Visit Gardens:
Bullivant : Driggs : Stanley-Moyemont : Olsen : Treherne-Michel : Little-Lewis

The 2008 Garden of Rex & Elizabeth Olsen

The delightfully compact, imaginative, and lawn-less garden of Rex and Elizabeth Olsen will rekindle hope in those who have despaired at ever creating or maintaining a showcase garden.

Both were novice gardeners when they purchased their Dorsey Lane home in 1997, and they approached with trepidation a yard that was essentially fill dirt. They began by improving the soil and planting trees – and quickly learned the challenges of water drainage and fungal diseases. An invisible network of drainage pipes followed, along with shrubbery, ground cover, and a more Darwinian approach to plant choices.

In subsequent years, the Olsens expanded the garden area to include raised herb beds, a dry riverbed, and espaliered fruit trees. Low maintenance and drought-tolerance were their watchwords, and they now clock a mere two hours per week of gardening during the peak growing season, and much less at other times. They are rewarded by a colorful, varied, and hearty band of plants that includes a Desert King fig tree, an Italian Prune tree, heathers, Japanese maples, a weeping hemlock, grapevines, honeysuckle, oriental grasses, and bamboos.

This gave Rex time for his favorite part of gardening – designing and building the paths, patio, bridges, arbors, trellises, rock wall, and pergola that add interest and definition to the garden areas. Their garden art collection includes a dilapidated 1800’s dinghy that is probably amazed to find itself considered a work of art.

Most recently, the Olsens earned Certified Wildlife Habitat status for their yard, which means that it must provide food, water, shelter, places to raise young, and pesticide-free gardening. One can imagine chirps and squeaks of joy coming from neighboring wildlife when the official sign was installed. The culinary herb garden, Elizabeth’s favorite component of their garden, in particular attract birds and beneficial insects, and she is happy to share it.

Vist more gardens:
Bullivant : Driggs : Stanley-Moyemont : Olsen : Treherne-Michel : Little-Lewis

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