Guest Garden #3 - The art of gardening.

This garden is to gardeners what art galleries are to art lovers.  Rossella and Jon hosted this months garden club under the beautiful Modesto Ash that provides a graceful centrepiece for their native/drought tolerant  garden.

The sunken fire pit surrounded by manzinita and wholly pines provided an excellent spot for us all to chill out.

Throughout the garden, it is apparent that Rossella (and possibly Jon too) has an artistic flare.  I even felt compelled to ask her if she had studied art in any shape or form.  She would only admit to a love of visiting art galleries.  Her garden reflects this. She has blended features with plants to tweak interest so that every where you turn there is something to catch the eye.  For example, the native garden has a beautiful dry creek bed complete with an adorable bridge.

  

A happy purple and yellow color scheme fills this pot.

Here a ceramic cat guards her succulent garden.

The succulent garden behind the cat...

These beautiful terracotta pots beautifully frame these succulents.

I particularly loved the “string of pearls”

This piece of bamboo is so cute planted into a hanging garden.

To complete the “fairy glen” feel there is even a lovely fern garden in the shade.

Rossella wasn’t sure what this plant, that had “volunteered” to grow here, was.  My guess was coffeeberry but my identification is sketchy, so if you know please drop us a comment.

The front of the house has a stunning roses and lavender display.

Three different types of lavender attract a multitude of bees and the air hums with their presence.

The white roses are so densely packed with petals they look cream and peach in some places.

The window boxes have that little touch of Tuscany.

The potato vine climbs up an interesting support of interlocking cane rings.

The bougainvillea is beautiful too – I just love the colour.

From the front of the house this enticing path leads you to the back garden.

The back garden has a vegetable section.  Here are the celery, though Rossella is not impressed with their taste and other members of the club consol her by saying that celery is very hard to grow. Notice the "Mediterranean style" out door dining in the background where we had brunch.

Behind the vegetable patch is a "spa" type  set up. 

Growing up the trellis are two climbers which blossom at different times of the year.  This clever idea ensures that when these have enveloped the structure there will be blossom almost year round.  The mirror is a clever way to disguse the wall that Rossella felt was bare and uguly.

A truly gorgeous garden and a real treat to hang out here!


Byddi Lee