Garden Photo of the Day

Another garden from Jeff in Tennessee

comments (36) February 14th, 2013 in blogs

Michelle Gervais, Senior Editor

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Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Calton

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We're visiting again today with Jeff Calton down in Tennessee, and while I'm not quite sure we've seen enough of his garden, today we're getting a look at another property he cares for, owned by the Grimes family in Kingsport. Jeff says, "The main house is built adjacent to the Exchange Place (Dan'l Boone kilt a bar). The guest house was built for Dr. Grimes' mother who has since passed away. I think the property is about eight acres but it's mostly wooded. We redesigned the entry to the main house, which is some distance from the house, developed a woodland path/shortcut thru the forest to the main house, and designed several large beds throughout the compound. Mrs. Grimes is really into her container plantings and we are working toward getting things as she wants. I only met them maybe 5 years ago. Before that several people had been there and it has been difficult to get things in the right direction...or at least I think we are going in the right direction. We battle ravenous deer, flocks of turkeys, raccoons, and skunks, and in 2011 we had a bear and cub show up. There are eight houses on this street and one under construction. I work with 5 of the property owners. We love the Grimes family--the property is beautiful inside and out and the family is just as beautiful." How wonderful, Jeff! I hope you'll keep sending us photos this year. I'm sure we'd all love to see more, not to mention the lively conversation we get throughout the day! Thanks so much for sharing with us this week. Now we need to all start planning out trip down to Tennessee for Halloween....

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posted in: Tennessee

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Tatyana's visit to the Mediterranean garden at Butchart Gardens

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Comments (36)

ShapesandScapes writes: Great photos - good to get new ideas and see what you are doing. Thanks
http://shapesandscapes.co.nz/gallery Posted: 4:17 pm on February 17th

tntreeman writes: thx, cwheat, i have enjoyed the week interacting with other gardeners and i DO like to talk! i'm pleased that you enjoyed the photos, i am starting spring here on monday. i don't look for robins to determine it's arrival i look at bank statements! time to go back to work Posted: 10:01 pm on February 14th

cwheat000 writes: This property is truly special, and Jeff, those gardens look great. Thank you Jeff, for all your photos and commentary. I have enjoyed it all. Posted: 9:47 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: no vacay for me anytime soon, i am starting spring chores on Monday Posted: 6:55 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: Whew, glad you forgive me ;)! Sounds to me you are due for a vacation and CA sunshine. Posted: 5:10 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: Shelia and Jeff, indeed you are both lucky to work at what you love. And hard work it is and I'm sure it took a lot of determination of both your parts to get where you are today. Posted: 5:03 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: Oh meander1, I'm sitting here chuckling, leave it to you to write it right. I make my husband crazy with those descrips. Posted: 4:58 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: i would say " i hate you" but i just can't :)
enjoy your valentines day Posted: 4:57 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: As you know sharing the nature I see is a love for me and hearing you enjoy the views makes my day! You are definitely a joyous, happy soul and a pleasure to know. Now I reckon I'm gonna (yes, this is dusty old Western shows/movie talk, not proper English, forgive me) make you a little more CA homesick...it's in the mid 70s today and clear blue, cloudless skies. Darn perfect day here except for occasional wind bursts. A few daffodils have already bloomed, more buds are soon to, as are the Freesia. Promising to be a good bloom year for the two. Oh yes and the Carolina Jessamine has been spritzing the air with it's faint powder scent for a week or so. I best stop :)! Posted: 4:52 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: i feel very lucky to do what i do and would probably do it for free but do NOT tell my clients that!
personal tip: i have found that tequila helps with the dulled out periods :) Posted: 4:50 pm on February 14th

