Highlights of the 2019 Secret Garden Tour
A stunning 1930’s waterfront home and garden located on Bayou Texar, with an abundance of stunning clumping bamboo and varied palms, cycads and agave. The original Camellia garden from that time period is thriving! With a true 360 degree walking pattern, there are well established gardens and bedding areas, such as “Paradise Island”, “Sago Island”, the lower lying “Bog Garden”, “Citrus Row” and a “Japanese Garden” area. Throughout this property are whimsical and formal statuary. Beautiful bromeliads, bird of paradise and ginger lilies add color and scent to this gorgeous garden.
Nestled in the East Hill Pensacola community, this charming bungalow home has transitioned to a private professional business. Situated on a large corner lot, the garden and landscaping has undergone a dramatic change and upgrade. Beautiful slate stone and stately black wrought iron fencing welcomes clients to a wide Southern front porch. Several garden beds are covered in bright complimentary annuals that seem to wrap around the sidewalks and side border yard. Flourishing olive trees flutter happily with the spring breezes. A stunning brick and wood pergola holds two oversized iron chandeliers and offers a place to lounge. Fountain natural grasses, hydrangeas and ginger lilies are scattered throughout the landscape.
This garden is a whimsical venture into footpaths that lead to special corners of the yard that highlight some very old items that have been in the homeowners’ family for years. Many are collected items from Pensacola’s past, such as a special Cherub statue that came from the old Pensacola Beach Casino, assorted knickknacks, and a cement bench that was the only thing not destroyed by a house fire. A true natural shade garden, it offers several resting places, a covered gazebo for dining and a raised outdoor deck. Two large oak trees are rimmed in dark green cast iron plants. The walking path circumvents these oaks, providing mature perimeter plantings of leatherleaf mahonia, azaleas, oakleaf hydrangeas, ferns, fatsia, and caladiums. Scattered throughout are burst of color provided by several varieties of annuals. A beautiful rock pond with waterfall sits front and center and is highlighted by assorted potted plants.
Located in a well-developed Westside neighborhood, this small garden is truly “a hidden garden”. It is surrounded by a collection of Camellia Japonicas and Japanese Maples, which offer the viewer a beautiful contrast of colors and textures. All can be viewed while walking on a stone path that skirts an enclosed pool to the right and a Koi pond with rock waterfall to the left. Tall horsetail and blooming iris add texture and color against the stone pond. A white gazebo anchoring the other end of the pond invites the viewer to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Found in the Myrtle Grove area, this favorite walking and meditating garden is a delight for those who love roses! With over 80 plus varieties, one can stroll among climbers, hybrid teas, floribundas and smaller grandiflora specimens. With several resting benches, this walking rose garden is a place to sit, relax and savor the colors and fragrance s these beauties provide.
A beautiful new construction home and detailed landscaped garden is offered in this Westside property. Situated on a corner lot with tons of privacy, this garden boasts gorgeous stones, slate pathways, rocks, formations, and even a “bubbling boulder”! A large, homeowner designed koi pond that is rimmed in natural boulders and pebbles dominates the side garden. Many have been collected by the homeowner and strategically placed for aesthetic value and interest. Blooming iris, natural grasses, a large red Japanese maple and other annuals are placed throughout this side garden. In the smaller back garden, the homeowners choose to place artificial turf with a shapely designed bed holding a mature birch tree, small pines, clumping bamboo, a large butterfly bush and more ornamental grasses. Scattered within the garden are wrought iron crosses and a hidden fountain. Be sure to look for the spilt boulder that was cut in two pieces to become a step up to the outdoor hot tub deck!