Garden Tour Preview V

Charming Crestwood Corner

By Gwen Martin, Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City

            Yearning to take a break? Need a vacation?  Step into this Crestwood garden and you are immediately transported to a different time, a different place.  Majestic, charming, reflective, loving and soft are adjectives that describe this eclectic garden with “Old World Charm”.

            Fulfilling their desires and passions for unique plants, flowers and cooking, the owners have taken the average corner lot and transformed it into a profusion of color and texture nestled in a retreat-like setting.  Decades ago, the yard had been professionally landscaped but fell into ruin and neglect.  When the current owners bought the house 15 years ago, they began to create outdoor spaces that welcome and invite.  The garden offers a bit of everything – majestic large trees, native plants, herbs, perennials, stone statuary and a hardscape that stimulates and quiets the mind simultaneously.

            Taking the old red brick path from the street to the front porch, you gaze around to see that the garden expands in multiple directions, each bringing a smile to your face.  An Asian-influenced side garden with a laughing Buddha prepares you to appreciate the beauty and fun the owners have had in creating an eclectic landscape, embracing and holding your attention while relaxing you.

            Gardening is part art and this one fully encompasses that magical combination of color, texture, and shape.  One-of-a-kind, owner-created features – a pergola at the end of the kitchen garden, a unique copper arch, multiple gates, birdhouses and raised garden beds – complement mature trees, including Japanese maple, dogwood, crab apple white pine and a truly heart-tugging “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” planted in memory of a parent.  Berry-producing shrubs and native plants are thoughtfully placed to enliven each season and invite wildlife to enjoy its bounty.

            Choosing and planting what they like, the owners’ sentiments are reflected in many of their favorite plants.  A money plant “Honesty” brings back memories of England; unique peonies (including yellow and lavender) reminds them of their Memorial Day cemetery visits to honor others; and, irises, grown by an elderly parent and passed along.

            Hostas, ferns and astilbe are right at home in the shade and soften the space beneath the large trees.  Orange cosmos and cranesbill geranium return faithfully each year.  The summer phlox and crepe myrtles add that much needed summer color jolt while the kitchen garden yields an abundance of food and herbs and is anchored with a beautiful Sombriel antique climbing rose and wisteria.

            A neighbor’s statement captures this garden: “Walking by the yard is wonderful, but being in the garden is magical.”  Come.  Be in this garden, featured in the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City Garden Tour, June 7-8, 2013.

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