Mr. Hendley's garden was truly a treat for me to see because it is uncommon, as a student, to see a really well designed, laid out and maintained landscape. Mr. Hendley has been a gardening enthusiast for much of his life and landscaped much of the three acre garden surrounding his home. He has also employed a full time gardener, a few part time workers and the services of the very well respected Landscape designer Tracy DiSabato-Aust to design a mixed perennial garden.
At right, students arrive at the residence
Mr. Hendley gave a short introduction and overview of his operation and then turned the lecture over to Ms. DiSabato-Aust. She described the existing conditions, the soil amendments that were done to overcome the thick clay loam soils and the incredibly diverse plant stock used. Ms. DiSabato-Aust also mentioned the importance of proper plant selection, while still maintaining a good level of diversity and the perennial pruning technique that she uses to time/prolong flowering. The tour of the gardens proves the saying that you get what you pay for. Besides being appropriate plant selections for their surroundings and their diversity, the combinations and color schemes that were present gave the garden true multi-seasonal interest and depth. The restored gardens near the house showcased a rose garden, a selection of unique English Ivy cultivars and a number of dwarf conifers. The entrance to the rest of the garden was down a wooded hill side into a drainage ravine that was a huge shade garden. Multiple semi-terraces, walkways and groundcovers made the shady part o this garden shine. The bottom of the ravine had two water gardens, one of which was a naturally occurring bog and the other a storm drain that has been converted into a waterfall.
