More from the 2017 Garden Bloggers' Fling

We're a week into a heatwave expected to extend through at least the middle of next week.  Dealing with it is nowhere near the challenge faced by people in and around the Houston area but the temperatures have been uncomfortable enough to confine me indoors so I'm using the opportunity to pick up my coverage of the Capital Region Garden Bloggers' Fling in late June.  Day 2 of the Fling focused on small, private gardens, most of which I haven't yet covered.  I'm going to address 3 more of those with this post, all of them the personal gardens of landscape designers.

Debbie Friedman is co-owner of Bethesda Garden Design.  Her front garden in Maryland brought to mind a meadow, albeit a manicured one, with lots of grasses and a limited color palette.

Yellow and purple flowers added punches of cheerful color to a front garden dominated by ornamental grasses

This vase on the front step contained Rudbeckia maxima, Verbena bonariensis, and white Hydrangea

The back garden was a mix of sunshine and deep shade under a canopy of trees 

The upper deck attached to the house contained various seating areas and a grill, while the area below contained a bench and a large fountain.  The touches of red shown here were picked up elsewhere in the garden in other chairs and a picnic table.

Wood circles were another common theme, showing up in paths, like that on the left, and as decorative elements in the shady back area under the trees

After lunch at Brookside Gardens, we headed to Virginia, where our first stop was the garden of Jeff Minnich, owner of Jeff Minnich Garden Design.  Described as a "woodland garden with a southern flair," the density of the plant material and the manner in which he worked with, rather than against, his steep lot stand out in my memory of this garden.

The front garden of the house was largely hidden behind dense plantings arrayed along the public sidewalk

A stairway along one side of the house ran parallel to a stream ending in a pool adjacent to a patio area

From the patio level, one could look across and down as the back garden sloped further still.  You can make out some bloggers snapping photos through the trees in the lower left area of this photo.

Looking upward from the bottom to the garden to the patio area at the top of this stairway will give you an idea of how steep that back garden was

I don't usually care much for human statuary in gardens but I found myself drawn to this figure, which I assume represents Saint Francis of Assisi 

The next stop was Scott Brinitzer's garden.  Scott is the owner and and principal designer of Scott Brinitzer Design Associates.  He designed his own garden to capture rainwater, preventing runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.  The front garden was dominated by a beautiful multi-trunked tree, which as I recall someone identified to me as a white-flowered crape myrtle.

Floral color was relatively muted here, with Hydrangeas as the dominant floral element

The walls and urns in the front garden were embedded with stone pebbles, making them seem like an organic part of the space

This gravel path, densely planted on both sides, led to the garage and an entrance to the back garden

A short time prior to our tour the giant tree that shaded much of Scott's back garden underwent extensive emergency surgery, instantly transforming much of the area into a full sun setting.

The tree has reportedly been in decline for some time.  The surgical cuts were undertaken in an effort to extend its life a while longer.

Having experienced a similar event when a neighbor cut down a large tree that loomed over much of my former garden, I could appreciate how that event impacted this garden but it still looked good at the time of our visit.

A large pot served as a focal point, as did the orange door of the shed beyond it

Much of the fencing consisted of lattice with carefully designed gaps, revealing just peek-a-boo views of objects beyond its confines

This lion's head fountain surrounded by tall pots provided another focal point

Scott and his partner were gracious hosts, offering snacks, lemonade and even wine.  They also had a very friendly ambassador.

Kobe spent a good deal of time hanging around the snack table, accepting the adoration of his visitors with perhaps some  hope of catching tidbits of crackers or cheese

There were 2 more stops that afternoon before we headed back to our hotel but I'll pick those up in a future post.   Meanwhile, best wishes for a peaceful weekend.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party