Meanwhile, back on July 27, Alison and I continued our tour of south sound treasures at the charming Lakewood garden of Jan Jensen and Harry Welling.
"We take pleasure in our garden that sits at the edge of a suburban development. During the past five years, we have converted a gravel and weed filled quarter acre site into a lush little paradise, where we enjoy entertaining family and friends (and birds!)"
"After installing irrigation and bringing in 25 yards of topsoil mix, we started planting and adding some features such as the two arbors (built by Harry and a berm to create privacy and interest, rather than looking at the existing fence."
"A number of our basic philosophies have been put in practice here: no chemicals or materials that can harm other living things; recycle, reuse, repurpose... we have a number of quirky items in the garden; use native plants, but not exclusively; compost! And mostly, have fun!"
"Since we have shade/semi-shade almost everywhere, we make good use of the shade-loving plants such as the usual suspects - hydrangeas, astilbes, heucheras, hostas, Japanese maples, hellebores, hardy fuchsias, along with lilites, grasses, hebes, viburnums, and many types of conifers and other evergreen plants."
I have to say that Jan and Harry have done a beautiful job of using their space. Although the position of the house on the lot dictated some decisions regarding where the various garden spaces could be, they've made several interesting rooms that make the garden seem to be larger than it is.
I love lily time in the garden. There's nothing quite like that fragrance! Dig the cool turquoise head planter!
The path leading to the fence and arbor make it seem as if the garden continues.
I loved this idea! My crocs never look this good after being worn in the garden for a few years.
Cute or what?
Kitty loves his garden!
"As for grass to mow, what little we had has turned into mostly moss (we call it 'No-Man's Lawn') and we intend to leave it that way. Much softer to walk on, and it stays green!"
I have a soft spot for found objects used in the garden and those in this space were sweet!
And a greenhouse...too cool!
Hope you enjoyed the dry warm summer sun and visiting this groovy garden! As always, great admiration and thanks to those who open their gardens so that we lucky ones can appreciate their creations and learn from (steal) their ideas.
Visiting a garden on a warm sunny day is ALMOST as good as revisiting it via your photos on a cool cloudy (rainy) day.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not liking the weather getting colder and wetter! It's nice to remember summer on gray days.
DeleteLove the whimsical touches you captured. It's easy to cross the line between whimsical and tacky so when a gardener gets it right, it's inspirational.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. I crossed the line from tacky to eyesore in my garden years ago.
DeleteI've heard those garden clogs (there's a name for them, I'm sure) as the best birth control ever invented. I think they make clever planters.
ReplyDeleteCrocs. They are very comfrotable and I wear them constantly in the garden. When they get dirty outside, you can wash both them and your feet with the hose. What could be more fun than that? Come to think of it, I've not gotten pregnant since I've been wearing them.
DeleteDry. Warm. Sun. What's NOT to love?!?
ReplyDeleteActually, I DO love all the touches of blue...the hydrangeas are incredibly lovely; as are all the paths, yard art, seating areas, etc...
I love walking through other people's gardens! This one was great because it shows what can be done with a smaller space like my own.
DeleteThis garden looks fun, and full of charming character that makes it look even more inviting! Their creative placement of pathways, arbours, and screening made it look a lot bigger than a quarter of an acre.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun garden as were the gardeners. I'm looking forward to next summers tours!
DeleteYes, it's nice to revisit summer now that we are entering the dark days. I spent some hours doing hard labor in the yard today. Raking the lawn under cedar trees is hard work. Leaves and debris are raked up and the lawn is mowed, another step closer to being winterized.
ReplyDeleteYou two are always so busy! It's an inspiration for early retirement!
DeleteGreat garden. I love the idea of a whole lawn of moss. I want to see how feasible that would be in my shady back garden.
ReplyDeleteIn lots of areas here, moss grows much better than turf grasses!
DeleteThank you for featuring our garden! One of my garden club members came across your blog...I hope I can subscribe. You are so kind to take these photos- they are much better than any I have taken myself! I am really happy that you enjoyed your visit. Of course, the garden looks so different right now, but actually still has lots of interest and color from the fall foliage and drying hydrangeas.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jan, for allowing us to tour your gorgeous garden! I especially loved your organic practices. I am a composter too but d supplement with store bought manure, compost, and Tagro sometimes as my bins never seem to create as much compost as I like to use.
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