We have lived in Tennessee for 11 years but I still miss the shade garden I created there. It all started when we decided to build a new home. I wanted to transplant some hostas and other plants from our old house. There was a wooded areas behind the house so I cleared an area for a temporary garden until the house was finished. The start of my shade garden ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) Okay...this photo was taken 20+ years ago. If you look closely you can see the 2 bags of soil on the left side of the lst photo. That is where I started digging. I had not intention of making this a garden...just looking for a spot to keep the plants away from the construction of the house. I don't have a lot of photos of the early years of this garden because I wasn't really into photography. So jump forward 10 years and this is the end result. shade garden looking toward house ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) pathway into the gardens ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) View from another pathway ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) The sitting area entrance ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden ) I loved this garden because it was always 10 degrees cooler. A great place to sit and relax with my morning coffee or my evening wine. I have to thank Jewell for giving me the incentive for this post. I commented on her woodland garden posting that I really missed my VA shade garden. She asked if I had any photos...so I got out the photobooks and began reminising and decided to scan a few to share. Hope you all have enjoyed the tour.
I sure DID! You had lovely gardens there and I can see why you miss them. It was a lot of work I'm sure and it must have been hard to leave them.
Your photos are simply beautiful! Love the views. Thanks for sharing. (I am partial to shady gardens myself)
Glad you all enjoyed my garden tour, it was fun to get the old photos out and now I have them on my computer! Thank for all the great comments.
That is a beautiful garden Gail. I can see why it was hard to leave it. The sitting area looks perfect for some tea and reflection.
What a gorgeous garden Gail. I would have found it extremely difficult to leave all those plants behind. Did you take many with you when you moved or was that not an option?
Thanks Frank, it was a wonderful place for reflection. Eileen...I did bring a lot of plants and hostas. We borrowed a van and filled it just with my plants.
Gail, What a lovely morning stroll I got to take this AM. You can really tell all the love that went into creating such a lovely park-like setting. I can't imagine how hard it would be to leave such an oasis behind. Thanks so much for sharing. It gives me hope as my woodland garden begins to mature. Thanks so much for taking the time and sharing your master piece with us.
Hi Gail, what a beautiful garden you created!,the picture of the sitting area really catches my eye,..mmmmm nice screen saver!,i can well understand you missing that garden and what ever plants you left behind,..we become attached to plants we have nurtured,..i wonder have you ever gone back to take a peek at the old garden?.
now thats a garden to be proud of. thanks for posting the pics. of the plants you have in there what are your 3 favorites?
Boy, I sure did, Gail!! That garden of yours goule be a feature in Better Homes & Gardens...or Southern Living. You have done a marvelous job there. Chapeau! All the fotos are lovely to see...all the aspects of your property, but you know where I'd be if I could visit you?----sitting in the black plastic chairs in that wide space in the path. Gad, that looks enviting!
