Color and Seating in the Garden

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 at 9:12 am

From the street, a hint of what's to come.

You know what I like even more than the grandest of professionally designed gardens? Personal gardens, the funkier and more colorful the better. And I found a fabulous one in Rockville the other day, thanks to a garden-coaching client wanting to show me the best garden in his neighborhood. Indeed it is.

Seating and pond in the front yard.

The gardener, middle-school teacher Jeannie Bloomer (great name, right?) is a collector of not just interesting plants but of interesting stuff. But I love her garden most of all for her lavish use of exotic colors – and for the half a dozen or so seating areas she’s created in a relatively small space.

Gardener Jeannie Bloomer.

Incredibly, the outdoor dining room above is perched on the sloping side yard, just outside the kitchen door.

I love the complementary house colors.

In the back yard, more seating and ponds.

Tiny lawn used to good effect.

Even the utility zones are fun-looking.

The back patio served as a yard-sale display area the day I visited.

Spreading bamboo is under tight control in this trough-shaped container.

Now this isn’t the type of garden I’d ever have myself – I’m not artistic enough to pull it off. But for visiting and hanging out in, it’s my favorite.

Posted by Susan Harris.