Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Garden Tour #3 - Just Incredible!

This is the third in a series of garden tours put on by the Smith County Master Gardeners.  This tour will highlight the Diedrick garden.  This house was situated on a steep sloping lot.  You will see how they met this challenge and created an awe-inspiring garden.

A planting strip between the street and the front lawn brings some privacy as well as helps soften the sound of cars driving by.

In this planting strip, a fountain, almost hidden from view, also helps deflect any sounds of traffic.

The side yard was also planted on both sides, with a small rock pathway leading you to the back.  From here, you can't tell that the house is situated on a slope.

I loved their varied and interesting foundation plants.

We are still on the side of the house, coming up on the back, and as you can see, the slope starts to become quite steep.  Azaleas are planted up and down the sloped areas.  Honeysuckle grows up the trees.

Suddenly, you arrive at the back, and notice the incredible view.  You can see for miles here.  Plantings are lush, full, and low maintenance.  It must be breathtaking when the azaleas are in bloom!

An adorable water feature greets you at the back of the property.  Doesn't she look happy?

You can see here how steep the slope is.  This is directly off the back of the house.  The fountain is just to the left.

At the bottom, you have the feeling of a secret hideaway.  It's very quiet here, with a luscious sense of seclusion.

Then, incredibly, the secret hideaway opens up to another garden room with more amazing views.  This space was almost round, surrounded by azaleas and hydrangeas.  I could think of a million things to do down here.  This would be my own private getaway to read.  A fabulous place to set a table for a romantic dinner or picnic.  A wonderful spot for hosting a neighborhood hamburger grill.  The perfect backdrop for taking pictures on special occasions.

Have a slope?  Find a way to get to the bottom, then put something incredible there.  I would definitely go down those steps (and back up again) every day to enjoy this secret spot.

A winding walkway with sturdy rock steps brings you back up the hill.  Again, there are plantings on either side, making a feast for the eyes.  You forget you're climbing a hill!

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

If you missed the earlier posts in this series,
you can see the Kindig garden (#1 on the tour) HERE and
you can see the Holey garden (#2 on the tour) HERE

14 comments:

  1. Another nice garden, I love the pink spireas and the little girls are too adorable.

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  2. A lovely tour, thanks for sharing it with us. Christina

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  3. Thank you for each of these lovely tours. They are a real treat.

    FlowerLady

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  4. Jeez Louise, what an incredibly gorgeous garden and property!

    I am practically swooning over here in Brooklyn, where we are patiently waiting for the rain to stop and weather to warm up and for the plants to fill in - ha!

    Love that fountain, the fantastic view, and especially the steps down the slope - just delightful.

    Thanks for sharing these terrific photos!

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  5. This is another lovely garden with little rooms of color and privacy. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Darla - The spirea was beautiful, in this garden and others. I have one new to my garden. Now I wish I had bought a lot more!

    Christina - Thanks for visiting, and for commenting. The slope was quite steep. I thought the way they handled it was well thought out.

    FlowerLady - I'm pretty good at adapting ideas into my garden, and I hope everyone can find some little glimpse of inspiration for their own garden, especially since they cover such a range of styles.

    redgardenclogs - Sorry you haven't warmed up yet! We have had temps warmer than average. The roses are already starting their second flush. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting.

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  7. Sage Butterfly - Yes, I loved the lower private garden space. And the hillside must be gorgeous when the azaleas bloom, and again when the hydrangeas make their appearance.

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  8. Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
    I looked back through a few of the posts I missed-looks like a great garden tour. I want the greenhouse in the previous post!! I also enjoyed the post on your dinner guests. I got a chuckle at your dog asleep on the job!

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  9. Very incredible Holly. I love these paths. So well landscaped.

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  10. Jennifer - I really did enjoy the garden tour. I saw some things I wanted - but couldn't afford - and some things I could put in my garden. I was happy to see both of them. I appreciate you taking the time to look at the older posts.

    GWGT - That says a lot, coming from you. That slope had to have been very hard to landscape, and to draw people down and back up again. I didn't hear anyone complaining about the walk back up, either!

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  11. Another gorgeous garden tour - the spirea is superb! What a treat to see gardens from other parts of the country :O)

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  12. What a wonderful tour, thoroughly enjoyed it! As you know I had some catching up to do and was looking forward to reading the previous two as soon as I saw this. All the gardens remind me of the peaceful gardens in Cornwall which I absolutely love.

    I love all the water features and the iron works. And that water feature of the dancing girls is adorable!

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  13. Amazing garden, great ideas. I imagine they have a colorful view with all the layers of plantings and the elevations no matter the season.

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  14. SallyLee - Yes, most everything here is in between stages of blooms, but I was too impressed with the spirea. I loved touring the gardens, and also like to see other gardens from around the world. So much to see, learn, and be inspired by!


    Mark and Gaz - Yes, I'm glad you had a great vacation - without the computer - and hope you fell revived and refreshed. Getting caught up takes times, doesn't it? Glad you enjoyed the tours.

    Tufa Girl - Seeing how people overcame a challenge, the different ideas used, or even seeing the plants they chose are so inspiring to me. I was most surprised how different each garden was, yet I could take home ideas from each one.

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