A Visit to An Enchanted Garden

Have you ever visited some place for the first time and had an eerie feeling of deja vu?  The rational part of your brain tells you that you have never been here before, but everything looks so familiar, and deep within you, a mystical voice says, "I know this place." You feel a bit like Alice stepping through the looking-glass, but instead of confusion you feel a sense of wonderment and delight.

Such were the feelings I had back in May when I visited a very special garden that you might recognize, too.  When plans were being made last winter to attend the Asheville Fling, a flurry of emails went back and forth between traveling companions Lisa, Beckie, and me.

"Can we make some time to see the Biltmore Estate?" I asked, knowing that I might never again be this close to a site I've wanted to visit for a very long time.
 "Yes!" they all agreed.  "Let's add another day to our trip so we can see this."
"And while we're on the road to Asheville, wouldn't it be great if we could make a little detour to see a special private garden?"
"Yes, yes, I'd love it! I have always wanted to see this garden!" each quickly replied.

 And so I reached out tentatively to a fellow gardener, asking would it be possible to swing by for a short visit before or after the Fling.  We didn't want to be an imposition, knowing she would be packing up to attend the Fling herself and had many things on her plate that week, but just a teensy, brief peek at her garden would make our trip complete. 

You can imagine my excitement when a response to my email came quickly and with an enthusiastic, "Yes!  I'd love to have you come by!"  Lisa and Beckie were just as thrilled as I was when I let them both know it was a "go," and plans were quickly made to leave a day early for this side trip that we had all dreamed about. 

And just where was this enchanted garden that we three were so eager to see?  If you haven't guessed already, the next image will surely tell you if you think very hard.

Yes, indeed, just a short detour from Knoxville, Tennessee 

found us in none other than the fabled Fairegarden!

As soon as I stepped out of the car, that feeling of familiarity came over me as I viewed the "lawnette" with its mini-meadows full of lilies, verbena, and salvia in bloom. Our gracious hostess Frances greeted us at the door; the four of us had met once before at the Chicago Spring Fling, but that was three years ago.  Still, when you read someone's blog on a regular basis, there is a bond formed, and you feel as though you are re-uniting with an old friend.  Hugs were exchanged all around, and then the tour of the garden began.

Up the garden steps we went--no wonder Frances is so fit and trim, traveling up and down this slope countless times a day!

Stopping to admire an array of hydrangeas--oh, those beautiful blue blooms!

Lilies of all kinds were everywhere, including this special Martagon lily.

Violas were still in bloom--perhaps this one will be a contender in next year's beauty pageant?

Up we went to one corner, to see the oft read-about Zen garden and then off to another area to see the Knot Garden (too sunny for a good photo).

It was strange yet wonderful to see sights familiar from years of "virtual" tours now in person and in three dimensions.  Other readers of Fairegarden can understand the feeling I experienced when I saw what must look to others be just a hole in the ground--the site of the long-departed Ferngully.

Up to the very top of the sloping garden, where we visited the vegetable garden, and Frances explained some of her plant trials with us.

We even got a peek into the well-equipped garden shed, where Frances shared some of her bounty with us--nigella seeds!

Every corner of this beautiful and large garden is filled with all sorts of wonders. Frances was a wonderful tour guide, patiently answering our questions and explaining different plantings as we stopped to admire them.  Resting spots are strategically placed along the winding--and did I mention sloping?--paths.  I suspect, though, that Frances spends as much time in these spots getting inspiration for new ideas for her garden as she does resting:)

Nowhere is Frances' attention to detail and creative genius more apparent than in her fairy garden. The centerpiece is a house made from leaf casting, built and decorated by Frances herself, sure to delight any resident fairies. Note the retaining wall beyond the fence, another one of her many projects.

The garden is located under a canopy of shade, a secluded retreat for fairies to relax after a long night of revelry. Careful attention is paid to placement of new furnishings to ensure the proper Feng shui.

Moss-covered stones provide a soft lounging spot for any little sprites who want to take in a little more sun.

My favorite accessory--a rusted toy truck, once the plaything of a child long ago now gracing the front yard of this fairy village.

The sloping paths necessitate a slow pace through the garden, but that is good, because there is something to see around every corner, and you don't want to miss a thing, such as these glass pieces shimmering in the morning sun. 

Even when you reach the last step and the ground levels out, there are a myriad of small treasures to be found lining the retaining wall like this hypertufa trough filled with foliage.

Or a re-purposed old toolbox.

A bonsai tree illustrates Frances' many talents.

The garden gods obviously look down upon this place with approval.

I was delighted to see and meet some more familiar faces like Athena.

Or the resting lady--I've forgotten her name, if she has one.

(She does have a name--"The Sleeping Maiden."  Thanks for the i.d., Frances!)

No forgetting these names, though--so happy to finally meet you in person, Mr. and Mrs. Bongo!

The Wise Men--I wonder if they share their gardening wisdom with the keeper of Fairegarden?

Alas, poor Yorick!  I knew you well, too:)

Despite our intentions to keep this visit brief so that Frances could pack and attend to all the last-minute details in preparation for the Asheville Fling, we stayed much longer than promised.  Frances was such a gracious hostess, not only giving us a full tour of the garden, but giving us a tour of her beautiful home as well and providing some delicious refreshments while we took time to chat about gardening and blogging.

