A Garden of Many Rooms

Most gardeners focus their efforts on the backyard. In this case, the homeowner has directed much of her energies to a rectangular space at the side of a century home that may at one time have housed a garage. 

I doing so, she transformed a long narrow area into a series of courtyards or rooms. By partitioning the area according to function (outdoor dining, potting shed and seating areas) an awkward space has been made to feel wider and more generous. The view to the backyard is partially obstructed making each new room a delightful surprise.

This is not a Japanese garden, but there are many Asian influences. Although there is no raked sand, there is fine gravel and rocks. The lattice that provides privacy for dining area also has a oriental feel. Even the plantings, which are generally spare and textural rather than floral, have the minimalist aesthetic of a Japanese garden. 

The first "room" is a dining area complete with a table and chairs.

Wooden decking leads past the outdoor eating area to the back porch. The side of the house gets full sun in the hottest part of the day, so a pergola was constructed to create a little afternoon shade (see below).

Providing the dinner music is this classic water fountain.

This is a gardener who appreciates the unique color, shape, size and texture of stone. In the picture above, rocks and pebbles have been combined with pots of green ferns to make a little vignette. 

In other parts of the garden, craggy, moss covered rocks have been used to edge raised beds and flat, grey flagstone is mixed with fine pea gravel to form the central pathway that runs through the garden.

Here a few special rocks and crystals have even been gathered into a raised display.

A lean-to of vines transform the sunny porch into a shady retreat.

A container planting on top of a clay column.

Midway down the side yard is the potting area– the working heart of the garden.

Annuals in a container planting just behind the potting bench.

An nice mix of textures in the flowerbed beside the potting bench.

 

An Euonymus with golden variegation climbs up the side of an arbor.

The restricted color palette makes the journey down the central pathway feel serene. Finely-cut foliage also adds a certain softness to this part of the garden.

A mix of ferns and a Bleeding Heart surround a garden ornament 

that continues the oriental theme.

The plantings in front of the shed emphasize foliage texture and color. The Japanese Maple and the peach Heuchera add a hint of warm color to the mix of greens.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of the color peach, but I have to admit that it looks stunning with the Fescue grass and the two blue-green hostas.

I am not sure of the exact cultivar here, but I will give you a reference to one that looks very similar.

Fancy-leaf Coral Bells, Heuchera 'Champagne' has foliage that changes from peach to gold to golden-champagne color over the season. Tall burgundy stems carry tiny, pale-peach flowers. This plant is adaptable to a range of garden soils and likes average to moist growing conditions. Part-shade to full shade. Height:25-30 cm (10-12 inches, Spread: 30-35 cm (12-14 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

This Buddha seems to have found the perfect spot for meditation.

We're now in the backyard looking at the porch. Under the dappled shade of a lilac is an Alberta Spruce, a variety of ferns, a silvery Heuchera and a low mat of European Ginger.

Stones, at the foot of a concrete birdbath, appear to be casually arranged, but in the way of Japanese gardens, are placed in a way that is intentional.

European Wild Ginger, Asarum europaeum is a groundcover perfect for shady areas. It has glossy, green leaves and insignificant brownish flowers that tend to be hidden by the foliage. European Wild Ginger makes a great understory for hosta and ferns. Height: 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), Spread: 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). USDA zones: 2-9.

The backyard has a large grassy area with plantings 

around the perimeter, a shed and a hot tub.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour.

The Small Garden with the Blue Twig Sculpture

When it comes to design, this is a garden that gets it right in so many ways. 

It's all the little touches that make this front entrance so welcoming. There is even a pretty wreath on the door.

The yews and most of objects on either side of the front door are balanced symmetrical (the two black sconces, the two rectangular planter boxes filled with annuals), but there is just enough asymmetry to keep things interesting (the concrete fruit basket on a stand and large final on the porch).  

It's natural to want to dispense with the bother of mowing a lawn when your front yard is as small as this one. The challenge in replacing the grass is to make the plantings looks just as tidy and presentable as a lawn. 

Over the years I have seen as many unfortunate attempts at replacing a front lawn with a garden as I have seen success stories. It's hard to get it right. (I must see if I can do a post on the subject!) 

In this instance, the plantings have been keep somewhat formal. In the foreground, a box hedge frames a low expanse of pachysandra. Shading the pachysandra are a row (only one is visible in this photograph) of Ivory Silk Tree Lilac, Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk'. This is a fairly compact tree that has fragrant, creamy-white flowers in late spring or early summer. (Height: 20 ft, Spread: 14 ft. USDA zones:3-7).

To the right of the door is a novel sculpture that was created with can of blue spray paint.

Before we head into the backyard, let's stop to admire these pretty container plantings.

1. Pink Begonias 2. Impatiens 3. Purple Heart, Setcrsea purpurea (tender perennial or houseplant) 4. Coleus 5. Lobelia

The shady area at the side of the house has been kept low maintenance with a simple concrete walkway and a neat row of shade lovers that include hosta, Bleeding Heart (Dicentra), Solomon Seal (Polygonatum), Japanese Ferns (Anthyrium) and Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia).

As you move down the walkway and get closer to the backyard, growing conditions get a bit sunnier allowing for plants like the clematis that you see in the next images.

If you have a small garden, be on the lookout this spring for some of these newer varieties of clematis that reach a height of just four to six feet.

At the back of the house, a pergola shades the stone patio from the hot afternoon sun.

The homeowner has a gift for composing perfect little vignettes.

In the backyard, the fence has been stained charcoal, which sets off the fresh 

green of the plantings very nicely. 

1. Boxwood frames the flowerbed 2. Two fragrant lavender plants 3. A round boxwood 4. Making its way up the fence is a Climbing Hydrangea 5. Columnar Copper Beech

Hosta are planted right behind the birdbath.

Columnar Copper Beech

In a small garden, a columnar tree is a great way to add privacy over and above the separation that a simple fence provides. The growth of a columnar tree is narrow and upright, so you have privacy without the shade that a tree with a wider canopy would generate. 

Container plantings throughout the space add nice hits of color.

Plants here include: Japanese Maple, Hosta, a Hydrangea, Alliums, Solomon Seal 

Columnar Copper Beech and Climbing Hydrangea

In my humble opinion, there is no such thing as a low maintenance garden– just to water the containers in this garden each day would take a couple of hours, but with proper attention in the spring, I think most people would find the workload here very manageable. 

Spring Chores: Certainly you'd want to add a top dressing of leaf mold or compost each spring to keep the plants happy and healthy. The planting is fairly dense, so any weeds would have lots of competition. A generous covering of mulch would reduce the need to do any weeding even further. Other chores might include regular pruning, a bit of deadheading and of course you'd have to water when the garden gets really dry. All and all, the upkeep on a garden like this could be easily managed.

A pebble courtyard gives the garden a European feel. Blue fabric cushions and large blue pots make the garden feel fresh even on a hot day.

 Wouldn't this be the perfect place to spend a summer's afternoon?