Katharine's Urban Paradise

Hey all, welcome back!  The very next garden that I had the pleasure of visiting while in Mobile belongs to Katharine..  She is the owner of Garden of Weed'n. Her specialty is small garden designs, in which she promotes the use of native plants and eco-friendly solutions to pests and weeds.  The above photo gives a preview of what is come...I won't spoil it by saying too much just yet...

A juniper topiary named Mardi Gras* presides over this garden, giving yet another glimpse of the fun, light-hearted personalities of Katherine and her husband, Jim.  If you look closely you will notice the lettuce - this is Katherine's front yard vegetable garden.  To recommend this idea, let me pass along that she has found passers-by love to stop and chat with her about what she is growing and has experienced no trouble at all with anyone helping themselves to her produce!  What a wonderful way to connect with and enhance the neighborhood.

Everyone came out to greet us, even this little guy peeked out to welcome Michael, my Mobile host with the most, and I as we were walking up to the front door.  I can never resist signs of life in a garden!

Terrestrial orchid - Bletilla striata.   Right away these blooms caught my eye.  I have admired this plant in catalogues but had never seen it growing.  I could grow this here in Chicago...with a little protection in the winter.  I might have to try, it's very pretty and very intriguing to me!

The potting shed.  The brick wall you see is actually a building that backs up to the garden.  Functional and charming to boot!

Upon Katharine's recommendation I took a peek inside the potting shed and was delighted by the fragrance of this flowering Meyer lemon.  I'd heard citrus trees in flower smell heavenly and can now confidently confirm this!

The Meyer lemon was sharing its space with these eggplants which are nearly ready to be planted out in the raised beds.  So heavenly for a warmth-starved vacationing gardener like myself to see!  If you look closely you can see another wonderful plant at the back of the plant table - a rather large staghorn fern.

The adorable, very well-behaved and appropriately named young corgi, Bilbo Baggins.  You can just hear him saying "I am very cute, aren't I?"

Yes, chickens, too!  A Rhode Island hen and two auracanas - you can see one is attempting to make a mad dash to fly the coop!

A taste of Austin, TX, Katharine and Jim's previous home, providing a home for a lucky bird family.  If you look closely you can just see that somebird has decided this is an ideal place and has moved in!

Looking back towards the house you can see the large veranda, allowing for a pleasant place to sit and relax before and after a day of gardening.  A few days ago Katharine emailed an update, the curving steps to the deck on the right have been removed since my visit and are being replace by a bluestone patio.  Onward and upward - there is nothing quite like a great garden project!

There is also a koi pond to allow for your quiet contemplation.

This quirky emerging plant is Equisetum, commonly known as horsetail.  I love its dramatic architectural presence, even now, not yet fully grown.

Gorgeous deep, dusty pink Hellebores from Katharine's grandmother's garden.  A visual and heartfelt addition to the garden, don't you agree?

Katharine, thank you so much for opening your garden to me and my readers, and thank you readers for joining me on another garden tour.  I hope you've absolutely enjoyed your visit as much as I did!

Click here if you missed Hank and Steve's garden and here for Bellingrath Gardens. Next up, the Mobile Botanical Garden!

*If you are not familiar with Mobile, you may not realize that Mardi Gras is celebrated just as it is in New Orleans, though with more of a family oriented flair!