Jay Sifford from Charlotte, North Carolina has been busy since building his yatsuhashi boardwalk last summer!
"I’ve been working on this new section of my garden for the past year and a half. Last summer we built a yatsuhashi boardwalk that extends off the plane of the existing granite boulders that takes visitors to a seating area overlooking a small creek. I’ve planted over 600 one gallon ferns of 25 different species in large interlocking swaths. 8 deer live in this area of my garden, so everything has to be very deer resistant. In addition to the ferns (which they don’t eat), I’ve planted rhododendron, pieris, diervilla, Japanese maples, big leaf magnolia, two types of illicium, davidii viburnum, dwarf hemlocks, acorus, 3 types of farfugium, and a few shade-loving flowering perennials. Sweetgums, dozens of beeches and oaks, rising up to 80 feet, create the ceiling to this garden space. I placed a trio of stone spheres on the deck to mimic and pull from the natural boulders below, and built a crude low railing of very straight crepe myrtle branches attached to rusted rebar. When I sit there I feel quite humble and creative, as opposed to other areas of my garden which are empowering or bring back childhood memories. It’s one of my favorite parts of this ever-expanding garden."
Have a garden you'd like to share? Please email your photos (and stories) to [email protected]! Whether you've never shared before or you've been featured multiple times, we want to see your garden! You don't have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here!
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Comments
Wow how serene and lovely! I am so impressed with your vision, determination and creativity. You needed all three to create such a beautiful masterpiece. Namaste
Thank you Lily. Two years ago the entire area was covered in English ivy, honeysuckle and poison ivy. We've done a lot of work.
Jay, curious to learn what wood you used in the yatsuhashi boardwalk. And what were the steps to prep and paint/stain it? Nice job!
Hi Diane. The wood is pressure-treated pine. I let it cure for a few months, then applied a Chinese red solid deck stain from Sherwin-Williams.
Thanks Diane! It's a work in progress. I look forward to seeing all the ferns grow together along the creek and the shrubs on the hillside mature. It's a magical part of my garden, and the 5 foot wind chimes overhead add to that peaceful feeling.
The words "Absolutely brilliant" wouldn't go away in my mind as I took in each picture and marvelled at how perfect everything already is. I so admire your bold color choice and how you made the deck (chicken me isn't going to try to spell correctly the asian word) change elevation to nestle into its spot more cozily. Yep, "absolutely brilliant".
What a great project...and that gutsy red! yes, brilliant! I can understand the feeling of humbleness in that natural space - enhanced with your thoughtful plantings. Can't wait to see it after some maturity. Really lovely.
What a beautiful job! It reminds me of a portion of Stonecrop Gardens in Coldspring, NY. To have taken it from what it was to this in two years is remarkable!
All I can say is wow! You are a man on a mission. Unwavering focus. Great job!!!
This is all so beautiful, Jay! I so love the simplicity of it all. To have those huge boulders to work off of is a dream! The canopy sounds wonderful and then the red! All so great! Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Hi Jeanne. I bought this house because of the land. Those boulders are incredible. I unearthed some beech tree roots in between two boulders and found out it was, in fact, one boulder that measured about 20 feet across.
That's so incredibly awsome! I am running out or adjectives here! What a great place to work on!
Well, Jay, this sounds like a Paul Bunyon tall-tale: 600 ferns?! I remember that you mentioned that before, but along with the list of the other plants and shrubs you planted I am shamed into feeling lazy and complacent. Bravo.
I think the last time I saw photos of the yatsuhashi-inpired deck and walkway, it was unfinished. The Chinese red is simply stellar, as is the combination of rebar and natural wood railing. Your talent is really singing on this project.
Your natural bolder outcrops are so stunning. I love the Hakone grass tucked in the crevice.
Always a treat to see your personal garden. Do you use it as a showcase for clients? I would bet that a quick walk through your grounds would win you a lot of clients.
Hi Tim. I do bring some clients here, particularly the ones who have shady spaces. I'll have to admit that the older portion of my garden is so stuffed with specimen plants that some people become overwhelmed and a bit claustrophobic. But, so far, everyone seems to enjoy the peaceful feeling of this ferny space.
Well, I guess my egocentricity is showing. You mean not everyone is an incurable plant collector who needs to cram as many cool plants as possible in one tiny space!? Really love your garden and work, Jay, both simple and dense. Cheers.
haha. Thanks Tim. I hear rumors that there are people who call themselves "minimalists".... go figure...
Very, very nice. I like the use of the yatsuhashi style walkway. It adds a dynamism to the scene that standard steps and landings would not. The way the boardwalk and the new plants interact with the environment, blows me away. Jeanne mentions the "simplicity of it all" and that struck me too. It also reminded me of the level of work that goes into a design to create that simplicity. I will have to look at this again when I get home this evening. There is an entire chapter in garden design written in your work.
Thanks Chris. I strive for simplicity in my work, especially in my newer work. The older parts of my garden are quite closely planted with specimens, but I think as we grow older we appreciate simplicity more and more. And simplicity isn't the simplest thing to do... ha
Simple and stunning!
Hi Jay, stunning use of complementary colors and yet it is a restful place to meditate. I went back to see your other submissions to FGPD, incredible gardens! Good luck on your fern choices to naturalize. I have tried many species over the years and despite watering, the fact is I have dry shade. Only those ferns that can take dry shade wind up being long-lived. How wonderful to have a stream. There are so many plant descriptions that read 'habitat, stream banks'.
