Walled Gardens

One of the things I like best about Southern Gardening is that we get explore some really phenomenal landscapes. Today I'm visiting a walled garden with a tropical and Asian flair. As you enter the landscape the formal atmosphere is obvious. The landscape beds and brick walkways are lined with liriope and neatly trimmed boxwood and Indian hawthorn. There are beautiful plantings featuring various palms, philodendron and shell ginger. Water combined with well weathered copper and bronze sculptures play a key role in setting the atmosphere of the landscape. The dominant feature of this landscape is the bronze fountain depicting our native Southern magnolia and a life sized great blue heron. There are other fountains creating motion and relaxing. This fish appears to surface amidst a backdrop philodendron and Washington palm. The other fountain features two herons wading in the shallow water among the sago palm and juniper pruned into a spiral topiary. And going along with the Asian theme, this copper sculpture is placed under bananas and a gorgeous Canary Island palm. And I really like how the brick walls don't just define the landscape borders. The ornate copper/bronze designs that are placed in the porticos make the walls an active participant in the landscape. Sometimes our landscape plants need to play backup for beautiful garden sculptures. I'm horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.