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Homeowner Janice showcases shade-focused garden, propagation methods and koi pond
Summary
Janice, the homeowner, led a tour of her private garden describing its conversion toward shade plants, propagation techniques for angel trumpets and coleus, containment of bamboo in a raised bed, and features including a greenhouse and koi pond.
Janice, the homeowner, led a tour of her private garden describing its conversion to a shade-focused landscape, propagation practices and decorative features such as a greenhouse and a koi pond. "Welcome to my garden. Let's look around and see what you think about what I've done," she said.
The garden began as grass and was transformed over time; Janice said the front garden project started "just about a year and a half ago," and that a flagstone path she laid out about 17 years ago began her gardening work. She said the front yard receives more sun but she prefers shade and expects the area to "eventually" become a shade garden.
Janice described a flexible, trial-and-error approach to planting: she buys plants she likes, keeps those that thrive and removes those that do not. She said she has propagated many of her Japanese maples and that "there's at least five" in the front yard. She also described overwintering coleus and bringing them out in summer.
On propagation, Janice said she cut the tops off her angel trumpets and potted the sections to produce new plants. "I chopped their heads off and they're in the back. You can see all the new growths coming on them and by the end of summer, they'll be like this huge," she said.
She outlined other features and maintenance choices: a greenhouse that began as a propagation project and now serves as a private sitting area; a bamboo planting placed in a raised bed to contain its spread, which she said "hasn't escaped yet"; a wisteria over a patio that "creates quite the mess" but that she tolerates; and a koi pond. She also noted decorative uses of reclaimed metal, including whiskey-barrel metal hung on vents, and a preference for mirrors and small gargoyles around the yard.
Janice framed the overall approach as personal and informal. "I don't have a plan. I just plant something. If it works, it works," she said. She closed by encouraging others to personalize their spaces: "You don't have to follow any rules. If you like it, just do it."
