The 2011 West Asheville Garden Stroll’s opening speaker was a stand in at the last moment. Grand Dame Dorothy Whipple stood in for her son Bill. She closed with her own inspiring and catchy rap.

Presenting Dame Dorothy Whipple and………….

The More You Give The More You Get

(Rap for senior citizens)

Here’s a call and a response on which to reflect
The more you give, the more you get
When I say, “The more you give”
You respond with, “The more you get”
Try again. This one’s just a test.
The more you give (Pause the music) The more you get
My hearings not good you’re a little qui-et
The more you give… The more you get
So here we go. Let’s give it our best. Because the more we give
The more you get

When you garden is dry you make it wet, because the more you give
The more you get
When the soils impoverished and your plants are bereft, the more you give
The more you get
When you are exhausted and needing some rest, the more you give (yourself)
The more you get
Your neighbor is elderly and needs a lift, the more you give
The more you get

To expect a return is slightly inept, the more you give
The more you get
If it is your turn to receive no need to get upset, the more you gave
The more you get
To offer a solution is my sincerest intent, the more you give
The more you get
How to fix holes in our community’s net, the more you give
The more you get
Without you all its just a futile attempt, the more you give
The more you get
With you all failure’s exempt, the more you give
The more you get
Symbiosis is the better bet, the more you give
The more you get
When we’re too busy we seem to forget, (that) the more you give
The more you get
Or if you own a Rolls or a Chevrolet, the more you give
The more you get
There will be folks who consider this a threat, the more you give
The more you get
They are afraid, lonely, and just don’t understand it, the more you give
The more you get
If we give them compassion in the face their contempt, the more you give
The more you get
All will be better and no need to be upset, the more you give
The more you get

This is the greatest gift we can present, the more you give
The more you get
Compassion is the greatest gift we can present, the more you give
The more you get
(Music retards-)
This is the greatest gift we can present, the more you give
The more you get

So get the word out by smoke signals or internet,

That ..The more WE give

THE MORE WE GET

; < )

For the last 15 years new beds have emerged when trees reach the end of their lives. The brutal spring freeze of 2007 may have killed the sour cherry, but that Hari Kari Cherry just made way for asparagus, figs and garlic beds. Ever-changing through lots of trial and error, the stalwart perennial survivors have made it through more than an occasional refusal to water, and even a new puppy’s teething spells. Dispersed through the grasses, vegetables and flowers, Mimi Strang’s sculptures add yet another element of color and texture. This garden represents a true synthesis of artistic sensibility and horticultural exploration. The garden sculptures are for sale and 10% rolls back to support next years’ Stroll.

In 20 years at 72 Vermont, Marion Norwood has gardened just about every inch of her yard, including half of the driveway which she dug up to create more planting space. Her use of reseeding annuals has created a cottage garden effect. When she originally established the garden, most of the perennials were gifts from friends. Now she enjoys passing on these same plants to other gardeners. A visit to Rosemary Verey’s potager in England inspired her to make her kitchen garden decorative as well as productive. With an interest in gardening according to the phases and signs of the moon, Marion’s intent is “to create a peaceful and private meditative space where I can have fun with my cats, grow food and celebrate the changing seasons.”

This first year garden has transformed an unkept lot into a garden that strives to produce and delight. An initial effort focused on establishing perennial beds and hardscaping along the perimeter. Mixed with common flowers, many fruit-bearing perennials were planted, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, and currants. In addition, the backyard has several raised beds dedicated to standard rotations of spinach, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, peas, and peppers. Fitted with cold frames, these beds also support a winter garden. The front yard offers space for warm season vegetables like squash, melons, and cucumbers. “Key principles guiding this ongoing transformation,” says gardener Erik Ostergaard, “are conservation (including an 800 gallon rain water collection system), waste recycling in composting bins, and organic gardening using natural products.”

