Following the Huntsville Garden Tour (see the previous post), we were invited to see the garden of Tom Simpson and Dan McKitrick who lived just a few blocks away. Wow, I'm glad we saw it. This garden was completely different from the tour gardens. This garden had more sun and much more color. It was small too but jam-packed with plants. The word that came to mind as I walked through it was "electric". There was so much vibrant color from both plants and decorative objects. This was obviously a garden belonging to an obsessed gardener!
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The garden filled the entire property, the front, side and back of the house.
This is the front as seen from the street. |
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There was so much to see at every turn, not only plants but whimsical
touches as well. Love the purple chair! |
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| I should have asked Tom how he keeps these ferns looking so good in sun? |
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| Wonderful textures! |
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| This was just one of the bottle trees in the garden. This is along the pathway leading to the back of the house. |
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The back garden is lush with plantings, surrounding a firepit and water feature. An elevated
back porch to the right overlooks the garden. The focal point is a dramatic Blue Atlas Cedar. |
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| Tom is fond of Japanese maples and there are several throughout the garden. I also noticed a variety of pine trees. I have always loved pine trees, although I have never planted one. I loved the way there were incorporated into this garden. |
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A beautiful Barberry grows alongside the small pond. Branches of the
Blue Atlas Cedar hang above. |
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| A view of the back of the house and porch area. |
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| The small pond is surrounded by Japanese maple, spirea, persicaria and lilies. |
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At the back of the property was another building.
Climbing Hydrangea was growing under this balcony. |
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| The view from a balcony. |
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| So glad we got to see this - it is a great example for plant lovers with limited space! I hope to visit again and get photos at a better time. We were there in the middle of the day, not the best time for photography. |
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
I LIKE it. It's chuck-full of beauty and ideas!
ReplyDeleteTom adds his whimsey with a sure hand, the difference between an artful garden and a random collection. I admire gardeners with a good eye for placement.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place. I wouldn't want to leave!
ReplyDeleteLove your garden Tom!
ReplyDeleteLove your garden Tom!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful but not pretty as yours!
ReplyDeleteReally interesting garden. The Mahonias look spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI love the Atlas cedar. I was under the impression that they grow to be enormous (100-feet tall), which is why I've shied away from considering one for my garden. Does anyone know if there are dwarf cultivars available?
As for pines, I thought many did not do well in the SE, but clearly I'm mistaken.
I feel I have a LOT to learn on conifers!!
Oh my, I bet you couldn't hardly take your eyes off all those plants. One wouldn't want to leave there. FUN
ReplyDeletevery very nice!!
ReplyDeleteI just love this garden. And taking another virtual garden tour. It is the season and there are so many new ideas.
ReplyDeleteHi Phillip! Looking at the pictures it's difficult to imagine that it is a small garden. So lush and full!
ReplyDeleteHi Phillip, since we have only a small property I am always particularly interested in seeing gardens of a similar scale. This is indeed a spectacular one! I love that it has a total personal tough, only a true gardener can live there! I really admire how lush and full everything looks. My favorite tree is the 'Blue Atlas Cedar' and the pond area is very lovely, too. Thanks for taking us on the tour! Warm regards,
ReplyDeleteChristina
I very much enjoyed showing you this garden, Phillip! Tom and Dan are wonderful people, and their garden exudes their warm and generous personalities.
ReplyDeleteThis garden is popping with color, and little of it from flowers, which shows the importance of of good foliage and carefully chosen man-made items. My only concern was the Blue Atlas Cedar. It is truly gorgeous, but I think that plant grows to be about 50 feet tall and wide! Will it someday overwhelm the garden?
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