Renaissance Man Paints Serendipity Gardens!

Jo Ellen Roe October 14, 2013 0 Comments

Do you ever need the services of an artist, a musician, a bricklayer, or a pond maintenance guy? I would like to recommend Kellas Brown. Because he is skilled in all these areas, I call him the Renaissance Man!

Here’s how I came to know Kellas. I wanted someone to build a pathway to connect our front sidewalk with the patio in back. Our local supplier of hardscape materials, the Rocke Shoppe, recommended him. We hired him to do the work, and our sidewalk turned out just as we had envisioned it. ... Read More

Read MoreRead More

Big Leaves Rock!

Jo Ellen Roe October 8, 2013 0 Comments

Elephant Ear

I love plants with big leaves. Big, bold leaves add excitement and texture to my garden … and would do so, in fact, to your garden as well. It’s especially nice to place them next to plants with finer-textured foliage.

For example, I planted my biggest leaved plant, Petasites Japonicus, next to a dark red Japanese maple. The combo offers contrast in size, texture, and color. Sweet!

Today, I have a collection of big-leaved plants and am always looking for places to plant more. Now where can I put that banana? ... Read More

Read MoreRead More

Five Reasons to Like Fall (Chuck’s Chili Is One!)

Jo Ellen Roe October 7, 2013 0 Comments

Fall


Living in a garden makes you pay more attention to the beautiful cycle of the seasons.

I dread moving from summer to fall, mostly because I know that winter, with its snow, wind, and cold, gray skies, is not far behind. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to like about fall.

For one, fall is beautiful.  Quite a few plants — in my garden, this includes asters, zinnias, cleome, morning glory, roses, black-eyed Susan vine, and more —  are still blooming. Leaves on shrubs and trees are turning crimson, orange, persimmon, maroon, and yellow — gorgeous!  ... Read More

Read MoreRead More

She’s as Sweet as She Can Be!

Jo Ellen Roe October 3, 2013 0 Comments

Nestle (640X480)

Every garden needs a mascot — or two.

This post will introduce you to Nestle, one of the mascots for Serendipity Gardens. She is a chocolate Labrador Retriever, and she’s been with us since 2004, the year we started the garden. You could say they’ve grown up together.

As you can see from her photo, Nestle is showing her age a bit. But that has not dampened her enthusiasm.

Nestle is a faithful participant in Serendipity Gardens. She’s always eager to go outside, perhaps to chase away a rabbit, or perhaps just to sniff around or have a rest in the shade. She barks ferociously when visitors come, but as soon as they are inside the fence, she’s extremely friendly. She doesn’t jump on people, thank goodness, but she certainly believes in bathing them with kisses. ... Read More

Read MoreRead More

Frogs Jump Start a Backyard Ecosystem

Jo Ellen Roe October 1, 2013 0 Comments

Froggies (1)

When Serendipity Gardens was two years old, my husband built a pond. Shortly after, the frogs arrived, and they’ve been part of our backyard ecosystem ever since. We did nothing to make them come other than have water, and we do nothing to keep them except use a bubbler in the pond in winter to keep it from freezing over.

The frog population varies from year to year, because of predators. An occasional heron stops by for a snack, or a garden snake slithers up and catches one unaware. Despite these challenges, though, the frogs continue to add their immense charm to the garden. They help manage the insect population, too. ... Read More

Read MoreRead More