Twins Will and Carolyn Wallace are the family gardeners for their mother Kathleen who moved to Asheville from Mississippi 8 years ago at age 82. Will oversees a large, terraced vegetable plot that provides an abundance of delectable seasonal offerings. Using truckloads of horse manure, tons of leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps, he creates what Carolyn brags about as the “the best compost ever.” Carolyn focuses on the front yard’s cottage garden. She collects pass-along plants and loves playing with color, texture, and garden kitsch. “Gardening is in our blood, Carolyn says. “Will spends many hours in his garden every single day. And I have to keep my heart near, and my hands in, the soil.”

Planning for this environmentally friendly community on four acres bordered by Rhododendron Creek began in 1995, with input from Permaculturist Chuck Marsh. Goals included composting, limiting lawns, avoiding toxic chemicals, growing organic, and emphasizing edible landscapes and native plants. Pumps bring collected rainwater from three large cisterns to shared gardens. A small orchard produces apples and pears; elsewhere, grapes, blackberries, & blueberries grow. Included in the the central terraced area are numerous vegetable plots. A butterfly garden – their Peace Garden – sits at the top of the terraces. To the left/north of the farmhouse, beekeeping hives help support another vegetable garden. “We share in the work and in the harvest of the gardens, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do!”

Andi Smith inherited her garden from landlords who worked very hard to turn a grassy front yard into fertile beds suitable for growing food. She’s only worked this garden since December and this is only the third year that she’s had a garden of any kind. “Gardening has taught me and nourished me, and it’s great fun,” Andi says. “Although my garden challenges me, it also gives me a sense of accomplishment, especially when, after a few hours of hard work, there’s a fine meal of the freshest possible veggies.” Initially she only wanted to grow various veggies and herbs, but when volunteer poppies and bachelor buttons popped up all over the yard, she realized that with flowers she could also harvest smiles.

Public Spaces for All Species

At West Asheville Park, just behind left field, a neglected hillside holds the beginnings of a public food forest. Conceived in the spirit of community initiatives two years ago, the Buncombe Fruit and Nuts Club planted small clusters of mostly native perennials, paying careful attention to the soil conditions necessary to build resiliency and withstand neglect. The Club’s intention was to create an easily managed, mini-forest system as a prototype. They envision a day when public edible parks and gardens will quilt our public spaces and be places that foster new human relationships, through learning, sharing, cooperation, compassion, and of course, really good, fresh food.

Rhododendron Creek Restoration

In 2008, Riverlink teamed with Baker Engineering to develop and implement a stream restoration and stormwater mitigation project in West Asheville Park. The project reduces sedimentation and improves water quality in Rhododendron Creek which benefits the larger downstream system of Hominy Creek and the French Broad River. Neighborhood volunteers helped with the plantings, removing invasive plant species, and setting in live stakes. Look for soft rush, big bluestem, nine bark and silky dogwood. RiverLink now holds a conservation easements over the entire riparian buffer area of this project which will protect it in perpetuity. For more information, visit riverlink.org, their riverwhisperer blog, or RiverLink’s facebook pages.

Amy Lanou started the garden at 30 Virginia Ave three seasons ago with the intention of growing fresh herbs and vegetables and learning about the pleasures of urban gardening. She and her partner, Sophie Mills, travel regularly to Sophie’s childhood home in West London. Amy continues to be inspired by the tiny and productive urban gardens she sees in England where the plants are often tightly packed and interestingly grouped together. Amy’s main focus for her garden so far is on growing food, paying attention to the plants, and taking care of the flowers and trees that she inherited from a previous resident. One day she hopes to write a book titled, Beautiful and Functional: Front Yard Gardening in Two Hours a Week.

Seven years ago at 80 Virginia, Leslie MacAvoy and Parks Scott started transforming the patchy scrap of lawn dotted with a few old rose bushes by creating flower beds around the porch and a big vegetable garden to supply plenty of summer produce with extra to freeze and can for winter. Gradually they expanded the flower beds around the house and along the street, with plans for a large shade garden on one side. “The gardens haven’t been planned so much as they have evolved as an expression of our aesthetic sensibilities, our values, and the way we live,” Leslie says. What has emerged is a cottage garden focusing on perennials and self-sowing flowers, which fits with the farmhouse style of the place.

