One of my first posts (Aug. 2005) was about the garden of my friend and coworker Marcia. She needed some environmental portraits shot for a feature about her on another website, so I stopped by for a quick visit a week ago. I couldn’t help but wander around and shoot some more pix after the portraits were done.
While some trees have been removed to let in some light and many small details have changed, the bones are mostly the same. From this angle (above, from a second-story window), it’s a well-designed flower garden with a vegetable garden in back separated by a fence. The new bed on the right was inspired by an article in a recent issue of Garden Design about a Charleston, S.C., garden (see “Southern Classic,” May 2008, image on page 39) that features a lawn area ‘pinched’ by beds at the far end to create some separation between different areas.
From the opposite angle (above), you can see the second face of Marcia’s layout: A functional veggie garden with some funky ornamentation.
This small water garden also provides some separation between the flowers and the food. You need to walk around it to get to the entrance arch.
This column provides a focus in the round bed in the center of the veggie garden, as well as being the anchoring lighthouse at the far end the garden’s axis.
One thing Marcia and I share it the love of the blue bottles …
…and funky ornamentation. (I’m thinking Les Quatres Vents only smaller.)
A closer view of the left border from above.
This nearly black iris came from a small iris farm nearby that went out of business last year. The rhizomes were free for the digging, but not labeled. (I got several buckets too.) Adds to the surprises in the garden this spring, waiting to see what the new irises are going to look like when they bloom.
I don’t know the name of this iris. But it seems like it’s everywhere. I’ve got some that are identical or very similar that came with the last house that I lived in.
Rhodie flowers starting to pop.
Wow, what a cool garden Marcia has! I like her blue bottles and funky ornamentation, too… and that “pinching” really does work. I didn’t notice the veggie garden behind until you pointed it out and I scrolled back up to see it.
That “ubiquitous” iris, we have some of those around here, too. I received some from a gardening friend, but decided it had to go when I got the deep red one instead. I miss the fragrance, though… are yours fragrant?
this is some really good garden flowers and you are amazing to be doing that kind of work and i am only 11 and i am very suprised
this is really good