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This garden in Excelsior, Minnesota, grows in memory of Beau Taunton, who tragically passed away at 22 years old from a fentanyl overdose. His mother, Kristin, wanted an area at her home where she could honor Beau, raise awareness and welcome friends, family and neighbors to gather and celebrate his life. Working with Mom’s Design Build, she transformed her front lawn into a peaceful, uplifting space for joy, love and reflection.
Photos by Spacecrafting
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Kristin Taunton, a mother
Location: Excelsior, Minnesota
Size: 2,400 square feet (223 square meters)
Landscape designer and contractor: Mom’s Design Build (lead designer: Heather Sweeney)
Kristin envisioned her front yard in this tight-knit neighborhood as a communal space, where loved ones could be together, remember Beau and celebrate who he was. She didn’t want to conceal what had happened or focus too heavily on loss. Instead, she chose to honor his life through this garden.
The team asked Kristin to share with them what Beau had loved, what his interests and hobbies had been, so they could capture and best express his spirit in their design. “I wanted more than a pretty garden for my son. I wanted a garden that told his story and was bold like him,” Kristin says. Special touches such as a custom sculpture and a QR code linked to his obituary allow people walking by to connect with the memory of Beau.
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Before: The front yard was mostly lawn, with a brick walkway and a small set of stairs leading from the sidewalk to the front door.
It was important to Kristin to preserve the existing trees, particularly the maple, whose canopy we can see on the left side of this photo. Beau liked to climb and spend time in this tree, and his mom would often keep him company on the ground below.
After: In the redesigned yard, Bobo panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘ILVOBO’, USDA zones 3 to 8; find your zone) greet visitors from the sidewalk and project above a new stacked-bluestone wall like radiant white candles. “They are the highlight of the garden,” designer Heather Sweeney says. These spring-to-fall-blooming shrubs set a joyful tone for the space and will eventually reach 3 feet tall, enhancing privacy without obscuring the yard and its main features.
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On the other side of the hydrangeas, and throughout the yard, more flowering plants add color, life and brightness across seasons. Some plantings, including ‘Summer Beauty’ allium (Allium ‘Summer Beauty’, zones 4 to 9), attract bees and other pollinators.
Little Trudy catmint (Nepeta ‘Psfike’, zones 4 to 9) was planted for Beau’s cat, Keegan, who lives with Kristin now. The designers stuck to a blue, white and pop-of-pink color palette, choosing beautiful plants that would encourage Kristin to spend time outside.
Some of the other species featured include: Dakota burgundy beardtongue (Penstemon ‘TNPENDB’, zones 3 to 8), Royal Candles spiked speedwell (Veronica spicata ‘Glory’, zones 3 to 8), ‘Pink Cotton Candy’ betony (Stachys officinalis ‘Pink Cotton Candy’, zones 4 to 8), ‘PowWow White’ purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow White’, zones 3 to 8), blazing star (Liatris sp.) and boxwood (Buxus sp.).
A memorial sculpture made of Cor-Ten steel anchors one side of the yard. The piece spells out Beau’s name and stands at roughly the height he was. Beau was very artistic and a fan of graffiti art, Sweeney says, and the sculpture’s material and style nod to the rustic, industrial spaces where you might see that kind of work.
A recirculating fountain carved from a basalt boulder gently bubbles in front of the Beau statue. It’s autofilled through a drip irrigation system the team installed in the yard. Bluestone pavers and Mexican beach pebbles surround the water feature.
Next to the fountain sits another, slightly smaller, carved stone. Water collects in the basin when it rains, creating a birdbath for the garden’s winged visitors.
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Beau also liked to skateboard, and the team propped a Cor-Ten steel board next to the water feature, which Kristin can move around the yard as she likes. Beau’s friends will often sit on the stone beside the fountain and skateboard around to take in the space.
Sweeney says that since these photos were taken, friends and family have left objects and mementos around the sculptures and water features. “Beau’s friends use [the space] all the time, and at night when it is lit, you can see his name,” she says. If Kristin moves, she’ll be able to bring the sculptures with her.
Rumbled coco clay brick frames a grassy path that connects the sculptures and water feature to this fire pit lounge. The subtle detail allows other design elements in the yard to shine and also complies with the site’s hard paving restrictions.
Regrading the front yard created the flat, usable outdoor space this seating area occupies. (The team was careful not to disturb the maple tree during construction.) The patio is Greydon sandstone. Four Adirondack chairs surround a concrete gas fire pit, which can be easily turned on and off from a switch inside the house.
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Winters in Minnesota are extremely cold, so Kristin turns off and drains the fountain and covers the fire pit and furniture for the season. When spring rolls around, the front yard will be ready to be enjoyed again.
For those inspired to create a memorial garden of their own, Kristin offers this advice: “Spend time with [your] landscape design company and convey to them as much as possible about what kind of person [your] loved one was. Tell them their quirks, their favorite things, their hobbies, their funny and inside jokes, their favorite words or sayings, their pets — and share pictures with them. Don’t hold back, so your design team can see the whole picture.”
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This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
5. Avoid Plastic Where Possible
It can be surprising how much plastic we use in the landscape. There are those single-use black pots that garden center plants come in, for example, as well as plastic seed trays, plant labels and twine.
But with a little thought, you can replace these unsustainable items with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Use wooden labels and traditional garden string, and seek out garden centers that will recycle the black plant pots. Also, hunt around for biodegradable seed trays that will break down into the soil when they reach the end of their lifespan.