Less than a year ago, Liz Preyer asked the owner/designer of Elysian Fields, Carole Meyer, if she could help create a welcoming and intimate garden for her ECO/Bunglalow home. After Carole’s architect husband, Scott Meyer, built a cedar fence to frame the small lot, an exciting explosion of desires and ideas began to unfold! Small dwarf trees, evergreens, conifers, and flowering hardwoods soon arrived, followed by a layering of unusual bulbs, perennials and textured, aromatic groundcovers. In the back of the house, hand cut stone “rooms” made spaces for raised beds, a meditative fountain space, and another area for outside gatherings. Liz reflects, “This lush, but tiny, tender garden/oasis has given me, as well as the many walkers, cyclists and friends, great joy, ease and rich satisfactions with its ever-changing wonderful gifts!”

Upon buying their bungalow in 2007, Amanda and Michael Silverman inherited a very simply landscaped yard, heavily laden with solid green hostas and lilies and short on anything else. A constant project, their goal in the beginning was to plant anything that wasn’t solid green and didn’t require full sun. With time and generous friends with interesting non-green shade plants, the garden is beginning to have a personality. Even a summer which began with numerous hail storms can’t keep a hosta down and the recent summer camp on fairy houses attended by their daughter has added a new dimension to the garden. Don’t be surprised if you happen upon a fairy dwelling or two while exploring this hosta haven.

In his four year old garden, Eli Strull has been planting and transplanting, observing color and form, and soaking up plant knowledge. He planned the overall design in advance using primarily found and re-purposed materials, including all the metal and locust rails. Working within a modest budget, the plant selection and layout of each garden section expresses his fondness for the cyclical nature of perennials which he intersperses with seasonal edibles. “Organically cultivated with an eye to year-round interest,” says Eli, “the garden feeds my love of fresh floral arrangements while my children savor the peas and strawberries. What started as a lawn alternative now has me wanting to design, build and tend gardens for others. I support that vision with ongoing experimentation in my home garden.”

Our garden is oh so conveniently located directly behind the café. Having an on-site garden is part of Sunny Point’s commitment to the environment. “We deliver food with feet not fuel, creating local jobs and beautifying our community in the process.” A work in progress over the past 6 years, it began supplying only small amounts of culinary herbs and flowers, but now provides lots of herbs and flowers and supplements the cafe’s produce needs, making possible the Café’s “extra special garden specials.” “We love knowing that many enjoy this working garden and delight to hear stories from some who’ve been inspired by it. We are so thankful to live in this community.”

The Hop West Presents: “Going Green with Moss” with the owner of Mountain Moss Enterprises, Mossin’ Annie. Come visit the mini-moss garden at Rainbow Mountain School co-designed by third-graders and learn about the environmental benefits of moss gardening. Stop by The Honeybee Project to learn how bee pollination helps our gardens grow. Ask how the Outdoor Classroom and gardening are used to learn about growing local food. Find out more about the green benefits of moss by visiting www.mountainmoss.com. The Hop West will have local handmade ice cream and bottled water available for purchase. You can also buy garden art and garden-themed bags. Restrooms, parking, and drinking fountain available.

Founded in 2005, West Asheville’s Green Hill Urban Farm seeks to provide convenient access to neo-agrarian culture and sustainably produced food to the surrounding Asheville area. Saved from development, Green Hill is a shining example of green space preservation achieved through the collaboration of private citizens. The four varied acres of gardens now include new and old orchards, raspberry patches, aquaponics, ducks, chickens, quails, and more. In its fourth year as a community-supported agriculture farm, Green Hill founder Michael Fortune works with 40 families. Families buy shares in advance of the harvest to support the farm’s operational costs and in exchange receive regular selections of food, herbs, and flowers during the growing season. (See www.greenhillurbanfarm.com for details.)

The Gardens Of 2010

Landscaping at the West Asheville library includes a mix of deciduous trees along the street and an eye-pleasing combination of shrubs and perennials around the building.  Plantings include rhododendron, azalea, rose of Sharon, St. John’s wort, pansies, viola, ferns, lemon balm, salvia, coneflower, soapwort, gooseneck loosestrife, and many others.  Plantings are maintained by volunteer gardener Tom Jordan with support from Asheville GreenWorks.

