Today’s photos are from Carol & Bill Walton in Georgia. They sent them in a couple of months ago, so things may have changed, but back then they said, “We’ve only been in our Canton, Georgia, home for three short years.
“Not a single plant other than weeds and briars and the grass existed in the back yard. My husband Bill started the gardens I think before we were even unpacked. Structure was first on the agenda: fencing for the dogs, stairs down from the deck, and a patio beneath the deck. Some large boulders formed a retaining wall and my husband scrounged vacant lots for more to extend it and build the rock steps. Some of our favorite irises and daylilies came with us and were among the first plantings, along with some potted ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas and Japanese maples that also made the trip from our previous home.
“Climbing roses and hydrangeas make their way along the arbors and railing. Hydrangeas are a predominate planting in the gardens with oakleaf, ‘Penny Mack’, ‘Blushing Bride’, ‘Endless Summer’, ‘Limelight’, and our new favorite, ‘Vanilla Strawberry’. Dried arrangements extend their beauty through the winter days. Pink and red ‘Knockout’ roses provide color all summer after the irises and daylilies are spent. A large chaste tree and fig share space with several paper bush trees. Numerous perennials fill around the larger plantings and provide pops of color.
“Large hostas ‘Sum and Substance’ and ‘Blue Angel’ fill the shady spots along with variegated Solomon seal, wood poppies, astillbes, hellebores, and ferns. One of our favorites is the daphne, which is under the stairs and provides gorgeous flowers and scent in late winter.
“Being the low house on the street, water runoff can be substantial and a dry creek bed does double duty when rains are heavy. Bill decided to break up the large expanse of garden by incorporating a brick and gravel path. It created new beds and more plant buying opportunities. It terminates with a pedestal and head against the backdrop of a large camellia. A large stone bench provides a resting spot and is a favorite spot for our orange tabby.
“Our above ground pond and fountain are the focal point of the lawn area. One big koi and several goldfish keep us entertained as they swim their way through the water lilies, lotus, pickerel and ever abundant water hyacinth.
“Sadly our house is on the market as we’re relocating to be closer to family. But we always look forward to new garden opportunities. We just leave lovely gardens in our wake.”
Whoever buys your house will be SO LUCKY, Carol & Bill! It’s such a peaceful, beautiful garden. Some garden lover will snap it up, if they haven’t already.
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Comments
great back "yarden". can't imagine moving and starting over exhausts me to think about it. i especially like that above ground pool/pond/fountain and the stone bench. i found the pathway/pedestal and camellia but where is the head?!?!? i wish everyone could have at least one Daphne even if they do sometimes experience that sudden death syndrome i always get another
What you have done in three years is amazing. I love hydrangea and roses and you have mostly everyone that I have, you are my new best hydrangea friend. All the plants you have are beautiful. I would purchase your house for the garden alone.
The various paths are very nice and I really like how you did the grasses on the path in the fifth photo on the left. Send more pictures when you plant your next garden
Exactly the opposite of the wilderness "leave no trace" philosophy! Great job. best of luck on your new garden. Will you be gardening in a new zone or climate?
Amazing! There is so much work that went in this garden! My back hurts for you and especially for your husband! It must be so hard to leave! I love all the plant choices and I am so jealous of your gorgeous irises! I can't have such clumps and blooms! Probably not enough sun for me!
Good luck with your sale and move and thanks for sharing!
Wow, Carol and Bill..talk about a dynamic duo...you do wonderful work. You must keep your super hero outfits hanging on a hook by the back door! It's a very impressive "yarden" (love that word, Jeff) and all the more so when I think of the three short years you had to complete the transformation. Everything looks so well established and mature...the new owners will be/ are very fortunate to move into a place that has such beautiful landscaping.
Carol and Bill,,,,, I too can NOT imagine leaving such a fabulous ' yarden '
( Jeff is always so clever! -:),,, it is just so great! It is amazing that in those 3 short years you have done so much as meander noted,,, and so well!
Love everything!,, the Japanese maple ( s ) are great!,,, and as much as the creeping jenny can be invasive,, it makes things ' pop ',, your dry bed is beautiful and love the above ground pond! It is all so great!
Best of luck in your future endeavors,,,and hope you will find a new place to
' play ' in and beautify again!
Thanks for your lovely comments. Yes my husband's back does indeed hurt. We've left lovely gardens at most of our past homes. We're now hunting for house #10. We're currently located in Kentucky and are going house hunting today. Garden design is always a priority, with the outside of the house as important as the inside. Since we're "plantaholics", we get antsy when there's no more room in the garden. We're retired and it keeps us active.
