Front Garden

A summer view of the front garden

Japanese maples are featured in the garden across the lawn in front of the house. The round shrubs are yaupon hollies. Initially I planted them too close together, and I ended up having to take some of them out. See the following photo.
View across front garden, spring 2010

This is the same view, taken nearly two years after the above photo. I have thinned the yaupon hollies growing around the Japanese maples.
front garden in the spring

This photo shows the beautiful spring colors of the front garden. Rosa mutabilis, also known as butterfly rose, and George Lindley Tabor azaleas bloom against a background of Japanese maple and evergreen trees.
Another view of front garden

Paths wander throughout my gardens. I like to stroll around, looking, smelling, touching, and always noting what needs to be done next.
An entrance to the front garden

The old urns belonged to my parents, and to my grandparents before them. They have since been moved to the steps that lead down to the arbor garden from the patio. The pink flowers are columbine, my favorite.
Bee on Columbine in the front garden

Here is a close-up of a bee on a columbine flower. I look forward to seeing columbine blooming along the paths in the front garden each spring. Bees love them as much as I do!
The marriage tree

Lou and I purchased a small Japanese maple shortly after we were married in 1975. For years it grew in a pot on our deck. When we moved to Helena in 1985, we planted it in the front yard, where it flourished. The tornado of 1990 brought down large oak and pine trees all around it, but not one branch of this special tree was broken.
Colorful shrub border near patio

This April, 2010 photo shows the rich colors of azalea, phlox, Japanese maple and variegated osmanthus.
April 2010, view across front lawn

After the browns and grays of winter, the spring garden is washed in fresh, bright colors.
Lantern and rose, April 2010

A lantern and a knockout rose border the path leading from the patio to the front garden. The large shrub with white flowers in the background is a Philadelphus (mock orange).
Shrub border by patio

This is a spring view of the shrub border by the patio. A Japanese maple and azaleas are features.
Front garden - rear view

Our house was built toward the back of the property, so that the lawn in front of our house seemed excessively long. I planted the front garden to divide it in half, so there is lawn in front and behind it. This is the backside view, taken in the summer. The trees are Japanese maples and dogwood.
Summer view 2010

An August, 2010 view insided the front garden
Another summer view,2010

This view of the front garden was taken from my new blue bench, August , 2010.
Another August view of front garden

The driftwood seen in this August, 2010 photo is over twenty five years old.
Blue bench in front garden

Here is my new blue bench, August 2010.
Blue bench, winter, 2011

Here and the next couple of images are some views of the blue bench in the front garden as the years have passed. This photo was taken in February, 2011, during one of our rare snowfalls.
Blue bench, summer 2013

This is a similar view as the snowy picture above, taken a couple years later in the summer.
Blue bench, spring, 2013

This spring photo of the blue bench gives a good idea of how the front garden wraps around the front lawn, with the mulched path separating it from the grass.
Front planter, October, 2011

A large stone planter runs across the front of the house, and I fill it with seasonal flowers through the year.
Flowering quince

An early sign of spring in the front garden is flowering quince, which may start blooming in late January and continue to bloom for over two months. This shot was taken in March, 2012.
Close-up of quince blooms

Here is a closer look at the lovely flowering quince.
Tropicana canna lily, July, 2012

This is a summer view near the parking court in front of the house. The Tropicana canna lily next to the bird bath adds a bright note through the hottest part of summer.
View of the front garden from patio, September, 2012

This is what I see from my lounge chair on the patio, and it is one of my favorite views of the front garden.
Golden Japanese maple, November, 2012

This Japanese maple has fabulous golden foliage in the fall. This was a tiny seedling when I planted in 1990.
Daffodils in front garden

Daffodils are another early sign of spring in the front garden. This photo was taken in March, 2014.
Wooden bird house in the front garden

Mockingbirds nest in this old wooden bird house each spring. The heavy iron stand once supported a piece of machinery in my dad's workshop.
View across front lawn, April, 2013

Spring brings an explosion of color to the front garden.
Jasmine arch, May, 2013

I once grew roses on the arch, but they did not prosper. The confederate jasmine has done very well; when it blooms, the fragrance is wonderful.
Endless Summer hydrangea in front garden, June, 2013

Endless Summer is a beautiful hydrangea that blooms in the front garden all summer, often having blooms till frost.
Roses and spirea

Roses and Anthony Watererb spirea make a beautiful combination in late spring. The knockoput roses and the spirea both continue to bloom intermittently through the summer.
Japanese maple in front garden, fall, 2013

This is another one of the Japanese maple seedlings I planted in 1990. It has grown into a magnificent specimen.
Lantern by the patio

I love the hobnail glass on this lattern, which hangs at the edge of the front garden by the patio.
Birdhouse on table

This is a view from the patio. I made the little stone birdhouse that sits on the table.
Fall colors in front garden, november, 2013

Fall colors are often at their peak in early November, and some years many shrubs and trees have colorful foliage even into December.
Yellow and red birdhouse in front garden

The front garden contains several birdhouses. Red-breasted nuthatches nested in this one.