For three years, 15 families have been working cooperatively on a plot of about 1/4 acre, and they’re growing!  This year, they added 10,000 square feet, a gazebo, a bean teepee, stone stairs, and a rainwater irrigation system.  They’re growing potatoes, pumpkins, cutting flowers, basil, greens, tomatoes, melons, sweet potatoes, beets, asparagus, beans and more.  For the first time this Fall, they’ll harvest honey from their two beehives.  “We have monthly potlucks to which neighbors and friends are invited, and an annual harvest party in early October.  We are accepting new cooperative members for our fall season.” Contact Jennifer@jmurphyart.com for more info.

After almost three years in the ongoing process of developing a garden, Katie Doan and Brian Abercrombie are beginning to get a sense of where their garden is going.  Holding their intention to grow native plants and provide habitat for birds and pollinators, they have been removing the lawn (smothered with cardboard and mulch) and defining beds with a variety of found materials.  Focus plants include an heirloom apple, walnut trees, berry-producing shrubs, as well as perennials and evergreens.  Katie adds, “In addition to the visual delight of the wildlife, there is also a growing collection of ‘eye candy’ for humans, garden objects that amuse and delight, like the crazy paving walkway.  We enjoy gardening and the rewards of feasting on some of the fruits of our labor.”

In four short years, but spending a lot of time in their garden, Richard and Wanda Baird have planted hundreds of bulbs, many diverse perennials, daylilies, and many varieties of the hostas.  In their backyard, they enjoy a large koi pond with a hundred koi and a variety of water plants to keep them company.  Early spring, when bulbs begin to sprout, brings the greatest joy to the Bairds.  “Almost weekly, the colors change as the different plants come into bloom causing many compliments from passers-by.  ‘Oh, I know where the Baird’s live, on Sulphur Springs…where all the beautiful flowers are!’”

In 2009 Val and David Kula began to transform what had been an overgrown rental into their West Asheville home.  Redoing the entire house and adding an addition was followed by bulldozing weedy lawns to make a clean slate (and to tame overgrown bamboo) so Val could make the garden of her dreams.  She poured over pictures, gathered memories of trees and shrubs she loved, and began to sketch out a vision.  With help from B.B. Barnes’ Hunter Stubbs, this vision has unfolded.  A longtime friend, Linda, an avid and creative gardener, also jumped in to help with perennials.  Now say the Kulas,“We especially love stepping out and cutting various herbs for our meals and have so enjoyed eating dinners on the screened porch overlooking our beautiful and peaceful oasis.”

A few years back Amy & Eric Blau tilled up their entire front yard and planted a row of crape myrtles, Korean spice viburnum and American beauty bush.  Now their garden includes native spring ephemerals such as jack-in-the-pulpit, trillium and Solomon’s seal.  For summer color, they have planted a wide variety of daylilies and other lilies which are Amy’s favorites.  Amy has also cultivated a few self-pollinating fruit trees, including cherry and peach, and built two raised beds for strawberries and blueberries.  “I also plant castor beans every year which came from my granddad’s seed stock over 30 years ago.” Also, check out the tree house in the back yard built with a girlfriend for their kids, using wood recycled from an old deck.

Judith Beers’ backyard receives a lot of sun and it was perfect for an edible (and organic) garden.  Removing the lawn, she installed raised beds which she filled with an eclectic mix of plants in her attempt to be more self-sufficient.  She dug beds for herbs and bulbs, and over the years added fruit trees, berries, asparagus, perennial flowers, as well as annually planted vegetable and flower starts.  Judith says her garden responds to her intention to “have beauty around me, experiment, and feed my soul.”  She adds, “ Come visit!”

This garden was started end of May, 2010, as a demonstration project to show part of the process of converting lawn to gardens.  Specifically, Jim Smith used sheet-mulching (aka lasagna gardening), where layering of cardboard, newspaper and straw and/or alfalfa hay initiates a process of transformation.  Visitors can see the difference this system made in just three months in before and after areas.  In connection with this, Jim plans to discuss the ideas behind a soil biological process called the “soil food web”  with anyone interested.  He tells us, “I will also show how to integrate composting into a garden, give advice on the use of organic amendments, and offer ideas for inter-planting.” Note: Compost bins will also be for sale at this site.

