Graciousness

I was contacted recently by a lovely woman with a lovely home who needed her somewhat unlovely garden to reflect her personality and style. After touring her home and garden area and having her chat with me about some of her likes and dislikes, I had an idea of what to do for her.  The fact that this was a bit of a departure for me (it wasn't a farm), gave me fresh perspective.  I'll show you a few before and after shots.

These hosta were in great shape, but had overstayed their welcome.  They had no personality, served no real purpose and were wasted here. I felt they could be used in other spots where they would pop.








 
We removed the hosta and put in two Endless Summer and one Variegated Lacecap Hydrangea.  They are colorful and soft in this space. The look is clean and elegant.

 The outside edge of the sidewalk looked unfinished and the owner was concerned someone might trip and fall off of it.  So we brought it up to grade, added a boxwood we rescued from obscurity on her property, planted three red barberry bushes and placed this table on the edge to cap it off.

 

I love the way this all flows together and looks finished.

This back fence had a few lilac pieces that had refused to die and...nothing else.  But what a great backdrop!  So ~ we dug out the lilac, transplanted two lilies and two of those uprooted hosta, added two Double Knockout rose bushes and centered it all with a gorgeous Pee Gee hydrangea tree ~ one of my favorite things to plant; it's simply beautiful.







Sorry for the crummy picture, I think I got a sweat drop on the lens;  but you get the idea.

 This space suffered from the same fate as the hosta - overgrown and boring. But again, the white wall was too delicious to resist as a blank canvas for color and texture.  Because it gets the most sun and you can see it so well from the deck, I decided to make this space the focal point of the new garden area.  We planted two deep purple Butterfly Bushes, two Limelight Hydrangea, two Black-eyed Susans, two Wave Petunias, one Lavender, added two of the transplanted hosta - 




and the jewel of it
all - a Double Knockout rose topiary to tie in the knockouts I planted against the fence.  It's full of color, has great cut flowers and is very low maintenance.  I can't wait for it to dig down and really root into it's full blown glory.




 

Last but not least: the deck.  I only have one set of pictures to show, but the area surrounding the deck was also fairly worn out.  Patrick and I were able to re-purpose this boxwood, move the hosta over and transplant the additional hostas behind the deck mixed in with the fern that was already doing a fine job.

This was a fun little project with wonderful clients.  I think their property now reflects the graciousness and loveliness of the couple themselves.