Most gardeners like nothing better than taking a look around other people’s gardens. Well here is your chance to take a virtual tour of this garden in Winooski, Vermont which is the culmination of twelve years work by Steve and Lynn. The garden extends to about a quarter of an acre and is divided into several different sections or rooms. The tour is introduced by Amanda in her article which I found on the American Meadows website.
Garden Tour: Outside The Kitchen Window (The Pond Garden)
Steve says that when they first moved into the home, they remodeled the inside first and put a large window in the kitchen, which sparked their outdoor landscaping journey. ?When my wife looked out the window there was really nothing to look at,? Steve explains. ?So we initially tried to create a habitat to attract birds. We put in one of those prefab little ponds and our idea was instead of trying to do the whole property at once, we focused on small areas to develop those and over the years it?s transformed the garden.? Besides this small pond, they placed a bench and a birdfeeder in the area.
The pond garden features different pools, a bridge, and running water to help down out the sound of cars. Steve and Lynn (and even their UPS driver) like to sit on the bench to enjoy this bird-friendly garden.
That small prefab pond to help attract birds has since become a multi-pool water feature with flowing water, a dock, a bridge, and a natural planting of perennials throughout. Steve says at first they were garden novices, but loved the experimentation. ?We?ve learned to just try things and at first I was worried about investing so much money in plants, but if they don?t work you can move them to another area or give them to someone else,? says Steve.
They try to have something blooming all the time in this garden room outside their kitchen window, and the pond houses a variety of goldfish which the neighborhood cats are curious about. Besides the expanded pond, they?ve added Irises, Butterfly Weed, Echinacea, shrubs, and a miniature succulent garden to help add fun and whimsy to the area. They also have water lilies in the pond that survive the Vermont winters as long as they aren?t too harsh (Steve says they lost them a few years back).
Garden Tour: Outside The Living Room Window (Creating Privacy)
Steve says a lot of the direction they took with creating their garden rooms had to do with what they saw from their windows inside. ?A lot of people think about [what they see] when they?re outside, which is really important,? says Steve, ?but a lot of the time in Vermont you?re spending inside looking out.?
Calla Lilies are one of Steve’s favorite annuals and he adds them throughout his landscape each season.
So after they worked on the pond garden outside the kitchen window, they got started on a garden outside their living room window, with the end goal being to create something aesthetically pleasing while also hiding the neighbor?s windows. They planted a Blue Spruce tree 10 years ago which has since grown tremendously, along with Tulips, Daylilies, Phlox, and other perennials.
I am a keen gardener and so created Garden Pics and Tips for people who love gardens and enjoy great pictures of plants and gardens. Also covered are practical tips on all aspects of gardening.