In Bryan Freeborn and Bridgett O’Hara’s garden, kids pick and eat beans, berries, tomatoes and mint leaves and even catch bugs to feed their toads.  It all began in 2004 by ripping up the grass and planting sunflowers in the front yard which attracted tiny yellow gold finches and squirrels to feast.  On the South side of the yard, small raised beds grow greens, veggies, and strawberries.  Abundant hops, raspberries and wine berries line the sunny fence row.  On the North side, native paw-paw trees and an elderberry flourish.  “Our garden is not the Martha Stewart, fancy garden from a magazine. We enjoy growing it and playing in it.  During the Stroll, enjoy a kid-run lemonade-with-a-twist stand and free paw-paw seeds while they last.”

According to Claire Fontana and Wylie Paxton, “Our garden is a transitional space from non-native perennial shrubs and herbs to typical natives and their respective habitats co-occurring on the property.”  Sited on the North side of the Salola Street/Carrier Street ridge, the Paxtons grow many fruits: raspberries, paw-paw, persimmon, plum, quince, and muscadine grapes.  For vegetables, they have developed raised beds, a cold frame site, and a kitchen garden.  North slope natives are also well represented with black cohosh, white wood aster, green headed coneflower, Turks cap lily, cardinal flower, bleeding heart, and many Spring ephemerals.  The space that used to be lawn now grows prairie plants such as big bluestem, little bluestem, false indigo, bee-balm, several coreopsis species, Stokes aster, swamp milkweed and purple coneflower.

At Jimmy Burns and Johanna Finkelstein Vegetable and Rescue Garden, ornamentals are slowly changing away from a mix of plants salvaged from the mark down racks and dumpsters of what they call “cruel big box retailers.”  (Jimmy muses, “Did we really need 720 pansies last year?”)  Different beds demonstrate their varying degrees of success with no-till, low-till and cover crop garden methods.  Vegetable beds contain root crops for late harvest/storage and the last of the summer veggies mixed with the fall planting of greens.  Elsewhere, beds are being prepared for next year’s fruit and berry plants.  (Jimmy added, “Fellow gardeners, share your fruit and berry stories and help us decide what to plant.”)  Note: Rescued plants ranging from herbs to azaleas are available for very modest adoption fees.  “No background check required.”

In 2008, RiverLink teamed with Baker Engineering to develop and implement a stream restoration and stormwater mitigation project.  Covering approximately 1100 linear feet of stream restoration and employing stormwater best management practices, the project reduces sedimentation and improves water quality in Buttermilk Creek and the larger system of Hominy Creek and the French Broad River which it feeds.  The project also provides connection to Hominy Creek Greenway and the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay.  Neighborhood volunteers helped with the plantings, removing invasive plant species and setting in live stakes.  Look for soft rush,big bluestem, nine bark, and silky dogwood.  The Clean Water Management Trust Fund provided grant funding for this project along with additional matching funds.

As a collaborative effort to keep West Asheville’s creeks clean, the City of Asheville, Riverlink and community volunteers will continue this work by planting, mulching and creating a new walking trail within the park. And during this year’s Garden Stroll, Higgins Horticulture and several volunteers will be working to amintain and mulch the planting along Buttermilk Creek. Please feel free to come by and lend a hand.

Norbert Artzt and John Denton’s Bear Creek Garden is a 1/3 acre, plant sanctuary that surrounds a modest 1946 red brick cottage.  Begun in 1996, it contains a rich collection of both sun- and shade-loving native plants as well as conifers, woody evergreens, flowering shrubs, perennials and vines, camellias, ferns, and lilies.  Over 300 different species fill the densely textured, mixed beds.  Both formally shaped and naturalized elements combine to produce stasis and movement and a good measure of beauty in all seasons.  Norbert notes, “The overall design, though essentially simple, draws the garden visitor along widening and narrowing pathways from one area to another.  Dominating the woodland landscape is a magnificent, centuries-old white oak tree, one of the finest in the city.”  Note: There is no parking on Bear Creek, please park at St. George’s Episcopal Church and walk to this garden. The sidewalk is on the other side of the street; please be careful when crossing the street.