Many, many thanks, Frances, for letting us visit your enchanted garden--

it truly was a dream come true!

Garden Lessons Learned in Asheville

Garden Walk season is in full swing, including our local annual Master Gardener Walk which is this coming Saturday.  I always enjoy touring other gardens, and I often come home with some new ideas for plants I'd like to try or perhaps a creative way to use a "found" object as garden art.  But all too often I come home a little depressed.  I look at my own garden more critically when comparing it to others I've just seen--it's so small, it's not as tidy, it doesn't have a cohesive design, plants are crammed in too tightly, and on and on until I'm ready to throw up my hands in despair and start all over. 

However, that wasn't the case on my recent trip to Asheville for this year's Garden Bloggers' Fling.   I learned many lessons from the gardens we visited there that gave me a new perspective on my own garden.

"A Hedge Against Extinction" at the North Carolina Arboretum, 
which became this year's Fling icon.

For example, I learned that these weren't fingers reaching up to the sky, but a representation of trees.  See the green tips on each branch?  According to the artist, these either represent "all that is left or the beginnings of a new greening.  The answer is in the hands of those who tend the garden."

I also learned that garden bloggers always have their cameras ready for the next photo op:

Helen and sister Sarah of  Toronto Gardens checking out the poppies in Christopher Mello's garden.

Touring gardens with fellow gardeners is always a learning experience, because someone in the group can usually identify a plant you might be unfamiliar with and give some helpful advice on growing it.

Janet not only knows trees but also many other plants of the Southeast

But the most important lesson I learned in Asheville is that no two gardens are the same and that it's okay to bend the "rules" to reflect your own personal style.

Your garden might have unlimited space:

View at the North Carolina Arboretum

 Or it might be a tiny corner you have created:

Display at BB Barns in Asheville, a fantastic nursery and garden center.

If you like things neat and orderly, you can create a formal garden:

Quilt garden at NC Arboretum

Or you can let Nature be your guide, creating a haven for bees and wildlife:

An impromptu stop on the way home--this garden is not in Asheville.  Can you guess where we are?

If you want to pull every poppy in your garden that isn't blue, then no one is going to stop you.  The bees will love them, no matter the color:

In the garden of Christopher Mello, where he is cultivating a new 'Blue Pearl' poppy.

If your passion is growing vegetables, then go for it:

Raised veggie beds at Sunny Point Cafe where patrons know exactly where their food comes from.

But if you also love flowers . . .

Iris in front garden at Nan Chase's

 . . . there's no reason you can't grow  flowers and edibles together in your front yard if you so desire.

Nan Chase's front yard

A closer look at Nan's house which is sided with bark.

I also learned that sometimes weeds can be beautiful:

Swamp milkweed at NC Arboretum

And that it's good to take a break from the work now and then and just enjoy!

Anneliese serenading strolling bloggers at Haywood Community College's garden.

Garden art has always stymied me, too.  What will look good in my garden?  Where should I place it?  The gardens of Asheville taught me a few lessons as well.


You don't have to have a bold bottle tree if you're a little shy.  A smaller one can add a colorful touch just as well:

Smaller blue bottles on a smoke tree at Christopher Mello's garden.

You can have something specially made that fits your garden and house:

Bark planters on Nan Chase's porch

Or you can use materials you already have to create a unique work of art:

Fountain at Christopher Mello's made from scrap metal.

Metal cogs (?) lining the stairway at Wamboldtopia.

Of course, if you are really talented, you can create something unique and extraordinary, like a fairy mansion:

The creation of Damaris Pierce at Wamboldtopia.

There really are no rules when it comes to a garden.  You can follow ideas from famous garden designers if you want, or throw them out and add your own whimsical touches:

Wamboldtopia

If you love pirates and want to hang a skeleton from your rooftop,  why not?

Christopher Mello's "Shovelhenge"

Or if you want to create a gravel play space in the middle of your garden and call it "Dump Truck Park" or surround it with rusty shovels and call it "Shovelhenge,"  more power to you!

It is all in how you look at things.  

You see, the biggest lesson I learned in Asheville--an epiphany of sorts--was that every garden is unique, just as every gardener is a unique individual.  It is a lesson I probably should have learned long ago, having heard this principle many times.  But sometimes lessons must be taught and taught again before the student absorbs and understands the information.  It took seeing so many different gardens over a course of a few short days, each with their own special style, to realize that I don't have to copy someone else's garden and that my small and often chaotic garden is just fine.

Red Admiral visiting the coneflowers in my own garden today.

Whatever brings you joy . . . that is what a garden should be.

I'm linking this post to Plant Postings' garden lessons learned for this season. Thanks, Beth, for hosting this and inspiring us to reflect on the past season. This is also probably the last post specifically on Asheville I'm going to write (other than a very special "prequel" to Asheville one of these days).  If you'd like to see more of these gardens, you can check them out here; or, if you've been enticed by all the Fling posts to visit Asheville yourself, here's a handy link to plan your trip and explore Asheville's gardens.