When you’re planning outdoor structures such as greenhouses, opt for glass instead of plastic if possible. The initial cost may be higher, but a model glass will last a lot longer than a cheaper plastic one.
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10. Prep Your Pipes
In cold-winter regions, shut off any exterior water systems before cold weather hits. Then open the tap and drain the lines to prevent damage. Finally, disconnect any hoses. Do the same for any water lines leading to an outdoor kitchen.
At the same time, drain and clean any outdoor water features, such as fountains and ponds.
In warmer regions, check that your irrigation system is still working correctly. Repair or replace any sprinkler heads or drip system components as needed. Cut back on watering frequency as the weather cools. If rainfall is sufficient, turn the system off.
Even if you live in a warmer area, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on winter forecasts. Insulate exterior pipes and taps if a freeze is predicted, especially one that will last several days. Another option is to open the taps slightly to allow water to slowly drip out.
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2. Maintain as Needed
Keep on top of garden maintenance even as you relax your winter cleanup approach. Remove dead or weak branches from trees and shrubs to prevent them from breaking off and causing damage during storms. You’ll also want to remove any rotting stems on herbaceous perennials, and any diseased foliage.
Replace fading annuals with cool-season choices — especially in warm-winter areas — to keep some pops of color in your landscape. Remove and compost any remaining warm-season annual edibles and herbs. Prune back woody herbs that can handle the cold, such as rosemary and thyme, by about two-thirds to prepare them for winter. To eke out the last of the harvest, dry any herbs and preserve the last of any fruits and vegetables.
Are there annuals and annual edibles, such as tomatoes, that you love having in your garden? Before you move them to the compost pile, gather some seeds to get started for next year.
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7. Celebrate Leaves
Take in the fall foliage on a hiking trail, at a local park or in your yard. Turn raking leaves from a chore into a chance to appreciate Mother Nature’s show. Once you have a pile of leaves, it might just be time to channel your inner child and jump in.
Rather than immediately bagging your leaves, consider using some or all of them as a natural mulch. You can spread a thin layer over your garden beds or lawn, allowing the leaves to decompose and add nutrients to the soil. Don’t make the layer too thick, especially over a lawn, as you don’t want to kill whatever might be growing underneath. Use a lawnmower or garden shredder to turn the leaves into smaller pieces.
5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
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3. Purple Coneflower and Russian Sage
Purple coneflower and Russian sage make an all-star combination for late-summer and fall perennial beds. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 8), native to Eastern North America, are cold-hardy perennials that bloom for months, attracting native bees and butterflies. After the bloom, the flowers’ spiky deep-orange centers can be left in the garden as decorative seedpods (and a feast for birds).
With its pale stems and delicate lavender-blue flowers, Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia, zones 5 to 9) adds an airy quality to beds, appearing like a pale-colored cloud when planted in drifts. Russian sage blooms from July to October.
Both plants are drought-tolerant, making them a good pair for a tough, low-water spot like this sidewalk garden by Garden Stories in Portland, Oregon.
Water requirement: Moderate to low, once established
Light requirement: Full sun
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Warm-winter climates. Many bulbs, including favorites such as daffodils and tulips, require the winter chill to bloom. If you live in a warmer area, you’ll need to buy your bulbs early in the season and chill them in your refrigerator for six weeks before planting.
While some bulbs that need a colder winter may rebloom when planted in the garden, many will produce only leaves in subsequent years. To get a good show, consider treating bulbs like annuals.
Cold-winter climates. Winter chill isn’t an issue for cold-hardy bulbs, but freeze-and-thaw cycles can damage them. If the ground won’t be covered in snow or frozen, provide a layer of mulch.
You may also need to dig up tender bulbs such as canna lilies, dahlias and gladioluses, and overwinter them in a cool, dry location.
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Gardens of every shape and size can be places of sanctuary — somewhere to go to rejuvenate and take a break from the rush of daily life. But while the calming ability of gardens is universal, what specifically brings you a feeling of serenity in a garden can be quite personal. You might prefer smooth lawns and neatly trimmed shrubs, while others may feel more at ease in gardens that are a little bit wild, with rambling vines and fallen leaves left on walkways.
If you’re looking for ways to feel more at peace in your garden, here are nine ideas for cultivating serenity. Which ones resonate with your vision of a tranquil garden?
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We’ve all experienced it: blistering temperatures, above our typical summer averages, that have us flocking to the comfort of our homes. But what about the plants in our gardens? Unless they are in a pot and can be brought indoors, plants are stuck outside, bearing the brunt of the heat wave with no escape. Most summers have a period of abnormally high temperatures that can be highly stressful for plants, resulting in wilting, sunburn and even death.
Thankfully, there are methods we can use to moderate the damaging effects of a heat wave. We will go over five ways to help your plants survive the heat, and look at how to determine if you can revive a “fried” plant.
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Move meals outdoors if weather allows. If mornings and evenings are still too chilly, take advantage of the warm, gentle sunshine for brunch, lunch and afternoon gatherings.
Re-create your indoor dining setup outside to turn even a quick meal into an elevated garden experience. Set a table, complete with placemats, dishes and glassware. A potted plant can serve as a centerpiece both for meals and the rest of the day.
Tip: If you find yourself heading outside often for meals or a coffee break, think about investing in outdoor-friendly tableware. Store it in a spot that’s easy to access when it’s time for a meal.
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