After three years renovating their home, Joy & Hans Enderle turned their attention to the gardens.  In 2007, they added a retaining wall and fill dirt to create a level patio on the steep slope of the back yard.  Then, what was intended to be a raised flower bed became an L-shaped koi pond with a basalt obelisk fountain.  To manage runoff, Joy and Hans decided to create a dry creek bed swale with boulders and river stone on the southern edge of the property.  Plantings reflect Joy’s love of Japanese gardens: conifers and Japanese Maples, bamboo in a planter and as a screen beside the pond, as well as azaleas and rhododendrons.  “My garden is still a work in progress,” Joy says, “and becomes more beautiful each year.”

This garden displays a broad selection of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and bulbs, some native to WNC, some to other states and foreign lands.  Among the many different garden areas Glenn has established, there’s a dahlia bed, a desert garden, a tropical area, a conifer berm, a shade room, and a bed for fragrance, with many of these areas defined by newly built dry stack walls.  “Gardening at my home for 13 years, I enjoy collecting varieties of salvias, poppies, ornamental grasses, bulbs, and elephant ears.” And for people wanting a new, enlarged or renovated garden space, Glenn’s landscape business (called Glenn’s Gardens) provides custom design, installation, and maintenance.  Call 828-337-4632.

The Waller Tract is 11 acres of land that moves West Asheville closer to completing the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan, a long-term plan by RiverLink to redevelop the urban riverfront corridor.  Bordering Hominy Creek, this tract will become part of the Hominy Creek Greenway which will link to Rhododendron Creek and Buttermilk Creek, extending safe pedestrian routes from West Asheville to the French Broad River, the River Arts District, and ultimately downtown.  The entirety of this tract will be placed into a conservation easement with permitted recreational uses, a move that will protect Hominy Creek from misguided development and further degradation.  The planning by RiverLink and the City of Asheville is now in the beginning stages.  Please email Nancy Hodges: Nancy@riverlink.org for more information.

Brotherhug and Janet Barlow moved to their home along Buttermilk Creek in July 2006 and began transforming the grassed yard into a paradise garden designed to provide beauty and high quality foods for people as well as wildlife for many years.  The garden was started by sheet-mulching the front yard to prepare for spring plantings and laying out paths and beds using permaculture techniques.  Over time, additional garden areas have been added, including a 600 square foot vegetable and flower garden (fenced to avoid sharing ALL the bounty with wildlife), a shady perennial area, and a recently added water garden, with more planned.  “It has been a slow process with all work being done by hand, but is generating great yields of wholesome food, herbs and flowers,” says Brotherhug.

The Gardens Of 2009

Thanks to gardener Extraordinaire Tom Jordan and Asheville GreenWorks, landscaping at the West Asheville Branch Library includes a mix of deciduous trees along the street and eye-pleasing combinations of shrubs and perennials around the building. Plantings include rhododendrons and azaleas, rose of Sharon and St. John’s wort, pansies, violas, ferns, lemon balm, salvia, cone flower, soapwort, gooseneck loosestrife, and others.

Click map image for larger version

The Garden Stroll stretches across the greater West Asheville area.
All neighborhoods are easily accessible from Haywood Road.

A detailed map will be available on the day of the stroll at the
WEST ASHEVILLE LIBARY

Signs along Haywood Road will guide you to the individual gardens.

We look forward to your visit!

The LaZoom Tour Bus will run between the
West Asheville Garden clusters!
Thanks to our LaZoom bus sponsors:
West End Bakery
City Real Estate
Wholesale Glass and Mirror
Universal Joint

2009-04: Cherry Tree Gardens

Our compound and garden came to be because we cut down the dead cherry tree, which brought down the fence, and because the warehouse for Cherry Tree Beads is on site.

