Dave in the Garden of Benign Neglect

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As you might guess from the title I paid a visit yesterday to a fellow garden blogger’s garden to visit none other than Clay and Limestone’s Gail.  She invited me up to collect a tree for our garden that she didn’t have a home for after her patio area remodel.  The tree was a serviceberry.  A great tree to add to the landscape since it provides food for the birds and for people.  The berries are said to taste similar to blueberries although I’ve never been lucky enough to sample one.  Gail told me that it was a 5 foot tall tree with a large root ball and I thought in my head that since I’ve carried home taller trees in my car that it wouldn’t be a problem.  Boy was I wrong!  With the help of a worker who was her doing house repairs we managed to get the root ball into the car.  Then we slid the root ball as far as possible toward the front of my vehicle…and left 3 feet of branches hanging out the back!  This really wasn’t a good option since I had to travel the interstate to get back home.  I decided (sadly) to remove it and come back later with a truck.  At least that opened up room for the other plants Gail gave me! Maybe it’s just time to get a bigger vehicle…

Despite the lack of success with the serviceberry it was great to get to see Gail’s garden in person.  In fact it’s only the second time I’ve met Gail in person.  The last time was a year ago when several Tennessee Garden Bloggers got together and had dinner before a Perennial Plant Society meeting at Cheekwood. It was fun walking through the Garden of Benign Neglect and seeing the change it’s undergoing.  Her new Patio area looks fantastic.  They say pictures tell a thousand words but being there surely tells a thousand more.

The small grassy area next to the patio is a perfect place for drinking coffee in the morning, reading a book. or talking with fellow gardeners. I could easily imagine bringing the laptop outside to blog in this tranquil setting. The sitting wall is great too, although my daughter would probably make it into a balance beam!

Looking out to the back you can see why Gail blogs about Clay and Limestone.  It’s a cedar glade in her own backyard. Eastern Cedar trees and rocky turf are challenges to garden with and Gail has adapted to her surroundings.

 
  
One of my favorite features in any garden are dry creek beds. They give the illusion of running water when there isn’t any. They also break up spaces and add an element of structure. Dry creek beds can also do double duty as a functional element to help divert rainwater to other areas. 
  
 

I wish I had taken a picture of Gail’s forsythias but I’m sure you’ll see that on her blog soon!

Here’s one last picture before we left.  Gail was holding my almost 16 month old daughter. I think I’m lucky I got her back!

9 thoughts on “Dave in the Garden of Benign Neglect”

  1. Sounds like a wonderful trip — even if you have to go back with a truck! (When I retired, I sold my Subaru Outback and bought a Toyota Tundra truck for my gardening — the Outback just didn’t hold enough plants, ya know!)

    Cameorn

  2. Dave, I had a good time visiting with you and the adorable princess. She is a delight. Thank you for the very sweet post about C&L…and I am glad you got to see the new patio garden and the lovely grass! It is exciting and sometimes anxiety producing to have another gardener visit! So sorry I underestimated how tall that tree really was! We should have taken a few photos of it sticking out the back window! But it will get to its new home soon! Thank you for the lovelink and hopefully you'll get a bit of gardening in before it rains. Ialmost forgot… woke up knowing exactly where the sassafras trees ought to go! Thank you….gail

  3. Sounds like you two had a nice visit. Your daughter is so cute!

    Serviceberry are one of my favorite trees- I have one in my front landscape and am trying to find a spot for one in my backyard. I’ve tasted the fruit- I thought it tasted more like strawberry.

  4. I was going to ask which daughter you took with you. She has grown so much! What a doll! Glad you got her back.

    Gail was a super nice friend to give you that serviceberry. Hope you get the truck soon, sounds like she might have some sassafras to give away too. I tasted serviceberries last summer at a nursery in Indiana. They are delicious! I thought they tasted like a mild version of blueberries. Very mild. They are bigger and softer too. That serviceberry is going to great in your garden! Glad you two had such a good visit on an excellent day!

  5. Hi Dave, this was most enjoyable reading about your visit and seeing the garden of benign neglect through your camera lens. I do hope there will be someone to help you get that tree into the truck when you go back! Gail’s garden looks so natural and the bench so welcoming. Your little angel and the one holding her look very sweet. You are lucky you got her back!!!
    Frances

  7. Wow! Wasn’t it exciting to see those photos for real? Man are you lucky to have visited Gail’s garden! Seems your daughter wants to visit her garden again soon.

  9. Great visit through your eyes to Clay and Limestone! Since purchasing a house and once again back into gardening, I drive the truck way more then the car! We will never be without a truck again, I did not realize how much we would use it with owning a home.

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