Sheila_Schultz writes: Yeah, I understand the 'dulled out' feeling. As much as I would adore living in CA surrounded by all of the succulents and cacti I love, that also would mean I would be designing containers year round. I definitely need the rest of winter to get the creative excitement going once again. You're also right about the time crunch... everyone wants their containers planted within a 3 week time period! All in all, we're pretty dang lucky to be able to do the work we love, don't you think? Posted: 4:43 pm on February 14th

meander1 writes: For those of us in a slightly "mature" age category, it doesn't help that botanists are forever changing names and classifications on us. But, since I mostly stick to common names or refer to the pink, yellow or whatever "thingie" over by the whatjamacallit, I get by! Posted: 4:32 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: i just looked at all your nature photography , happily_gardening, and it made me homesick for California! Posted: 4:12 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: I for one can relate to that! Posted: 4:05 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: and as i get older someone may ask me to identify a plant in the morning and i don't remember the name until after lunch when it just pops into my head out of the blue. i truly need defragmentation of my brain and a pillow that records my dreams would be awesome so i could watch them all later Posted: 2:59 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: shineeday, as Jeff so warmly stated, you are not alone. We gardeners are always learning, from each other and sharing...it's the gardeners way. I'm sure even Botanist get stumped on IDs...it's a huge and evolving plant world out there. I've been gardening for most of my life and still don't know many plant names...didn't use to care much about the name just the pretty face :). In recent years it's become more important so I research to identify, slowly compiling photos and a file of links of where to go for IDs. A labor of love. And of course sometimes one just can't recollect the name.
As far as identifying mass plants here on site I wonder would a pull down legend be helpful? Posted: 2:52 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: shineeday, i know i shouldn't assume things but i do and i didn't identify any plants. my problem and i welcome any input is how to identify the plants when there are many in the photo? a list wouldn't help and i don't know how to do the labeling as they do in the magazine. if i have individual plant pictures i'm sure michelle would delete :)
i would be more than happy to identify any plants in these photos you are curious about and if you have any suggestions as to how i can label the plants in the photos i would love it. i've been gardening all my life and i still see plants daily that i have no idea what they are and i have several here at home that are unidentified,,,,,,,,especially the cacti and succulents. happily_gardening identified one cactus i have had for 30 years ,,, i never knew until this week what it was Posted: 2:18 pm on February 14th

shineeday writes: Hey everyone,

I see I'm really late to the post and my request to have a caption identifying the various collections featured in the GPD has already been addressed.

I just want to say that I start my days and end most nights viewing and reviewing the GPD. With that being said, I reluctantly admit that ninety percent or more of the plants, flowers, shrubs and trees presented in the photos are unrecognizable by me. Although gardening is now a burning passion, second only to my love for animals, I am still a neophyte with scarcely a year under my belt. Listing the names of the specimens featured in the photos would be an invaluable resource to me. Thank you.

Kristine Posted: 2:10 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: shelia, thanks for the comments and they made my day! every day is a choice on our part to make it great or not. i have a blast everyday! we do alot of container plantings/seasonal change outs but for me it's easy when rushed to get dulled out. how do you keep it fresh and different when everyone wants it all at the same time? Posted: 2:04 pm on February 14th

Sheila_Schultz writes: I am so sorry I missed yesterday's post, I just checked it out and read all the comments... I'm still grinning! Jeff, no wonder the gardens you create are beautiful. They have been planted with love and a whole lot of humor. Heck, if I were to move to TN, I'd want to be in your neighborhood. If just reading your words make me smile, I can't imagine how fun it would be to be your neighbor! I can understand why your clients become friends. Keep the photos coming! Posted: 1:43 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: Please tell Mrs. Grimes she has a good eye. Glad you included them in the set. Oh my, turkeys so big you can ride...now there is a visual...HA!! Posted: 1:14 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: i did not identify any plants in the photos because i assumed they were all known i didn't send photos of the more unusual or hard to find plants. happy to identify any you are curious about . the kim fern confusion i can understand because most are accustomed to seeing them used as container plants rather than directly planted Posted: 1:00 pm on February 14th

tntreeman writes: i am not the photographer of the fog photos. mrs grimes sent those to me and i included them as i liked them too.
yes, lots of wildlife there i think i could ride the turkeys they are so large . visit exchange place and i'm sure they would let you do any chores you were willing to tackle they have volunteers working there all the time. Posted: 12:50 pm on February 14th

