Friday, July 6, 2012

A Landscape in Vignettes: Beth Powell's Country Garden


 

I am sorry there were no new posts earlier in the week. The completion of a big project kept me busy. There has not been a spare moment to take any photographs of my own garden either, but I promise to make up for it next week.

In the meantime, I have a whimsical country to show you.

Beth Powell's garden reveals itself in a series of vignettes. Her garden is expansive and the unconventional groupings of objects and plants are spread out over several acres. Sometimes, while visiting one part of the garden, you will glimpse the next vignette in the distance. Other times, the view is obscured. Then again, you will round a corner and come across a complete surprise. The unexpected nature and creativity of each of the these little scenes is a delight.

There is nothing precious or fussy in Beth's garden. The plants are all tough as nails! There were, for instance,  lots of good-old dependable ditch-daylilies.

On the day of my visit, the grass was so dry and brittle that it crackled underfoot. You could tell from the drooping leaves that the perennials were just as thirsty as the grass, but they were soldiering-on, while the grass had all but gone dormant.



We'll start our tour at the front of the house, and then head out the back.





After we sign into the guest book, we'll go around to the back garden.


There are beautiful clematis by the door.



Love the stars!


And the simple embellishment on the black door!


The purple flowers look amazing against the backdrop of the grey barn boards.


A simple welcome to the back garden.


A mini-rainbow of wheelbarrows. I bet they all get used too.


To the left of the house, there is a large vegetable patch. 

Too bad birds can't read!



Sage in a toolbox planter.


Aren't these plant supports fun?



A rustic support for beans or peas.



It is a hot day, and so for now, we will take a rest in the shade. 

There is still lots more to see! I will meet you back here in a couple of days and we will take a walk around the rest of the garden.

P.S. I will put up the announcement of the book giveaway winners then as well. In the meantime, stay cool!

35 comments:

  1. A perfect country garden ! Lovely photos !

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  2. What an enchanting garden and you're right...it's a garden of vignettes and I love it! Thank you for sharing this oh so delightful place! Great photos, too!

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  3. Oh I just love it! What a wonderful garden with so many special touches. Have a lovely weekend.

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  4. Beautiful clematis, love this bright blue color! And it is funny for birds "Keep out".

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  5. As always a beautiful and interesting journey! Loved them all!

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  6. Me encanta el porche y el jardín!. Hermosos detalles y bellas fotos. Feliz fin de semana!!!

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  7. I can't wait to see the rest of the garden Jennifer! It's absolutely charming and I so wish I could have joined you for the visit! Have a great weekend :)

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  8. Looks so lovely, I'm in awe of everyone who manage to create something like this!

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  9. I liked the "vibe" of this garden. It has personality without being too self conscious or cute. My jaw dropped at the simple photo of the barn with daylilies in the gravel at the corner. A beautifully composed picture and a wonderfully planted garden scene!

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  10. Some people have plenty of imagination, as shown by the rubber boots. Ha! Thanks for the photos; I'll look forward to ones of your garden when you have the time, Jennifer.
    -Karen

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  11. That's one creative gardener. Thanks for sharing her style, which I like very much.

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  12. Love, love, love. I could spend some such a long time here, I love her style and the rhythm of the garden.

    Paul

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  13. Love all the rustic touches! That clematis is amazing! It has so many blooms!!! I tell myself every year I need some ditch daylilies. This post reminds me - I really do!!!

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  14. I'm in love with that barn, the worn boards are sublime (I've got a thing about old barns) but the photo that won me over was the wood pile with the three wheelbarrows. We're always fighting over the one wheelbarrow we own, three would be a dream.

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  15. love love love and I swear that's my bike!! I had the exact same bike when I was little. Beautiful spot, thanks for sharing it Jennifer!

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  16. Thanks for sharing this post of this beautiful garden Jennifer. What a space!!!
    Have a great weekend

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  17. Lovely garden with so many different views. The blue clematis is absolutely stunning, do you know what variety it is? The owner obviously has a lot of imagination which has come together to make a beautiful garden.

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  18. What a wonderful garden! It's so inviting and real. It seems like a fun place. I love the plant supports and the greenery flowing out of the bike basket. I'm a klutz and if I attempted to garden around a rusty bike, I'd have tetanus. But I still love the way it looks. :o)

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  19. This is a wonderful garden. It reminds me of my sister-in-law's garden, takes a creative and whimsical mind to devise a garden like this. One must think with abandon when producing this type of an environment.

    Eileen

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  20. What a wonderful garden...I love the touches of whimsey...the boots are great! Thanks for sharing, lots of ideas here.

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  21. Such a beautiful place! I loved the back door, with stars above and vines on either side.

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  22. Totally charming. I can feel my pulse rate slowing.

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  23. This garden is both beautiful and fun. I like the Wellington boot planters, and that clematis is lovely. I could happily wander around for ages in a garden like this.
    As the grass there crackles underfoot ours is squelching as the mud seeps through it.

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  24. It is a fun garden, so many things to see. Love the driftwood by the front porch. Having an old bike to use as a planter is super!!

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  25. Just gorgeous. How lucky for you to tour! I love this kind of garden with all the "junk/antiques" incorporated. The watering can is awesome & I love those stars too!

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  26. Hi Jennifer
    What a creative person Beth Powell is! Terrific little touches make her garden so special: the flags, the flowers in the bike basket, the 3 stars above the door. Just loved them!!
    I hate crunchy, dried out grass but I guess we are not suffering alone….
    Have a great weekend. (Maybe we'll get another thunder storm)
    Astrid

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  27. The owner really has a lot of fun with her garden. We should all relax and let our creative juices flow.

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  28. I love the rustic look of this garden. Some very unusual spots yet has a "lived in old era" feel to it.
    The door with straw wreath,inverted tubs, wooden bird sign [saying keep out] , very old wooden chairs/seating arrangements and decoration with boots -adds that unique touch to the setting.
    have a nice day !

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  29. What a fabulous place to visit on a sunny afternoon ~

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  30. What a lovely place to visit--definitely worth getting out in the heat for. I love all her creative touches, but especially the wooden support in the vegetable patch with the rubber boot planters--that made me smile:)

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  31. Its a very happy garden Jennifer.

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  32. What a beautiful garden! I particularly like the bicycle planter and the corner of the house...simple but elegant. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  33. I love that garden. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

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  34. Oh this is my favourite sort of garden great vignettes and your photos share the place beautifully with us.

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  35. I love the blue clematis, and the glass jug, and the daylilies by the barn, doing what ditch lilies do best, capturing and amplifying the light.

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