Erickson Family Garden
We like to think of gardens as works of art. We realize that Nature creates beautiful plants for us to work with, and that it is up to us to sculpt and create gardens by the way that we choose to combine and contrast plant material. We especially consider the color, fragrance, texture, shape, and scale of the plants in our gardens.
Aesthetically, color is an important consideration. We consider color combinations, along with the light intensity and the angle of the light, including backlighting or shadowing, when choosing plants. We prefer eye-catching color combinations, like chartreuse green and cobalt blue, or chartreuse green and rose-violet. In other areas of our gardens, though, we choose pastel colors, to create a sense of tranquility. Pastel flowers edge a private patio, which is adjacent to a pond-less water feature. We are certain to include white flowers with the pastel flowers, since white is the last color seen at night.
Intensity of the light determines where to site sun or shade-loving plants. It also determines the site for grasses, so that the first rays of the early-morning sunlight highlights the dew drops on the inflorescence seed heads. Likewise, the grasses are sited to be backlit by the late-afternoon sun’s rays. So, Nature creates the beauty, with which we create the garden landscape portrait!
-Elizabeth Erickson
There are landscapes and then there are gardens. Gardens are smaller, more intimate, and more enticing. I had the great pleasure of working together with Elizabeth Erickson and her husband, both Master Gardeners, just before their garden was featured on the 2008 Olbrich Garden Tour. They have created a beautiful garden in every sense or the word, with every nook and every view carefully considered.
Avant Gardening worked with the Ericksons to install the inviting bluestone paver walkway that leads to the front door and beckons you to come inside the picket fence and then wraps around to the back garden. As you approach the house along the path, you are immediately struck by the color combinations and how they stand out against the grey tones of the house. Splashes of pinks, purples, blues, white, and lemon yellow highlight the Cape Cod style house and the front door is framed by interesting plants in pots. As the path meanders to the back yard, a signature frosty blue spruce on the right repeats the color of the grey blue walkway. Entering the backyard, a weathered cedar arbor demarcates a new room entirely. Here a cool and relaxing patio with a couple of Adirondack chairs entice you. In the corner, Avant created a pondless water garden that instantly relaxes the viewer. Nearby, cobalt blue pots with a cornucopia of color cascading over the edges catch your eye and invite you to stay. A lazy afternoon with a good book, a long cool drink, and who would want to leave this spot?
As you look more closely, more details become apparent. There is an artistic bird house in one spot. A hose is neatly coiled in a copper basin. A carefully chosen group of pots hide a window well, and lattice obscures a phone pole. Further on, a collection of Hosta, Astilbe, and Pulmonaria cascade down a series of natural granite walled terraces. The delicious crinkly texture and lush tropical foliage create a dramatic shady backyard and leave one wanting more.
This garden has it all: mature trees that provide full and partial sun, shade in the back, and the passion and cooperation of Master Gardeners who delight in creating a place that welcomes you to stay a while.
-Liza Lightfoot