Hi HellofromMD. I've learned a lot about ferns over the past few years, mostly by trial and error. Ferns, conifers, Japanese maples and ornamental grasses are my favorite plants of all. For drier shade, Christmas fern tops my list. Others that do well there include Fortune's hardy holly (which is becoming one of my favorites), Japanese holly, autumn, and tassel (although it won't grow as large in drier conditions). The worst ferns for drier shade are ostrich, cinnamon, lady, royal, deer, hay-scented, New York, sensitive..... at least that's been my experience. My ostrich in wetter conditions grow to 5 feet; the ones in drier conditions, to 1.5 feet. What species work for you in your dry shade?
My admiration is never-ending for your vision, bold use of red (my favorite color), incredible stamina (600 ferns??) and patience (years in the making). What a lovely, serene spot you've created. You have the knack for finding the right shape, material and placement of everything needed for the perfect garden.
Thanks so much!
Love the red. A beautiful, peaceful place. You have the gift .
Very impressive, Jay? Thanks for sharing your personal garden with us?
Jay, you are truly a garden artist. You've created such a serene escape that I hope you get to just sit there and enjoy it after all of your hard work. It's also nice that you've decided to work around your deer problem. It seems here that the deer forget what they're not supposed to eat:(
Hi Linda. The "deer resistant plant lists" are put out by and large I think by nurseries wanting to sell more plants. The two "deer resistant" plants that they devoured in my garden are aucuba and camellia japonica. They seem to leave alone the plants in mentioned in my description, but I left out calycanthus and aesculus parviflora. They have never bothered those either.
Thanks, Jay, for the new additions to the deer resistance list. Hopefully west coast deer have the same appetites as your east coast ones. Your more simplyfied garden is something that I would love to achieve, but like so many other gardeners, I have serious plant lust so that will never happen.....
Wow! An amazing effort. I love the serenity, dappled light and wonderful texture of this garden. And the new walk is a simply stunning exclamation point.
You are certainly right Jay, it is a magical forest. Beautiful and serene. An arduous undertaking that has created a wonderful contemplative area. I am a tremendous fern fan and my gardens are stuffed with them. In a few years yours will rise and spread to cover the forest floor (600 WOW!), although don't underestimate the deer!! Such joy and thanks for sharing a look at all of your tremendous work.
Hi Meelianthus. Love the screen name, btw... one of my favorite plants that doesn't do well for me here. I did a series on ferns for Houzz and discovered in my research that most ferns contain a mild toxin that gives deer a stomach ache. I have seen two autumn ferns that were nibbled on, but the rest of my ferns have been left untouched and are in the daily paths of deer.
Yes, Melianthus major is a garden favorite of mine although it can become a bit invasive here. I did want to mention one of my favorite ferns for covering a forest floor. You may already have it but if not it is well worth using if you don't mind it being invasive and it seems that you have a lot of area to cover. I find it quite beautiful, the Himalayan maidenhair fern (Adiantum venustum) will creep slowly forming a beautiful evergreen carpet. Glad the deer don't eat your ferns - our locals must have stomachs of steel ! My property is surrounded with a deer fence but my neighbors have a big problem.
Thanks for the fern suggestion. I have northern and southern maidenhair growing here, but not Himalayan. I'll look into it.
Fabulous. You certainly have a wonderful piece of ground for your creativity- I love what you've done- and I very much enjoy your skills, plant choices and placement. Gosh! What is your NEXT project! :-) !!
Thanks Margaret. I have lots of next projects... ha. My current personal project is a garden that celebrates light. I think it will run next week at some point. My goal is to create spaces that kindly challenge, teach, nurture, and create respect for the parts of nature that most people never notice.
Ah, That sounds very intriguing...and exciting! I look forward to seeing the results. So nice to have longer gardening time there~ versus here in upstate NY. Perhaps you should consider writing a book- I find your ideas very inspiring!
Thanks Margaret. I have a couple of ideas I'm throwing around for a book... if I can ever sit still long enough to make that happen. I would like to do that, though.
Your post doesn't belong here.
This is a most unique garden - well done! I didn't know it was possible to come up with that many different varieties of ferns. I hope you will post some more pix in a year or two when the site has matured even more.
Hi Darlene. Will do!
it all looks great, Jay. i do love that red red red. great space for many uses for your guests but most importantly for yourself
After reading the comments below, I was in awe of what you've created. Then I read that your whole area was covered in English ivy, honeysuckle and poison ivy. Now I have a whole new amount of respect for you! And it gives me hope! I'm struggling with the same eradication in the wooded area in my back yard. The honeysuckle is threatening to take over my blueberry bushes. We bought the house 5 years ago and I cuss loudly at whoever planted that ivy almost daily. )Good thing I'm in the woods all by myself). But I have a dream!! Any advise would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for the list of ferns that do well in dry shade as I also have a ton of that. And again, beautiful creation!
Hi Deborah. Thanks for the compliment. As much as I hate to rely on chemicals, honeysuckle and poison ivy may need that treatment. English ivy is the hardest to get rid of, and pulling is usually best. Fortunately, it generally pulls out fairly easily, so it's a matter of persistence.
Oh my, what a great space! I love ferns but only have a few because Texas summers are hard on them even in the shade. The pop of color really draws attention to the area. Good job!
Hello Jay, sorry to be late in joining your fan club but could not pass up the chance to tell you that I think your garden retreat is masterful. You have used all your many talents to create this beautiful, peaceful and inspiring area. As Chris N says, you have indeed used all the best garden tools!
I love it. Great work. Many congratulations on such an achievement.
Hi Eddi. Thanks so much for the compliments and encouragement. Happy gardening to you!
great design thank you for sharing
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in