John's Garden June 2

Today I toured my friend John’s garden. He has been gardening as long as I’ve known him and his gardens are as meticulous and interesting as him. When I first asked him to share his garden he said right now it is rough looking, but we were welcome to it. I asked him what he thought were its best features and he told me he wanted to touch all of the senses. It did not disappoint!

The front yard is currently under construction. You can see from the picture that the left side is becoming a hot garden. John’s new game plan is to create a garden of zones. The front is transforming into a desert zone then transition to tropical, then to temperate in the back. Along the steps are some interesting items that capture the senses and the imagination.

This is a type of prickly pear cactus, Opuntia humifusa. It does define a desert zone. John uses silver tags to label his plants.

This is a Cuban oregano and feels velvety to the touch. It gives off a savory-citrus smell. When you bite into it there is a citrus burst, followed by a buttery finish. Yum!

Here is a unique looking geranium, but even more interesting the foliage smells of chocolate and citrus.

This pitcher plant demonstrates John’s darker side. There was even a dead fly in it, but I couldn’t get a picture of it.

The path leads from the front of the house to the back as your feet crunch on the gravel. The large pot in the center of the picture will one day hold a fountain another element of sound.

This is the withering bloom of a Dracunculus vulgaris or ‘Dragon Arum’ which bloomed the day before, but the bloom only lasted a day. The smell of rotting meat from this bloom drifted all the way down to the front walk.

The entrance to the back yard is visually framed by this trellis.

Climbing in the trellis is a purple bell-shaped clematis.

Entering the backyard you are greeted by this rusty piece of art created out of random objects. The large dome sits on a spike and you use the yellow croquet mallet hanging next to it to create a welcoming bell tone. This area contains plants that are heat and draught tolerant as the zone changes to tropical.

A stone path meanders through the backyard. This was put in two years ago and the plants along it are really thriving. The leaves of the trees above rustle in the breeze.

You can see some of the many silver tags that John uses to label his plants.

The studio, on the left, is a focal point of the garden and is John’s painting studio as well as a refuge to winter plants.

We just missed the blooms of this honey spurge, up close there was still a strong smell of honey, at its peak its smell radiated out about ten feet.

In front of the studio is another fountain that soothed the senses.

This huge calla lily was tucked back along the fence.

Towards the back of the garden, in the temperate zone, was this banana bush ‘Michelia figo,’ related to the magnolia family. John says the smell reminds him of banana flavored Bubblicious bubble gum. I must admit the smell has a strange, yet strong-sweet banana smell.

Thanks for sharing your garden with us John! It definitely delivers in the sensory realm. We will be back to document and discover more of your beautiful garden.