Melissa Lallo Johnson and her husband have combined efforts to create a special woodland oasis in Missouri.
"When we purchased the home 5.5 years ago, there was almost no grass and no landscaping on the distressed property. The property located in Kansas City, MO and is 8.4 acres and backs up to a large, gorgeous creek. I have done all of the landscaping myself and my husband has been in charge of the lawn renovation."
Instagram: @fancyflowerfarm
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Comments
Hi Melissa - You and your husband have done a marvellous job creating your wooded garden - and in such a short time by gardening standards. The garden looks very peaceful, but must keep you both busy. The creek environment is lovely. Is that the source of your rocks for the borders of your garden beds etc? Cheers from Oz
Hello Frank! Thanks so much for your kind words. The rock has all come from the tree line! We had many months of "rock hunting" and pulling these incredible pieces of rock from the ground to create the borders on the entire property. It's been so fun! Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to us!
Gorgeous landscape ! I would spend all day here than at the house.
I am outside constantly from March through November. :) I love it. Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to us!! :)
What a beautiful piece of property you have and what a great job you and your husband have done creating the lovely, well-cared for garden and lawn areas. It is all pretty, but my favs are the creek, the fire pit area and the bed with the daylilies and white hydrangea. Ya'll have definitely accomplished a lot in little over five years. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your kind words. It means a lot to us. :)
Got my coffee and book ready to sit out there. Not sure how much I would get read. So very, very pretty.
Thank you SO much!!! :) I do very little sitting during spring, summer and fall!! :)
Gold stars for both of you, Melissa...the lawn looks wonderful and all your numerous rock lined planting beds are delightful. Some of the stones leading up to the fantastic fire pit look sizable so I hope equipment and another set of muscles gave you some help in placing them. No gym membership needed for you. What is the red leafed tree in the 8th picture down? Sand cherry? Japanese maple? It certainly provides a pleasing pop of color!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Yes! That is a Japanese Maple my children bought for me on Mother's Day a few years back. I absolutely love it. Most of the rock has been dug up and pulled up by hand! The larger rocks were moved with a Bobcat T650. It has been so much fun and yes, I always tell people, I don't need to work out, I have a yard! :) Thanks again!
What a great property! It's hard to imagine that it was distressed and virtually barren. Love your stonework and irregular shapes of the beds are genius. Tell me about the whimsically shaped border seen in photo 3; does that function as a dry stream bed or drainage? Looks awesome.
Hello Tim and thanks so much for your kind words! Yes, we were having a lot of drainage there that eventually ends up draining down into the large creek. I moved all of those rocks there by hand and created the "dry creek". All of the rock in the photos (except for the larger boulder rock near the driveway) has been pulled from the property near the tree line. The larger rock we pulled was moved with a Bobcat. It's been quite the odyssey transforming this property but I have loved every second of it and look forward to even more in the future. :) Thanks again for your kind words!
Someone should be rolling around in the longish grass. And what a spectacular mowing job! Love the rock borders around your gorgeous beds. Great combination of nature and refined.
Thank you Peggy Jo! The rocks were pulled by hand from the back of the tree line. The larger rocks were moved with a Bobcat T650. It's been quite the project but I have loved every second of it. It's especially nice to read these comments after all the long, hard days that have gone into this property. Thanks so much!!
Knowing the rocks came from the property makes it all the better. It's so much more fun gardening than being on the dreadmill (as my sister calls it.)
You have a wonderful piece of property and you have done so much to enhance it. Love it! Nice plantings, great use of rocks. I am especially drawn to the "cove" with the birdbath. Great little area! What kind of trees are encircled in the 4th photo down? You are so fortunate to have the creek! Lovely!!
Thank you very much! The fourth photo shows two oak trees with many redbud understory trees around it. It's quite the sight to see in the spring when they are full of purple flowers! Thank you so much for your kind words!! :)
what a great property, looks like a park, very peaceful. Congratulations
Thanks so much Howard! :)
Hello Melissa, Greetings from the other side of the state. Beautiful! Your property is clearly well loved and will only get better and better.
Thank you so much!!!! :)
So beautiful and serene! I love it all, especially the stone work.
Thank you so much Joanna! :) All of the stone was pulled by hand from the back of the property. The much larger pieces were moved with a Bobcat T650. :)
These photos and this home are beautiful so proud of you! I hope to see you on your own gardening show soon!
Thanks so much Andrea! So happy you showed us this home!! :) :) Love you!
Wow Mellisa you have a wonderful piece of property! The one picture with the mown grass design is great! With this you must have a higher elevation to view this. How wonderful! Great job! Lots of love put in. It will get better and better every year. You both have done a lot in five years! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed the photos! Hopefully, there will be more to come in the future. :)
Good morning Melissa. Having just gone through this ourselves, I know how much fun and work went into making your garden beautiful. Love all of your stonework and that great fire pit. I'm also very envious of your stream. Can you irrigate from it to keep your grass looking so pristine?
Thanks for the tour.
Thank you so much! Unfortunately, the creek is at the bottom of the hill we live on, so we are unable to pull water from it and have to rely on city water. We are just now looking into getting a well drilled since the property requires such a tremendous amount of water to keep up with all the plants and lawn. Thanks so much for your kind words!!! :)
You could play a game of checkers or chess on that neatly patterned lawn! Lucky you to have all that space to garden in, Melissa, and so many trees. It will be fun to watch the newer borders fill in as the shrubs grow.
Thank you! We have an incredible lawn maintenance company Dependable Lawn & Landscape who does weekly cuts. The new borders have grown so much just since last season! I'm loving every minute of it!! :)
Good Lord, that's gorgeous!
Thank you so much!!! Means a lot!! :) :)
Absolutely beautiful. Love it all. Great job!
Thanks so much!!! :)
Thank you so much Diane! You believe all of that rock was pulled from the property!?!?! Especially around the fire pit, we pulled it up and moved it with a Bobcat. It's a gold mine of rock in the back and it's been so fun "rock hunting" and then using it in the landscape. It's a great workout too! :) Thanks so much for your kind words! Means a lot!
Amazing. I hope to retire in a place like yours. Also, the more I see of wildflowers the more I love them. I'm a gardening newbie and your property is very inspiring. Nicely done.
That is such a great compliment. Thank you so much! :) Good luck in your future gardening endeavors! :)
Thank you, as well.
The rock work in pictures 3 and 6! So artful!!
Thank you so much!!! :) :) :)
What a fantastic job. Simply amazing, but knowing you, I am not at all surprised with the results. It is just breathtaking.
Awww thank you so much! That's so sweet Andrea. Miss you! xoxo
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