Gardens I Have Designed

Large Front yard garden

In this garden two thirds of the original turf grass gave way to mixed beds of perennials, shrubs and trees, mostly native. In early spring, daffodils and tulips flower low to the ground; their leaves have gone dormant by the time the native flowers begin their serious growth. Purple phacelias, a biannual common along the Kentucky River, bloom profusely, then set seed and die to make room for other plants. Throughout the growing season the plantings gain in height, topping out at 6-7 feet, and colors change continuously into late fall.

Cottage Garden

The front yard of this cottage in the Kenwick neighborhood started out with 4 small dogwoods, a groundcover of vinca and a bunch of evergreen foundation plants. Most of the vinca and evergreens are now gone. The ever changing colors, forms and textures of perennials from early spring to fall give great pleasure to the owners, their children, and to passers-by. Since the garden is small, the height of flowers stays limited to about 2.5 feet, but the informal arrangement of diverse plants works very well.

Circular Driveway

This house has a sunny area between the sidewalk and the semi-circle of its driveway. A kidney-shaped bed invited the planting of a pollinator garden that moves from the subtle pinks, blues and whites of spring to the golds and oranges of summer, and then ends with the deep pink and purple of muhligrass and aromatic aster.

Suburban front garden

Here the entire front yard has been given over to two flower beds flanking the front walk. It is important that the plants growing near the walk remain low to the ground throughout the season so that walking from the sidewalk to the house always feels unencumbered and comfortable. The natural stone path beautifully complements the informal and naturalistic plantings.

Shade garden

In spring, wildflowers and certain bulbs provide a profusion of color in a shade garden as long as the trees above have not leafed out and sunlight still filters through their branches warming the soil. In the summer, shade gardens are green and their interest lies in the forms and textures of the ground layer of plants interrupted by the trunks of trees. In fall, some color returns as certain asters, goldenrods and the common Bluegrass snakeroot bloom, especially on the edge of the woodland.

Public pollinator garden

This large flower bed near the entrance of Wellington Park basks in full sun. The garden gets a late start in spring, since there are no non-native tulips and daffodils growing here, but it quickly gains height as the native flowers assert themselves. While there is plenty of color in late spring and summer, the garden enters its glory period in fall when pink Muhligrass blooms on its front edge. It retains its interest throughout the winter with its grasses swaying in the wind and many of its dry flower stalks continuing to stand upright.

Garden ornaments

Ceramic pots, gazing balls and stone structures work beautifully in a naturalistic landscape design, for their smooth surfaces contrast effectively with the busy elements of plants, especially in a garden that honors the principle of diversity. These ornamental objects attract the view and thus provide satisfaction to the visitor who enters the garden. Then the eye - and the feet – slowly wander to everything else that is of interest.