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Despite the day being cold and overcast, there was beauty every direction I looked. The gardens wrap around the house on four sides, People who can’t visit in person have asked for pictures, so I snapped a few as I made the circuit.
From the driveway, this is our entry to our main door, patio, deck, and back yard.
From the driveway, to the right of the garage, there is a parking pad for the Beast and this view across the back yard gardens.
Looking south around the back yard from the edge of the deck – a series of overlapping shots and a couple detail shots. The formal area is divided from about a third of an acre of holding beds and wetlands by a 6 ½ foot tall zig-zagged “fence” made of stacked railroad ties.
Around the east side of the house, a narrow garden with another (shorter) stacked railroad tie “fence.” Under construction – a wine bottle art installation.
Not your typical suburban front yard, the entire north side of the house is gardens with a meandering path through them. More railroad ties divide the hosta gardens from a sun-dominated garden 100 feet along the street. Hosta people can get a little nuts – the structure is designed to support shade cloth to filter the sunlight on one area that was too sunny for hostas to thrive.
Back at the driveway, looking north across the freeform low berms designed to display more hostas.
Why hostas? One picture answers that question – one of the first to emerge, Hosta montana ‘Aureomarginata’ delights the eye with its elegant upright form, flowing cascading leaves, and bright contrast. This was one of the first hostas in Harbor Lane Gardens and even though there are now over 750 named cultivars in the gardens, this one remains a favorite.
So how can you leave that beautiful Hosta heaven for dry AZ? Guess the answer is below zero winters. You have found a great answer to cold Winters and too hot Summers. Two homes!
-Babka
Words cannot describe those gorgeous gardens. Very beautiful hostas and great vistas.
They just go on and on.
I like the terraced areas to show off certain plants. Your gardens were/are a ton of work. The shade cloth structure is smart.
Shade without tree roots.
Thanks for sharing. I'll be looking at the pictures again and again. Good thing you only leave it in the winter.
Stunning photos. I've really enjoyed them.
Thank you, friends! The construction was a labor of love with a bit of obsession thrown in. More recently the labor has not been a joy - but the beauty continues to feed our souls.
