I'm Getting Spring Fever---Virginia-Highland garden

Back in the last century when Steve and I started attending the Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour (yippee!! I finally learned to spell it without spell checker!!) this is one of the first-- if not THE first--garden we visited.

I was totally smitten--head over heels in love--and knocked for a loop.
Since then I've seen this garden published a number of times.  Truth be told I almost cyber stalk it.


source BHG.com

I can honestly say this garden is what got my attention and attracted me to living in town;
especially living in Virginia Highland and Morningside.

The houses were small enough to manage and there were such incredible gardens.
This is the home of David Ellis, owner of landscape design company, Ellis Designs.


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You just don't do this in the suburbs.  For one thing this is the sidewalk in front of the house and most neighborhoods in the 'burbs don't have sidewalks and for another thing, the neighbors might think you were loony if you landscaped like this.

source: me

Not saying you can't, just most folks just don't.


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This is the front yard garden.
You have to really study this picture to "see" it.

Nearly every inch of Ellis' property is planted with vignettes of succulents to trees to colorful perennials, like these roses and clematis. "I like it if a person comes here and spends time zeroing in on little sections," said Ellis, 46. "If they span for 30 seconds and walk out, they didn't get it." STORY: KATIE LESLIE PHOTOS: MIKKI K. HARRIS / AJC  source

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This is the driveway for crying out loud.

source: me



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I love this next picture.
The gates, the dog statue, the azalea blooming in the rustic pot, the tiny fern peeking out from under the stone step... umm, umm, umm

These temple doors, which Ellis found at Scott Antique Market in Atlanta, lead to an Asian-inspired shade garden. "The back garden is completely different from the front -- it's the ying and the yang with the house in between," he said. The canine yard ornament is an homage to his late dog, Amos. STORY: KATIE LESLIE PHOTOS: MIKKI K. HARRIS / AJC source

 (He's cute, too, don't you think?)

Ellis said his backyard garden was designed around this seating area. When he first moved into the house, he placed three lawn chairs in this spot because of the way the afternoon sun lit the area. "This became the center of everything I wanted to do," he explained. From there, he created privacy by planting trees and shrubs along the border of his property. Next, he planted trees and built pathways within the garden itself. STORY: KATIE LESLIE PHOTOS: MIKKI K. HARRIS / AJC source

 This view from the back porch into the shade garden is Ellis' favorite. "Part of a garden is walking into it and forgetting the space outside of it," he said. "My efforts were to make it otherworldly." STORY: KATIE LESLIE, PHOTOS: MIKKI K. HARRIS / AJC source

To read the whole article and see a few more pictures please visit the link below.

Gallery | Linger in this Virginia-Highland garden | ajchomefinder.com

I so hope this garden will be on tour again soon.

Later,
Patti

Ryan Gainey's Garden--Connoisseurs Garden Tour 2011

If James Brown is the Godfather of Soul, 

then Ryan Gainey must be the Godfather of Atlanta Gardening.

Ryan Gainey's garden starts at the street--no it spills over into the street--and trickles down the curb to his neighbors front yards. (Some of the neighbors have Tour Worthy yards, too. The pressure must be intense.)

Ryan Gainey helped start the Botanical Garden's Connoisseurs Garden Tour many years ago and he volunteers his garden as a stop every year.  It's really great to tour the same garden year after year and see how it changes.

Mr. Gainey purchased this property in 1982. There were at least three green houses--it had been some kind of commercial operation.

By the way--the house was built in 1920 or there abouts.

The garden is divided into "Rooms" laid out along pathways.  There's an informal side of the garden and a  formal side.  Maybe Mr. Gainey's style developed, the trends changed or the land dictated.

Here we enter the informal winding path on the east side of the garden.

Here's a little glimpse of the path.  Notice the greenhouse in the background.  It's one of the three.

One thing that always strikes me about Ryan Gainey's garden--yes, I've been there about 5 times over the years--his plants are thick and dense and look so natural. 

There's a delightful mix of garden statuary, pots and vertical elements--always something interesting to look at.

This grape arbor runs more or less parallel with the winding path and the second greenhouse.

Of the three greenhouses this one is most used at this time of year. Could be the others are put into service in the winter for tender plants.

The winding path continues along the back side of the property.  I love this oak leaf hydrangea.

The west section of the garden is  more formal--laid out on an axis. Even with the formal bones the plantings are still lush and spill out over their boundaries.

 

I love the lines of sight Mr. Gainey has created here.

He always frames the view. Many times it's with an arbor.

At the end of the axis is something interesting.

This rustic arbor is in the middle of one of the "rooms." 

It's occuring to me that I probably take the same pictures every year. I don't care--I like them.

A few years ago Mr. Gainey bought the house next door.  He's expanding into that back yard with rows of sunny borders that include tomatoes and a few herbs.

See how he invites us in.

When we left he was sitting in this rocking chair with one of his five Jack Russels.  Another pup escorted us to the car.  I overheard a snippet of conversation as we strolled past.  The garden manager (volunteer from the tour) commented that Mr. Gainey was so generous to participate every year--one couple from last year's tour didn't want to do it again it was just too exhausting. 

Mr. Gainey said "I think it's exhilarating."

Come back later to see more garden from the tour.
Patti

Joan's Pretty Old House--The Inside

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have your Dream House?

Did you ever pretend when you were little, or imagine--maybe last week, that you had your dream house?

That you found your style and really truly made it happen.

Joan did it.

It took a long time...

and a lot of work...

and some sacrifices...

 but she has something we can appreciate. 

 

 And she shares it with her friends.

It isn't grand or palatial.

But it's WONDERFUL!

Joan knows what she likes.

She told me years ago that when she was young and getting started she picked "country" because it was cheap and she could do it.  I think it was because that's what she loves.

Joan's a very accomplished crafter--no, she's more than that--what she does is art.

She has that eye for detail.

And a ton of creativity.

Joan is an inspiration. 

I'm so lucky.

If you missed the previous posts you can see the Porch here and The Garden here.

I'm linking to:
        

Patti