Victorian mantle against garage

Atlanta Garden Designer Paula Refi did not set out to have a full sun garden.  In fact, after years of gardening in the shade she was content with her  collection of  interesting and unusual plants including those with beautiful blooms and striking foliage.   But as often happens mother nature intervened suddenly.   As the result of a storm and the loss of two mature trees,  over night her shady oasis became a hot full sun challenge.  You might think that coming up with a design for this altered space would be easy work for a designer who is used to coming up with solutions for all types of gardens, but her own property proved to be a bit more challenging.  As she put it, when you live with a garden certain ideas become ingrained and it’s hard to have a fresh eye.  Because of this, Paula spent a long time looking and thinking about what she wanted for this narrow pie shaped lot that points downhill.

Raised beds and gravel as a groundcover

The Design

When Paula finally put pen to paper she had four goals she wanted to accomplish.

• 1. She wanted more space for seating next to the existing pond.
• 2. Paula wanted to use the side of the garage in some way, to make it part of the garden. A chance encounter with a Victorian mantle at a junk yard presented the perfect solution. The stone used for the hearth is the same type used for the dry stack walls. She also added a window sash, with mirrored glass. She calls this her humorous take on the outdoor living room trend that many designers have incorporated into their gardens.
• 3. In her shade garden Paula had one large bed. With her new sunny growing conditions she decided to have two raised beds which would give her an opportunity to grow more of her favorite and unusual plants.
• 4. Paula also wanted to hide the derelict rental property which borders one side of her garden. She is encouraged an excited by how quickly the dogwood, Cornus ‘Venus’ is growing. She believes that this hybrid between Cornus kousa and Cornus nuttallii is a choice ornamental tree.

Victorian mantle against garage

Paula’s graceful sloping pie shaped garden now features raised beds with a combination of unusual plants like a hardy selection of pittosporum called Pittosporum heterophyllus ‘Variegata,’ a golden leaved mock orange called Philadelphus coronarius ‘Ogon’ and lots of herbs such as rosemary and creeping thyme which she appreciates both for their sweet scents and the different roles they play such as screening and ground covers.  A large existing camellia that is at least 35 years old  has been limbed up  while a  mass of azaleas and anise, Illicium parviflorum provide evergreen anchors.  With the exception of one small patch of turf at the top of the hill, pea gravel makes for a low maintenance groundcover.  On one side of the garden Paula added  two stone steps, leaving the other without steps  to allow easy access with a wheelbarrow.

Seating in Paula's Garden

With her innovative approach to a challenging site, Paula has created a lovely garden that offers opportunities to grow a variety of plants as well as spaces for entertaining or just sitting and relaxing.