Working in my once neglected garden I feel a little like a garden archeologist. Yes there really is such a thing. The garden I have now was once someone’s favorite project. The man who used to live here 15 years ago spent time creating this garden. He dug 3 ponds, had an elevated water aqueduct that spilled into a concrete waterwheel. An arching bridge past by it so the observer could enjoy the water wheel. It had two docks with a fountain in one of the ponds. I heard from my neighbor Jeanne that the gardener had died just 3 weeks after she moved in. In the following years the garden was left on its own. The ponds filled with algae, the stream beads were choked with weeds and alders, the aqueduct collapsed and wheel stopped turning. By then, Jeannie was engaged in her own project of remodel and garden. In the years to follow the garden she created grew and flourished, while the garden next door fell back into uncultivated earth again.
Have you ever wanted to borrow a garden? Kinda like borrowing a fancy dress for a party. You love it even though it’s not really yours but want to have the look for an evening. As I look over the acres of grass that is my ‘garden’ that is how I feel about Jeannie’s garden.
Jeannie’s garden is amazing. She has created a traditional cottage style garden with good bones. The garden by the house is lovely with aspen, hydrangeas and fruits with a small dock over the water. When they bought the small lot across the drive she created another stunning garden. Structure and texture are evident in all the beds with evergreen shrubs, arbors, garden house, and trellises. Pathways are gravel and mulch with care taken to maintain the edges.
She has beautiful plant combinations and has created an amazing garden of colors and textures with quiet (and not so quiet) places to sit and rest.
I drive by this lovely place every day, I mow next to it and have been invited to stroll its paths. I enjoy seeing her unusual plants, blooming things, and passionate use of color. She’s in her garden at 6 am and again at 8pm (her husband retired recently and she told him he could sleep until 7:30 then she wanted his help in the garden). She came over the other day and said, “Let me see what you have done.” Funny I didn’t think it was much but she immediately said it already looks like a garden. Indeed it does. I am so lucky to be next to a kindred spirit. We will watch together as it grows and changes. I’m sure we will share plants, ideas and failures.
Until next time grow on.
What a gorgeous, lush garden. I love the combination of color and texture; a lot of obvious thought went into the selection of plants for the garden…You are so lucky.