Trails & Trellises 2016
The Piney Hills Louisiana Master Gardeners hosted their garden tour, Trails & Trellises on May 14, 2106 from 9am until 3pm. Four lovely gardens in Minden, LA were visited by guests on a most gorgeous spring day.
Betty & Steve Fowler -- 406 Woodhaven When construction on their home was completed in May, 2006, Master Gardeners Betty and Steve Fowler began work building a welcoming southern garden. While the garden, with English cottage influences, includes both formal and informal spaces, the Fowlers built their outdoor areas to complement their personalities – friendly, inviting and happy to welcome guests! Visitors to the garden will enjoy more than 100 different varieties of plants including 200 azaleas and 50 camellias, a koi pond with waterfall, numerous unique hand-made bird houses, and garden statues. While the garden has a number of interesting plants, those most cherished are those given to the Fowlers by their family and friends. Some of those gifts include a pearl bush, fire bush, Chinese Ground Orchids, Rose Campion, Pink Naked Ladies and a Chestnut Rose. Hostas and sedum are on display, as are phlox, drift roses, red spider lilies, and a snowball viburnum. Heirloom plantings include a gardenia grown from cuttings taken from Steve’s great-grandmother’s garden and holds a place of honor in the garden along with white Althea, Byzantine gladiolus, white spider lilies and a Cherokee rose from Betty’s mother’s garden. Like all gardens of Master Gardeners and gardeners in general, the Fowler garden is always evolving. Lyn and Charles Stubbs – 107 Carey Lane The home of Lyn and Charles Stubbs is hidden from the road by a thick wooded area. As you turn onto the concrete driveway, you leave the hustle and bustle of the city and arrive at the top of the hill in a colorful, quiet world. To the right of the house is a charming sitting area with a cozy fire pit and comfy chairs surrounded with lush ferns. Around the front of the house is a more formal planting area containing azaleas, gardenias, perennials, ferns, and Carolina jasmine. Don’t forget to notice the foxtail ferns and large planters accenting the tall wooden front doors. Anchoring the corners of the front beds are two tall holly trees. Then there is the back yard….the casual, comfortable patio, fountain and fireplace! THE beauty spot of the home! The flagstone patio is large and allows for easy walking and plenty of space for dining and entertaining. The center flower bed is filled with salvia, gerbera daisies, kale, monkey grass, and a Carolina jasmine cascading around the beautiful fountain. The fireplace at the far end is welcoming with its benches and stone façade. Think how cozy this would be on a cool, spring evening with the peepers croaking in the distance. To the left of the fireplace is a covered eating area with outdoor kitchen and big screen TV….great for football by the fire in the fall. Have a seat in one of the sitting areas and take in the sounds, sights and fragrance of nature! Who knows, one of the many deer inhabiting the woods just might be passing by! Brenda and Wayne Perryman – 112 Beck Curve Road In spring of 2003, Master Gardener Brenda, and husband Wayne, Perryman purchased a wonderful old home shaded by oak and pecan trees situated on 6 ½ acres on Beck Curve Road in Minden. With much hard work, they transformed the house to its early glory. The property is home to a fish pond and Christmas tree farm as well as a lovely garden surrounding all four sides of the home. An avid collector of vintage pieces, Brenda has filled the garden with her finds. Old trikes and bikes can be found with sedum and other colorful plants cascading over and around them. A life-sized pot lady, sporting rubber boots, gloves and gardening hat, oversees the garden and will offer a welcome as you explore. You will be able to wander through the garden on a newly installed brick pathway that will lead you from the front courtyard around the home. A variety of plants and bulbs await you…including Autumn and Henryi clematis, mock orange, white dianthus, pearl bush, native azaleas, and hydrangeas…this list could go on and on! Don’t miss all those interesting pieces tucked in everywhere enhancing the plantings and adding a touch of whimsy at every turn. Take a look at the child size ‘out house’ holding a small pot person. In an effort to add the beauty of plants to the garden and provide a home to wildlife, the Perryman’s have created a casual, cottage garden that will immediately make you feel at home! The Teaching Garden -- 1202 Homer Road The Teaching Garden at 1202 Homer Road is an ongoing 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 Louisiana and African iris, Shoal Creek vitex (chaste tree), plains coreopsis, purple coneflower, stonecrop, bee balm, and Autumn sage. The fountain garden bed is a beautifully converted, double-level former water feature. The upper level contains purple Pixie loropetalum, 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.’ Benches built by Master Gardener Reggie Paige are arranged under a shady tree as a seating area for outdoor horticultural classes, demonstrations, and to encourage visitors to rest a spell and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. |
Photos of the gardens on tour day......See what you may have missed!
Fowler Garden
Stubbs Garden
Perryman Garden
The Teaching Garden
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