Diana and Les Helm.


recycles the water. "Diana went a little overboard on the statue,"


but it and the fountain add grace and elegance


reminiscent of


laughs Les, a European


manor. "We hired professionals for the


stonework," says Diana. "It took some convincing but I finally got them to follow my design. Instead of six inches of sand underneath we put down two feet of gravel to prevent it from heav- ing. I wanted curved walkways and they kept telling me they had to be straight lines, but I dug my heels in. I wanted curves, it romanticizes the garden." An interior designer before she became an entrepreneur, Diana had a specific layout in mind; she wanted everything to make sense. They rebuilt the deck, and installed a unique fire pit made from a 54 inch crusher cone with a welded grill and stone work. They choose the plants together asking experts what would work best in their area. E Tree Farm provided them with great advice. The design has colour throughout the year with bee-balm, peonies, hostas and hydrangeas and dwarf barberry bushes surrounding the fountain. In the front yard, 50 mounds of Karl Foerster grass- es provide movement without the fuss of flowers. Being out of town and needing to


truck in potable water for drinking and household use, they decided to conserve water by placing an insulated 1200 gallon underground cistern to collect rainwater for watering their plants. Les's dream was to incorporate land-


scape lighting was realized. "My favou- rite part of the garden is looking out the backdoor and seeing the statue and fountain lit up − it's pretty phenom- enal. Just the tranquility of the space amazes me," he says. For Diana, she loves experiencing


her garden at different times of the day. Walking around with her morn- ing cup of coffee or entertaining with the friends and family who helped make her dream a reality gives her immense pleasure.


localgardener.net


Above: What started out as a small creek grew to 40 feet complete with a waterfall.


Right: Statues and large rocks add to the garden's appeal.


Impatiens, hostas and ferns are just some of the plants that add contrast to this bed. Early Spring 2015 • 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40