2002 Garden Walk

Port Washington Garden Club
2002 Garden Walk

July 13, 2002, 9AM - 3PM

This garden was on tour several years ago when the emphasis was on an area of native plants favored by monarch butterflies and their caterpillars.

Since the owner’s recent retirement, Asian influences have been introduced with a graveled meditation garden and dry stream bed complete with stone pagoda and miniature pedestrian bridge. The lot also has a large vegetable garden and new beds devoted to the owner’s growing passion for collecting hostas. This revisit shows how gardening interests evolve.

This garden was designed to recall the home owner’s life in Europe. Front yard perennial beds feature a Japanese maple and dwarf evergreens.

The spacious backyard features a shade garden and European plants. Also included are a beautiful larch tree planted as a memorial to the owner’s mother and vintage iris from the nuns who ran the original hospital in Port Washington. All of this may be enjoyed from the backyard patio.

Here are some ideas for anyone dealing with a steeply sloping lot. This home owner needed a way to use a shallow backyard. Last year, half of the yard was landscaped with terraced garden beds. A deck outside the house looks down on the new beds while the soft gurgle of Sauk Creek fills the air.

Below the deck is a hot tub. The yard borrows trees and a sense of space from the nearby creek. You can see the grassy “before” slope on the south side of the stairs. An arbor and path follow the narrow yard around the rear of the house to a second secluded deck.

Harbor Village, occupying the former St. Mary’s Hospital building, is a care center with residential units and progressive care facilities. The garden here has been designed for the safe use by residents with either physical or mental challenges.

This courtyard has raised “tray” planters for wheelchair users, a fountain with sculpture designed by a former resident, plantings to attract birds and butterflies, and seating areas. Safety features and accessibility are key to this garden’s design.

Q&A

Q: What are the low-growing, lavender flowers on the east end of the courtyard next to the walk?

A: These are Candytuft, Iberis umbellata.  A robust perennial, behaving in some areas as an annual. Native to Europe, it has adapted to all regions of the United States. This low, bushy plant produces mounds of beautiful ice-white, pink or lilac flowers which last well into the summer months. Prefers a gravelly, well-drained soil in full sun. Candytuft cannot tolerate damp soil conditions or shade.

The garden of this brick Cape Cod features lovely surprises on a compact corner lot. A sunny sidewalk border is packed with thousands of bulbs for a huge spring display. The same area glows as a perennial border in summer.

In the back, a recent remodel created a private, enclosed courtyard with patio seating area, perennial beds and rose garden. This shows the possibilities even in a limited space.

Click HERE for the report from the 2001 Garden Walk!

Questions?  Please Email us!

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