Shaded Garden, Sunny Disposition

It’s a shady, serene afternoon in Elaine and Richard Jones’ backyard. So shady and peaceful, in fact, this park-like setting is a welcome respite for more than one critter discovering the benefits of keeping cool.

“I won’t even go very far under the deck to water my shade plants where a good-size black snake resides,” a cautious Elaine says.

 
Attending to plantings under the deck is just one area on this extensive property that keeps the Shawnee couple active, rain or shine. Richard acknowledges that neither he nor Elaine is a master gardener, but the grounds look pristine. The couple’s successes have come by trial and error but always with passion.

“We’ve been married 45 years and enjoy this hobby together,” Elaine says. Mornings, when the air is still cool, both Elaine and Richard diligently tend to the yard. “I’m the professional dead-header,” Elaine says, noting that when Richard isn’t watering and weeding, he can be found in his vegetable and herb garden.

Since building their house nine years ago, the grounds have significantly changed from wild woodland as the couple removed trees. A large cottonwood tree — one of the largest in the surrounding area — was spared because of its anchoring in the garden and wide canopy.

They hired a landscape architect to give them ideas, which ranged from adding boulders to a water feature. “We decided against the water feature but thought a dry creek would be an attractive addition,” Richard notes.

Meanwhile, they added beds and incorporated bushels of plants. “I buy what looks healthy and what I like,” Elaine says. “I think we visited nearly every nursery in town in order to get just the plants we wanted,” Richard adds.

With so much shade, the Joneses discovered the joys of low-light plants that proliferate throughout the distinctive handcrafted beds, where hosta, fern, coral bells, lamium, hydrangea, honeysuckle and red twig dogwoods carpet the island ground.

In contrast to the woodland shade garden, a second-story wood deck and ground-level patio are filled with sun. Both display abundant, colorful plants: knockout roses, clematis, daylilies, dahlias and annuals. “Every year, the containers on the deck and patio are different,” Elaine says. “I have such fun each spring shopping at all the nurseries. Then, when I get home, I let the creative juices flow.”

Richard and Elaine aren’t the only ones who enjoy it all. “Even strangers walking by have knocked on our door to comment on the red-headed coleus that grew three feet tall in the front yard and the New Dawn climbing roses that blessed us with thousands of blooms in May and June,” Elaine says.

The couple’s gardening hobby has taken on a life of its own. They admit it’s a lot of work, but it’s something they can do together and share with all who visit. “For both of us, it is also about hanging out with nature and enjoying the peace and serenity of the outdoors,” Elaine says. “I get some of my best ideas when I am digging in the dirt.”