Monday, September 20, 2010

More Good Garden Stroll

In slow motion.

The Baird's garden in West Asheville is four years in the making. In that time they have created an idyllic suburban garden, a place where one could expect Donna Reed to answer the door or pop out of the hydrangea bushes.



There was a nice diversity of plants in the garden with a coherent design, yet you could tell this was a gardener's garden and not just a landscape.



Out back a nice pond and waterfall. I hope there are plans to eliminate the black vinyl liner in the waterfall at some point.



Plenty gold fish, an astounding number filled the pond.



A nice purple Toadlily, Tricyrtis species. I may need to try those in my garden to be.



Norbert Artzt and John Denton have created their own masterpiece. An impressive collection of conifers and evergreen shrubs straddle the line between formal and naturalistic.



The front entry has the feel of an intimate courtyard garden without any imposing walls. The significant elevation above street level helps with that.



A little Moonflower for some summer evening fragrance and a touch of the wild.



Sculpted shrubberies add a formal air and a hint of the Japanese without the garden really going there.



The sloping lot has several terraced levels connected by meandering paths that lure you into the garden.



A massive White Oak towers over the back garden.



Details throughout, such as many bonsai, invite the visitor to stop and look closer. Didn't get a very good bonsai shot though.



Now how did they get this portulaca to form such a dense mat? I should have asked more questions and found out who tends this garden and if it always looks this meticulous. They did invite me back anytime.



So ends the posts for the second annual and rainy West Asheville Garden Stroll. Real gardeners love rain. More so in droughty conditions and a little rain wasn't going to stop folks from enjoying so many fine gardens.

Previous Garden Stroll Posts:
The West Asheville Garden Stroll
Two Parks In Asheville
The Slide Show

3 comments:

Les said...

I do like that second garden, and would enjoy walking through a rainy garden, especially my own.

Lola said...

That was a wonderful stroll. Thanks for taking us along.

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

Enjoyed ambling through the gardens with you. Heartening to read you were invited back--which means we get to tag along again!