Happily_Gardening writes: Lovely property...crisp,tidy and interesting history. I'd say you are on the right development path. I really love the fog landscape photos, gives an ethereal glow. Wow, that is some wildlife gang in the neighborhood! And to think I crab about raccoons, squirrels and occasional possums :). The history on The Exchange Place is most interesting, sounds like they are doing a good job of keeping it alive. Would like to visit one day, wouldn't mind trying my hand at a chore or two.
"Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!" Posted: 12:34 pm on February 14th

appaloosa writes: Thanks for making the enlargements really big for us to enjoy. I do wish more people would identify some of the main flowers. Posted: 12:15 pm on February 14th

tractor1 writes: tntreeman: Often snow makes a woodland path a lot more attractive ("a lot" is two words). A few days ago the snow here in the Catskills covered a lot more but now it has practically all melted. The sky is now very overcast with thick dark gray clouds, if it gets a few degrees colder (35 deg now) more snow will be arriving. I enjoy the change from green to white. Posted: 10:41 am on February 14th

tntreeman writes: the light pink bushy plants in front are dwarf spirea and i can't remember the variety off the top of my head. we use a product called PlantSkyyd as a deer repellent. it is without a doubt the most horrible smelling stuff even created when first applied, the hotter the weather the worse it smells until it dries. it works and it lasts . it's made from processed pig blood and trust,,,,,,,,,it's awful Posted: 10:34 am on February 14th

SumHillGardener writes: This has to be one of the prettiest houses I've seen --- the style, color, pergolas --- just beautiful. And the gardens set it off perfectly. How on earth do you keep deer off the fabulous Oakleaf Hydrangea hedge ? And I can not quite figure out what the light-pink bushy (annual?) front border plant is.
Great job ! Posted: 9:34 am on February 14th

thevioletfern writes: What a beautiful home and property! Very inspiring. I love the pergolas, especially connecting the structures - who wouldn't want to walk through that? Love those Kim ferns as well. Posted: 8:53 am on February 14th

tntreeman writes: yep, those are Kim ferns and they are annuals. they were once not so easy to find but the last few years i find HUGE ones at walmart very cheap,,,,,,,divide them into halves and use them for instant gratification in the landscape. Macho fern is another beautiful, tough, durable one to use. it's like a boston fern on steroids Posted: 7:50 am on February 14th

meander1 writes: What a beautiful property situation. It has a air of graciousness and serenity. The line of oak leaf hydrangeas in bloom is stunning...looks like they are very happily situated. In the picture with the three clumps of ferns by the walkway...are they a perennial type fern or the Kimberly Queen which I always consider an annual here in TN? I bring mine into my garage for the winter and try to get a few years out of them but I really like how they look planted in the ground (if those are Kimberly Queen). Posted: 7:47 am on February 14th

tntreeman writes: not alot to see on the woodland path right now. alotof things are dormant, deer ate ALL the leucothoe, rode down a couple of Ligustrum and Cryptomeria by rubbing their antlers, evergreen ferns are flat from snow it's time to get to work and get things ready for spring. the deer even ate a Needle palm down to the nub and i thought they were deer proof or at least resistant Posted: 7:39 am on February 14th

tractor1 writes: Oh, more interesting views, I was hoping to see that woodland path. Posted: 7:20 am on February 14th

bee1nine writes: Jeff- I thank you muchly too, for sharing all your wonderful
garden work with us. Have enjoyed it all! Comments included!! Posted: 7:18 am on February 14th

PeonyFan writes: Thanks for sharing, Jeff. I especially love the photos of the trees in the mist. Posted: 4:00 am on February 14th

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