Owens Corning

Garden Gate Entry Gardens Whether large, small, detailed or simple, nothing says "welcome"
quite like an entry garden.


Entry gardenFirst impressions are important. The firmness or a handshake, the nature of eye contact and how a person speaks sets into motion a perception that's not easily changed. Or so we're told from childhood on. I think there's some truth to this. It's certainly true when it comes to the garden.

There's something nice about passing through a garden on the way to the front door. I can't say for sure why that is. Maybe it's the friendly tone set by plants, maybe it's shear aesthetic pleasure, maybe it's the element of surprise and mystery that can be incorporated into garden design. I suspect it's all of the above.

That was the case when I passed by the Napa Valley garden of Bruce Edwards and Molly Edwards-Baker. Over their low picket fence I could tell something fun was going on, and I wanted to know what.

"I'm surprised I wasn't in the garden when you came by," Molly says. "I spend a lot of time there. I meet a lot of people that are just passing by and stop to look or chat, and we end up touring the garden. People really seem to love the place."

I suppose everyone has their own reasons for liking a garden. Theirs might include the fact that the couple have had the garden for almost 20 years. "Bruce does the design, and I do the gardeing," Molly shares. "It's a good arrangement. We've experimented a lot over the years. My approach is that if I like something, I try it. If it doesn't work, I pull it out."

Entry GardenBut as with any good design, what makes this garden work is a sense of order. The fence defines the boundaries, the path and stone terrace provides a stage and the ever-changing palette of plants provides seasonal interest. Plus it's a size that Molly and Bruce can manage.

"People stop and look and say, 'I can do that,'" Molly says.
And they can.

Design Your own Entry Garden

-- Todd Steadman

Provided By Garden Gate Magazine
(c) August Home Publishing Co.
All Rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.


Back to Home Improvement Preview Lawn And Garden Preview Home Decorating Shopping Center