It's so difficult to leave when you've poured your heart and soul into a home. And yours looks lovely. The hydrangeas are spectacular and your design (you nailed it, Michelle) is so serene and peaceful. Wonderful job. At least you know that wherever your move takes you, you have the skills and vision to create another beautiful garden
Simply beautiful! Carol and Bill, having moved so many(!!!!) times, you have perfected the art and science of making the most of the space available! You could make a career out of garden planning and design.
What a wonderful yarden you have created - plenty of interest and colour from the beautiful shrubs and perennials you have chosen, the new owners can just sit back enjoy it for years, yet lots of room in the borders if they want to add their own favourites. I would buy your property without even looking inside the house!
After all your moves, it looks like you are seasoned pros at setting up a garden. It shows, you start with an overall vision and you get the hard scaping and large stuff in first. The next owners wil be lucky. You have done all the hard and expensive work for them, but there is still lots of ways to add more plants. You have chosen a lot of wonderful plants with long seasons of interest. I am interested in trying a Daphne. I have fence envy, too. My dog is a wander without checking on him ever two minutes. Also, your pond/fountain is stunning. Best wishes on a good move and wonderful new garden experiences.
Have fun with the yard, no I mean the house hunt today! Little do your future neighbors know how lucky they are going to be when you transform a blah yard into a welcoming garden for all to enjoy! The surrounding nurseries are going to be pretty dang excited, too! ;) Carol and Bill, enjoy your new adventure!
I must be tired. I see at least three errors in my entry. Hardscaping, there are not there is, and wanderer. Sorry.
Carol and Bill, you've done amazing work in 3 short years, especcially all the rock-work, which always takes more time than you think, since every rock has to be moved at least three times! It turned out beautifually, I love the path and the dry streambed. I was skeptical of the above-ground pond until I saw the picture . . . it's gorgeous!
You have worked a miracle in three years - and Oh so sad to leave it all behind. The pool/fountain is perfect. My husband and I lived in only a few different locations, but we always left an improved home behind and a garden also. In each case there was no garden when we arrived, but one when we left.
At my age I shouldn't be planting anything new, but the new hydrangeas are really calling to me after seeing yours and others. Your plantings and hardscaping appear to have been done by a professional landscaper, so take a bow. They are lovely.
What a magical transformation in only three short years, from nothing to a gardener's utopia. It doesn't appear to be a large property, but still that was an immense undertaking, and expense... most folks wouldn't have accomplished nearly so much in a dozen years, in fact most people who relocate often tend not to do any elaborate gardening if they do anything at all. I'd be curious to know if you've later gone back to visit the other places you've lived. My experience is that when I returned a few years later to two places I lived, the last for twenty years, all my hard work was totally annialated, no maintenence was done, both those houses were resold I don't know how many times and familys with several kids turned it into a virtual sandbox. Now I tell people to live in a home at least a year before investing themselves in elaborate landscaping. I hope the people you sell to appreciate all the soul you poured into that property, of course there is no way to know how the new owners will treat their home.
You have done an extraordinarily good job in such a short time. I too hope that the next owners will appreciate all that went into creating such a wonderful setting for the house.
You seem to be taking the move with good grace and as an opportunity to do it all over again. I think that at least half the fun of gardening is in the creative planning and implementing of that plan. Once that's done all you can do is add things (up to a point) and then move them around a bit. It would have been nice if you had been able to stay for a few more years to see the gradual transformation of your original ideas.
Happy house hunting.
Hi Carol and Bill.. Having read every one's comments thus far, seems to be many of my thoughts precisely! Yet need to
ask and wondered if you will be lovingly lifting some of your
plants and bring them with you, as before? Just curious!
My best of successful luck to you both!!
Thanks again for all your lovely comments. Actually we did take along some irises. They're sitting out front of our rental home. They're the variety that smell like grape kool-aid. Bill had recently divided them to share with a neighbor, so we saved some to take along. Bill says once we sell the house, the gardens are no longer his and he doesn't worry about them.
The garden you created is lovely; it has a very serene feeling to it. Hope you took that great garden bench with you!You sound ready for a new creative adventure....always the new garden/the one I am working on is my favorite. I look forward to seeing your next one. Enjoy....
Carol, I thank you for taking the time to post an answer to my inquiry. I just had a feeling that you and Bill may have
wanted to take along a possible favorite. I'm guessing the iris you are referring to that smells like grape Kool-Aid is
pictured on top right-side photo.
Thanks again!;)
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