An Artist's Garden

This week I was invited to tour a friend's garden. Not only is Miss Becky a fellow Master Gardener she is also a very talented and award winning artist. Her artistic flair is woven into all aspects of her garden from plant combinations to sculptures and the artistic elements which are found throughout her garden.

She gardens on a 1.5 acre sloped lot with equal parts shade and sun. The front of her home welcomes you with this stunning combination of giant pitcher plants and blue sage.

On the shaded slope facing the street Becky has a mass of shade loving plants including hydrangea, ferns, Solomon's seal and trillium. This is a challenging area because the deer forage here.

 

To deter the deer Becky created these coyote statues by painting some canvas which she stuffed and mounted on a rebar frame. She says it works! Later on the tour you will be in for a treat with another project made from rebar.

At the back of her house is a stunning tiered garden welcoming all types of pollinators.

Her hydrangea are very impressive. In Georgia we typically see blue hydrangea because of our acidic soil. Becky has amended her soil to neutralize it and now has blooms in several shades of purple.

And they are stunning!

She has several blue hydrangea including mopheads and lacecaps through out her garden. In the shade garden it is very calming and just makes you want to take a seat and stay a long while.

Recently, Becky began square foot gardening and won 2nd place for her family garden. To keep the deer, rabbits and other critters out of her vegetable garden she built this rebar house.

I love this! Not only is it a functional structure it also adds an airy, industrial element and fabulous focal point to this corner of her garden. Here is a closer look...

The rebar frame holds the netted walls that still allow pollinators, rain and sunshine to enter.

The  photo below was taken inside the structure and gives you an idea of the massive size.

Walking back toward the house is this view. In the foreground is a lovely pomegranate shrub in full bloom. In the background you can see the artist studio.

The garden is such a nice composition of color and texture.

The insects abound from all types of bees, beetles, beneficial insects and butterflies.

There is even room for faeries to dance here.

Becky painted several gourd kitties which her grandkids placed throughout the garden.

 

This is one of the real life inspirations. The kitties romp around the garden and love laying in the pine straw.

Here are a few more wide shots of the tiered garden from different angles.

 

 

One of the whimsical elements that really caught my eye were these hypertufa mushrooms.

I will end the tour with a few closer shots of the beautiful blooms.

Thank you Becky for sharing your gorgeous garden with us as well as your knowledge of design, color combinations and foliage colors and textures. I feel inspired to take my garden to the next level!