Trails & Trellises 2014
The Piney Hills Louisiana Master Gardeners hosted their annual garden tour, Trails & Trellises for the ninth consecutive year on April 26, 2014. Four lovely gardens in Minden, LA were open to enjoy as well as vendors, a plant sale, and artists in the garden.
A new addition to the tour this year will be tablescapes in each homeowner’s garden provided by local businesses, Ace Hardware, Fanette's Flower House, and Loye’s Pharmacy. Whittney and Mike Harper -- 1300 Drake Drive The two-story brick colonial home of Mike and Whittney Harper at 1300 Drake Drive is nestled comfortably in its shaded landscape. Two large island beds in the home’s front yard are filled with LSU Ag Center Super Plant ’Conversation Piece’ azaleas, as well as ‘White Snow’ and purple and red Formosa azaleas for a spring succession of color and interest. Two large concrete planters flanking the front sidewalk are filled with early spring annual color. The shady side yard contains a meandering path framed by a white picket fence, a river birch with delicately peeling outer bark, white dogwoods, camellia sasanquas, and a dry stream bed surrounded by variegated pittosporum, fragrant gardenias, Indian hawthorne, and double red Knock Out roses. The upper level beds are edged with low stone walls that frame the exterior of the home and soften the slope. The rear gardens feature a koi pond and agapanthus. Dr. Savannah and Denton Culpepper -- 1201 Broadway The flowerbeds at Denton and Dr. Savannah Culpepper’s two-story, colonial style home boast cottage garden comfort. Their gardens at 1201 Broadway are a riot of seasonal color. The front yard island bed, edged in ironstone, greets passers-by with a profusion of warm-season annuals, including purple and white angelonia, moss rose, coreopsis, zinnias, black-eyed Susans, butterfly bush, and a towering tropical hibiscus. The bricked backyard patio and seating area are surrounded by a part-shade flowerbed containing chartreuse ornamental sweet potato vine, flaming red salvias, pink impatiens, hydrangeas, marigolds, and pink caladiums. Evalyn and Ben Cabell -- 1025 Ridgewood Circle Evalyn and Benn Cabell’s garden and flowerbeds at 1025 Ridgewood Circle are a testimony to a master gardener’s eye for both the practical and beautiful in the landscape. Several raised island beds in the home’s yard feature Evalyn’s favorite plants, including a bed of approximately 40 hybrid bearded irises. Below the iris bed, she has started a small rain garden of native Louisiana irises. Beneath the trees beside the front sidewalk, you will see red crepe myrtles, "Dynamite" red lantana, several daffodil varieties, hyacinths, mums, gaillardia, and other colorful annuals. The front façade of the home features pink Indian hawthorn, ‘Pink Ruffles’ azaleas, and ‘Compacta’ hollies. In the rear gardens, Evalyn has planted a shade bed with hostas, ferns, hydrangea, fatsia, Sellom, and other shade-loving plants, and a dry stone bed assists with drainage. Shrubs including mahonia, oleander, butterfly bush, chaste tree, juniper, and a Little Gem magnolia tree hug the back fence. Her gardens are not without the whimsical, as one may find a bird house styled as a barn with “See Rock City” painted on the roof, various bird feeders and bird houses, a small fountain, and a repurposed cattle tank that serves as a raised vegetable bed. After wandering through this lovely garden, take a minute and enjoy a bit of hospitality provided by the Piney Hills Louisiana Master Gardeners. The Teaching Garden -- 1202 Homer Road The Teaching Garden at 1202 Homer Road is a new educational project of the Piney Hills Louisiana Master Gardeners started under the direction of Master Gardener, Evalyn Cabell, and implemented by the Piney Hills Louisiana Master Gardeners. Three raised bed areas are host to a variety of flora. The sunny, hilltop butterfly garden features many native butterfly and moth species’ host plants, including butterfly iris, Shoal Creek vitex (chaste tree), plains coreopsis, Blazing star liatris, milkweed, purple coneflower, stonecrop, bee balm, and Russian sage. The fountain garden bed is a beautifully converted, double-level former water feature. The upper level contains deep pink butterfly pentas, purple loropetalum, pansies, chrysanthemums, and violas, and the lower sidewalk level is planted with ‘Jubilation’ gardenia, ‘Mark Anthony’ liriope, Belleza dark pink gaura, Encore series ‘Autumn Angel’ azaleas, ‘Pink Showers’ Jasmine, crepe myrtles, and various bulbs. The rain garden at the base of the hill assists in erosion prevention and drainage improvement by hosting a variety of moisture-loving plants and flowers, such as native Louisiana irises, native azaleas, Flame Grass, and several species of daffodil bulbs, including ‘Thalia,’ ‘Sweeties,’ ‘Erlicheer,’ and ‘Double Campernelle.’ Be sure to visit the Teaching Garden many times to watch its progress. Check out our Project Page for the Teaching Garden to see photos of the gardens in the beginning and as they develop. And, you will not want to miss the Master Gardener Plant Sale located here. Along with the plant sale, vendors will also be set up on the grounds to allow you to get that perfect garden ornament or plant for your garden. To purchase your $10 ticket in advance, call the Webster Parish Extension Office at 371-1371. Or you may send an email inquiry to [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]. You may also purchase a ticket on the day of the tour at a cost of $12 at any of the gardens. On April 26, 2014 please join the Piney Hills Louisiana Master Gardeners in the gardens. As with most gardeners, they love to share gorgeous gardens and their knowledge of plants and gardening. We hope to see you there!! |
SLIDE SHOWS OF EACH GARDEN THE DAY OF THE TOUR DISPLAYED BELOW: Harper Garden Tour Day
Culpepper Garden Tour Day
Cabell Garden Tour Day
The Teaching Garden Tour Day
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