A Peak into Local Gardens

Every year on the first weekend in May, the Hay House, a local historic home and museum, hosts a tour of gardens at five private residences in Macon. It's always a delight to see what horticultural gems are hidden away in nearby neighborhoods, created by devoted homeowners. I wanted to share with my readers some of the inspiration I found on the garden tour this year. Unfortunately, you'll have to tolerate my cell phone photography for now. One day I'll get a fancy camera so I can take beautiful garden pictures for my blog.

Vegetables and herbs grow in raised beds.

The first home resembled a traditional farmhouse with roses climbing up the porch, flower beds along the front of the house, and a large, meadow-like lawn out back. The most notable part of the garden, though, was the beautiful way they grew edible plants. Vegetables and herbs were neatly organized in raised beds within a white picket fence. Blueberries grew just outside the fence. Nearby was a bed with well-maintained blackberries and herbs. Everything was labeled with small signs. When I was young, I dreamed of a kitchen garden inside a picket fence. Maybe one day my vegetable garden will look like this one.

Annuals, perennials, and herbs co-mingle in a cottage garden.

The second garden was a lovely example of cottage garden style. The landscape was decorated with a pond and a small gazebo. Flowers and herbs overflowed in beds that wound throughout the landscape under the light shade of old pine trees. Usually people keep their flowers in borders at the edge of their lawn, but in this garden long beds came out in the middle of the lawn. The effect was that visitors could meander back and forth among the flowers. I'd like to try something similar in my own garden one day. I was also amazed how well the normally sun-loving annuals and perennials thrived in the part-sun conditions--it inspired me to branch out with my plant choices. The third thing I noticed was how they used pots throughout the garden to add variations of height in the beds, as well as a decorative element.

Roses surround a reflecting pool full of water plants.

The third garden was very formal, surrounding what looked like a Mediterranean mansion. Tall walls divided the garden into three or four "rooms".  Something that formal would never really suit my garden, but I do like the idea of dividing the landscape into garden rooms, perhaps with trees or shrubs instead of walls. In the first room, climbing roses covered a pergola, Spanish lavender and roses filled large planters, and water plants crowded a long reflecting pool. In the second room, wide, grand steps led to a long lawn with a small statue at the end that drew the eye and beckoned visitors. Unfortunately, due to the mud from recent rains, we weren't able to see much of the other rooms.

Hostas, Lenten rose, and other flowers grow behind boxwoods.

The fourth garden was a beautiful shade garden. The "lawn" was covered in a carpet of thick moss, sprinkled with wild violets.  I had never seen anything like it! A large collection of hydrangeas wasn't in bloom yet, but I'm sure they will be stunning in June. Among the hydrangeas, the landscape was dotted with groupings of smaller shade plants--columbine, Lenten rose, Solomon's seal, coral bells, and more.  The shade plants gave me some ideas for what I hope to eventually plant under our large oak tree.

Foxgloves and roses line a wall of shrubs.

The fifth garden was recently designed by a landscape architect, and it looked like something out of a landscape design magazine--a blend of formal and informal. A low boxwood hedge framed a collection of camellias and hydrangeas, and a small statue stood at attention among Lenten rose along a small hidden pathway.  My favorite part was the English-style flower border that struck our view immediately upon stepping through the garden gate. Purple foxgloves grew among old-fashioned pink roses along a wall of green shrubs. (This picture doesn't do it justice). What I learned from this garden is that I need more foxgloves and roses in my garden!

Well, I hope you are as inspired by these local gardens as I was!