Today’s photos are from Dede Lifgren.
Welcome to my garden in Brewster, New York (Zone 6a). I am an artist and garden lover. Much of my artwork centers around my garden. Or is it the other way around? Either way, I love to take full advantage of both!
My pineapple columns and some potted impatiens (Impatiens walleriana, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) greet visitors at the entryway.
In the main garden, trickling water can be heard from the fountain as you enter the property. A cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’, Zones 4–8) towers over pitcher plant sculptures surrounded by hostas, iris, fern, ornamental grass, canna, and a banana tree in the rear. (The tropical plants are overwintered inside.)
The fountain gathers lots of moss, which is good cover for the many frogs who gather there.
The walkway to the back of the house is shaded by trumpet vine (Campsis radicans, Zones 4–9) growing up the house and over the arbor. All the walkways are made from concrete, hand formed like mud pies.
Along the way, artwork invites you to stop. Here, poppies made from aluminum cans sit with some hostas and ferns.
Some big cactus sculptures keep real ones company. (The two on the left are real.)
This pond, dug out by hand, is home to goldfish and frogs and lots of lily pads. A pump keeps it oxygenated by recirculating water down the stream.
A walkway goes around the pond through a moongate (made from rebar and welded wire fencing) to the back garden.
A long shaded garden borders the perimeter of the yard with many varieties of hostas, ferns, some creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia, Zones 3–9), and iris (Iris sibirica hybrid, Zones 3–8). Pitcher-plant sculptures poke through.
This garden patch was planted last year after a tree was blown over in a storm. A potted foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus, Zones 8–10 or as an annual or houseplant) tops the column. Note that two mysterious flower spikes are hiding within the foliage. The tall pink ones in the iris leaves are made from toilet brushes. The small magenta ones at center right are made from drinking straw brushes!
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Comments
Wow! Your garden and garden art is spectacular! I want to walk around and explore the paths!
The moss covered pillar fountain is gorgeous!
Love the entrance with the pineapple pillars...I just love your garden!
Wow thank you so much!
Bravo!!! I love your work. It's the perfect marriage of art and garden. I hope you become a regular contributor and that the FG features your garden and art in depth.
Hand to heart, thank you! First time I ever submitted photos. So gratifying to hear the responses!
One of the best articles through many years of issues!
Thank you!!!!
Dede, I'm not sure you will see my comment but all I can say is that your garden is smashingly beautiful! BTW, I love your poppies. That's the kind I need; I live in the deep south & they won't grow for me.
Thank you!!! The poppies aren't that difficult to make but can take some time. They start with two hourglass shapes cut from aluminum cans. Lines are pressed in with a narrow blunt object and then roughly painted. They are assembled into shape one on top of the other and then finished with curled wire which passes through to wrap around the stem.
Dede, I'm not sure what mesmerizes me more... your art or your gardens! My jaw was dropping with each image. Every detail, color, shape and texture is perfection. It is all a beautiful marriage of nature and artistry. Your garden and artwork is truly worthy of a cover and long article in Fine Gardening magazine!!! I think we all need to see more! Hint, hint Danielle!!!
Wow, your comment blows me away! Thank you so much!!!
Your creativity deserves each and every accolade you receive, Dede. Do you sell your work?
The short answer is yes and no. I have mainly concentrated on work for my own garden and for friends and family. That said, I have been urged to... share! Come spring I hope to have my website up with some sculpture, poles and flowers for sale. LifgrenDesigns.com. Please stop by! Meanwhile, you can check out my instagram #LifgrenDesigns for updates and more pics. I'm a newbie at all of this so all is painfully slow!
Wow! So beautiful. I can almost feel walking through the garden through your photos. Applause applause. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks so much!!
What a wonderful melding of your artistic talents in making beautiful pieces and making a beautiful garden. Brava!! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Wow thanks. Garden lovers are the best!
I'm very late to post but that must be because I just located this website about a month ago . So NOW , I'll say this : WOW ! Absolutely beautiful ! No ifs , ands or buts . Kudos to you and anyone that MAY have assisted you . I only got to this post via the new post from Dede. Great feature of embedding previous posts . Kudos to FINE GARDENING for that feature . Peace .
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