A walk through a garden pathway
I showed up to “tweak” the garden in preparation for a party. I hadn’t been there for a while and when I walked up to the trellised gateway, I just stopped and said “wow.”
For a number of years I have helped Susan in developing the garden picture that she keeps in her head. The garden is reaching maturity and Susan’s overall concept is beginning to really show up. The gate is open and inviting. How could you not walk through it?
Susan is anxiously waiting for the day when the magnolias, hemlocks, and white pines completely hide the black fence in the back and the houses to the sides. The screen is almost there. If you look really hard, you can get a glimpse of a neighboring house, but not much of one.
There are three pathway entrances to the garden. The one pictured below leads from a grassy area past a koi pond and waterfall up into the garden itself. The pathway is made with the use of random pieces of flagstone and a few custom poured stepping stones. A mulch of natural wood chips adds the perfect complement of texture and color.
When we established the pathway a few years ago, we used mostly flagstones, but we added hand made stepping stones using whisky barrel rings for a mold. Leaves from surrounding plants were incorporated into the design, and the stones were colored with an acid stain. I still remember seeing Susan bending over to look at a stepping stone and then straightening up to look around at the nearby plants. Grinning.
The pathway meanders to a secluded flagstone sitting area. I like the way the hostas guide the visitor around the curve.
Walking toward the rear of the garden from the sitting area is like heading out into “the woods.” I found azaleas on the left of me and a very large bed of Lenten roses to the right. A snowball viburnum was showing off its spring glory.
At a curve in the walk I found this cute little bunny that is probably not going to ever get around to eating that hosta.
An entrance from the other side of the yard gives a vista of freshly planted begonias, coleus, white azaleas fading into a row of red Encore azaleas, and a beautiful Japanese maple. As the azaleas fade, a large collection of hydrangeas will bloom in their place. That’s when the Encore azaleas will really show off, also.
A view from the patio shows a short retaining wall built with large rocks and plantings to the front with a background of white azaleas.
A good eye and an attention to detail give us the plantings on and in the rock borders. Here we have variegated Solomon seal, ferns, and fig vine. I really liked the basket accent.
The garden entrance from the patio is framed by a Buddha and a dragon fly giving an instant feeling of inner peace. I thought about the juxtaposition of the freedom of the dragon fly in flight and the quiet meditation of the Buddha.
Standing over the koi pond and next to a Japanese maple is the statue “la Breeza.” With the wind at her back she welcomes the sun to the garden.
I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did. I’ll be back when the hydrangeas are in bloom.
Johntheplantman.
If you live in or around the northwest Georgia area and would like to have a consultation with johntheplantman, you may contact John Schulz by email at wherdepony@bellsouth.net Do not send pictures or attachments as they will be instantly deleted.
related articles:
flagstone walkway and garden entrance part one
Flagstone walkway and garden entrance part two
These articles are brought to you by John P. Schulz, author of the novel, Requiem for a Redneck . You can read more of the adventures of John the plant man by visiting the sites below:
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http://www.amazon.com/Requiem-Redneck-John-P-Schulz/dp/0981825206/
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johntheplantman--Gardening 