Purpose of our gardens: to become more self sufficient, teach our children how to live in harmony with the earth, create a beautiful environment, our enjoyment, food, herbs, and because we love playing in the dirt!

Read more...

2009-02: Bevin and Jacob McGahey’s place

This wonderful first year garden, attached to a newly constructed solar home is a must see. With raised beds, pebble pathways, and blooming flowers, all in a private fenced in yard. Enjoy live music and tastes from the garden.

Read more...

2009-03: Falconhurst Community Garden

The FCG is an 18 family, 2500 square foot cooperatively run community garden in the Falconhurst area of West Asheville. 2009 is our second year. There are 2 tiers of membership: the weekly members work one day a week in the garden, the monthly members come to the monthly community workday. We share the harvest equitably.

Read more...

2009-05: Urban Paradise!

Not being city folk, it was important for us to surround ourselves with natural beauty. This house had been condemned 5 years ago and the innards of the house got re-done but the outside needed lots of love.

Year one was all hardscape to replace the weeds, debris and overgrown trees. The backbone to the garden had to happen before the planting began. Because of the small space we were very selective with our plant choices.

Read more...

2009-07: Liberated

We don’t have a name except ‘yard’, but if I gave it one, I would call it “Liberated’ because it used to be all surrounded by chain link fenc e and nasty sheds. We have worked for approx. 20 months on the garden, the photos show the before and after transformation. Our long term goal is privacy provided by plants because the house is on a corner lot. Two main features are a rock patio where red dirt used to be and a rock wall built entirely of ‘side of road pick up’ rocks. There are rain chains too, …

Read more...

2009-08: Chris Bryant and Skip Wade’s Garden

We’ve been working on our garden for about ten years. Our goal has been to create a cool and quite outdoor rooms in which to relax and entertain friends.

There is no specific style of gardening, we’ve just through it all together like a large floral arrangement. The front garden is fenced in for privacy and to make the garden feel part of the porch. The back gardens are edge with river rocks gathered over the years from our favorite swimming hole.

Read more...

2009-09: The Natural Gardeners, Annie J. and Mr. Jeff Menzer

The garden, home, and studios of Annie and “Mr.Jeff” bring a smile to your face. Their small lot is packed with Re-Art and a diverse palate of plant life……with many native varieties to enjoy.

Mr. Jeff makes outdoor durable Art out of industrial discards and multiples that can be extracted from the waste stream, such as marbles, corks, golfballs, brick, roofing ,etc.

Read more...

2009-10: Sunny Point Kitchen Garden

As “FarmGirl” (Lauri Newman), I have been gardening at the Sunny Point Café for more than 3 years. In 2007, I began designing the Sunny Point Cafe Garden to be a beautiful and inspiring space for the community, and provide fresh produce, herbs and flowers for the café. I began the installation in March 2008, and this is its first full year of “Garden to Table.”

Read more...

2009-11: Burton Street Community Peace Garden

Started in 2003 as a peaceful response to the current war in Iraq and heavy drug activity in the neighborhood, Burton Street Community Peace Gardens is a growing labor of love in the heart of the Burton Street Community. From its humble beginnings as an overgrown lot filled with discarded 40-ounce bottles, the Gardens have grown to include two vegetable/flower gardening sites, stage area, fire pit, cob pizza oven, greenhouse, and sculpture gardens.

Read more...

2009-12: Gnomon

The Gnomon is the garden that Christopher Mello has created on the corner of Westwood and Waynesville Avenue off Haywood Road behind the Rocket Club and the bio-diesel pump. A gnomon is the shadow caster of a sundial and the name is in memory of a fallen gardening friend, Randy Palmer. Rest in peace Randy.

Read more...

2009-13: Wamboldtopia

“Wamboldtopia encompasses our garden, studio and home. It is our sanctuary and playground, wide open for creative expression – a little Utopia if you will! It all started 10 years ago with a simple geometric herb garden and has grown ever since.”

Damaris Pierce and her husband Ricki, a.k.a. The Rock Pirate, combine their passions for gardening, masonry and art in their magical and playful sculpture garden.

Read more...