throughout her yard. While the herbaceous perennials were not blooming, evidence of them was all over the garden so I know she has good color during the growing season to compliment her evergreens.

Sadly, Puok, like the rest of us, lost a bunch of evergreens. She plans to replant come spring but she will be starting from scratch as it takes a lot of time to shape and sculpt these plants.

I enjoyed this garden immensely and really like how the house is married to the yard and one feels comfortable visiting this house because the plants are not overwhelming but are welcoming, warm and inviting. Thanks Puok for letting me visit your garden. If you all are in the Colony Estates area stop by and say hi to Puok and see her garden. She strikes me as the type of gardener who would love talking to other gardeners and has a real connection to her garden and life!

in the garden....

Garden of the Month

My choice for Garden of the Month is this garden at the home of Nicky and Tracy on Lafayette Road. I have driven by it for several years and could not help but notice the simplicity and great color in it. Having this garden blog (I will talk about blogs in general soon) has enabled me to talk about the different gardens I find around town and so I am pleased to be able to feature this garden as my first Garden of the Month and to share it with you.

There is a saying many have heard, "Less is More." Sometimes this could not be more truer than in gardens. We plant collectors tend to overload our gardens with many types of plants which can lead to a chaotic look. Nothing wrong with this look but sometimes it is nice to just simplify the garden and focus on two or three main plants which can carry the garden all by themselves. This garden is that type of garden.

Obviously this is the front of the home and is very visible from Lafayette Road, though you would have to be looking for it as the house is somewhat raised above the road. There are only three main plants in this foundation garden and none of them are what I call blooming plants, as the flowers are not showy. That does not detract from the garden in any way at all. The three main plants are: Artemisia "Powis Castle", Ligustrum, aka Variegated Privet, and an ornamental grass (type and cultivar unknown but it looks to be a Miscanthus).

The privet and grass are alternated in front of the house, with the artemisia planted in front of them. The textures are wonderful and I like the color. This picture was taken today and I think the garden still looks good even after the freezes we have had. This is a garden which will change throughout the seasons as the new grass and privet grow in the new foliage will be green and brighter, then mellow out during the growing season, finally the grass will turn brown in the fall and winter but all plants maintain a presence throughout the year. Something interesting is always going on in this garden and it is very low maintenance. The house gets a lot of sun so this type of planting would be good in a garden with a lot of sun (not my house obviously since I don't have much sun). The textures are wonderful, all plants play well together and make a statement. I could not get all of the garden in but suffice it to say the house is heavily planted with a number of different specimens and the foundation garden also extends around the home.

The homeowner (Tracy) tells me the garden was already installed when she and her husband purchased the house two years ago. She has maintained it but with a full time job, college and children she doesn't get to work in as much as she would like. I think the fact the garden still looks super is a testament to its designer and to the plants themselves. All of these plants can take care of themselves with no problem.

I want to thank Tracy and her family for allowing me to share their lovely garden. If any of you know of a special garden you would like to see profiled here just let me know.

in the garden....