Prairie Paradise

About

We moved in 32 years ago, and I started the gardens a couple of years later. Initially, the landscape was typical urban blah with overgrown junipers, viburnums, and lilacs, and too much area dedicated to Kentucky bluegrass. Today, I still maintain a “throw rug” of turf in the backyard, as it offers a nice foil for the gardens to play off. Most

all the gardens are low in maintenance and water needs, and the few shadier gardens require more regular watering.

I’m a landscape designer; in my design work, I’ve always been partial to destination retreats, and there are four in the backyard. PV (Puerto Vallarta) is a gazebo-type affair, Paradise has a bistro table and umbrella, Punta de Mita is a small, intimate area for two people, and Palmetto is the bar and lounge area. In addition, there is a large covered patio where we spend the majority of our time from early May to late October.

The most dominant landscape taxa are Yucca, of which I have 26 plants spanning 13 varieties, and a decent collection of agaves and cacti, thanks to Panayoti Kalaidis and Kelly Grummons. I suppose the most dominant garden aspects are contrasting foliar shapes and leaf color, along with having something in bloom from March to frost.

A more recent addition to my avocation is various forms of rock gardening; once started, I found it to be rather addictive. Every year, I grow from seed in my greenhouse, hot house, and hoop house, a vast array of annuals and hard-to-find perennials, which keeps me happily occupied from December to May for my annual plant sale. By the way, I’m not a maintenance maven; if you see a weed, please pull it!

This garden's estimated size is 2,000 sq ft.

2026 Open Day Date: Saturday, June 13

Open Day Hours: 10am–4pm