Home and Garden: Working in Harmony

by Monica Brandies

Our gardens are the one place where we can decide what shows, what is hidden and what is hinted. We can surround our home with a small world of our own making, and plant to let the sun shine or the shadows fall. Over 30 years of writing weekly newspaper columns and many magazine articles, I have visited hundreds of gardens and have never seen two that are alike. That makes me happy.

And still I am learning that the difference between a jungle garden and a lovely landscape begins with the art of coordinating the plants with the architecture, be it fancy or simple. In most cases, it is best to have the landscape follow the style of the house, formal or casual, symmetrical or not.

So start with the house. Rather than hiding it, use it as a background for your plantings. And use the flowers, shrubs and trees to highlight the best of the building.

At one time every house had to have a foundation planting — a surrounding group of shrubs that gave the house the appearance of emerging above a cloud of foliage. Much of that foliage kept growing over the windows. Some of it died out.

Now we know that plants too close to the house can cause all sorts of problems, especially when any maintenance like painting or replacing windows is needed. Besides that, plants that are too close together won’t develop naturally.

Porches can add greatly to the enjoyment of both home and garden. They almost always come with the house, but can be added or changed somewhat. But the easiest way to improve them is with selected plants.

Our home’s bay window heated the living room. When we had a trellis built in front of that window for both shade and privacy, the house finally started to feel like home. Years later, when the first trellis rotted away, we no longer needed the shade. But the house looked so naked that we put in a new and better trellis.

When I asked for a bench within the trellis, I was forced to admit I would cover it with my favorite container gardens. So I wound up with two shelves instead, beside the front door. The entryway is most visible to visitors, passersby and family, so it is the area for the best plants and the ones that need the most care.

Walkways and driveways also usually come with the house, but many more paths can be laid out with the landscaping. Bill Carr’s garden in Plant City is on a curve and the front yard is small, very colorful and well designed. But his huge back yard is a secret garden. Once you enter, you can’t see where you have been or where you are going. Well-paved paths lead you from one pleasant surprise to another. And when you come to the end, you follow back by another path with more lovely vistas. Hidden in side paths are his nurseries and work area.

His advice is to lay out the paths first, and then let the plantings follow. But my children taught me that any path that didn’t go as directly as possible to wherever they were headed would soon be changed. So you may want to think on this for a year or so before you put down paving.

Either way, paths can be paved, made with stepping stones or simply covered with grass or mulch. What you put down for a path can also add to the ambiance of the garden. One special path belonged to Nancy Pickens of Valrico; it consisted of black circles with square holes in the center. They came from her father’s disc (a farm implement used for preparing the soil). It gave the whole garden a farm feeling.

In any case, make sure the path is wide enough for a wheelbarrow, and that any plants are back far enough to not narrow the path as they grow. If you use grass, make sure that each lawn area is of a size easy to mow and connected to the rest of the lawn.

Sitting areas are the easiest and perhaps the most useful of any garden feature. Just a single bench breaks the jungle feeling and adds a sense of peace and privacy.

Patios and decks can be added at any time and can make a great difference in the look of your landscape, as well as your enjoyment of it. Decks and pool enclosures are good places to spotlight special plants. But always keep safety the priority. Use plants near the pool that do not have thorns or sharp points and do not draw bees.

Fences make a wonderful background for plants, especially white ones. Even a section of fence can add greatly to the atmosphere. Garden gates add much to any garden, giving access and promising more beyond.

Outbuildings can do likewise. Make the best of the garage, shed or playhouse to add interest to the garden. Gazebos are popular focal points, too. Let the building enhance the plants around it, as the plants enhance the building.

One of my favorite gardens is very small, but full of excellent flowers and shrubs that win awards at the Strawberry Festival every year. It belongs to Margie Meneffe, who just turned 93, and her daughter Carol Ann Mathis. The breezeway between their house and shed makes an ideal, partially-shaded place for their prize-winning plants, where they are handy for care and enjoyment. And being in containers, they can be brought into the spotlight when they are at their prime and moved elsewhere during any down time.

My jungle would look much better if I took more of my own advice. But I am lucky in that I get to see how well so many gardeners make the most of the man-made along with the God-given beauty. I always find it inspiring.

© 2014 Monica Brandies. Originally published in Florida Gardening, Oct / Nov 2014. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.