MY NEIGHBORS GARDEN, By Kay Faught

This month, I had the opportunity to view what I think is one of Jacksonville’s most beautiful and truly classic “evergreen and perennial” gardens – Robert Lewis and Robert Higgins’ home on South Oregon Street, the Helms House. Bob and Robert not only have a lovely restored historic home, but a garden that showcases what every wonderful garden should have: movement, structure, texture, views, water and sound. And, they all come together in a world of serene beauty.

Bob (the gardener of the two) and Robert (the good eye for shape), bought the home on a business trip 13 years ago. They had no intention of coming here but three days after their visit, had purchased the home. The renovation began and they converted the “Classical Victorian” house to a rich remodel. They added a large kitchen and a glorious sun porch with views to the entire back garden. Sitting in the sunroom, you see a beautiful mix of stone walls, walkways, trees, and a flowing stair-stepped waterfall cascading gently over moss rocks to the pond below. A singing cacophony of birds fills the feeders grouped in the sun. Above the pond is a beautiful weeping birch, naturally cascading to allow light into the areas beyond. That scene was a highlight of the garden for me, but there was SO much more. It is not a garden easily captured here!

Bob explained that the original garden was somewhat like the interior of the house, “With a little bit of everything.” There were stone walls, railroad ties, pebbles, brick, lattice fencing, and according to Bob, “Just too much texture!” The first thing to go was the sunken hot tub and gazebo on the back rock patio. Retaining the rock patio, they added an Artisan iron arbor, now gracefully holding winter jasmine. Focusing on continuity, a landscaper converted all the retaining walls to Oregon Moss stone. Three cascading falls were added to spill into the pond with the weeping birch placed at the top. As the back rises about ten steps to the top of the waterfall and the next level of the garden, a walkway continues along the top of the waterfall that goes by Bob’s rose garden, which replaced the old “perennial garden.”

I have always read that a garden should have a surprise around each corner. In truth, that is a very difficult art to master naturally, but Bob has done it with grace. The Oregon Street side of the garden (the front) has a giant black walnut that had to have a “well” created around it, preserving the tree once buried in high beds. From the patio, you walk up rock wall steps onto a narrow cement path leading around that bed. Large pots of towering container bamboo are in view as you step up into the bed filled with Hostas, ferns, hellebores and twisted vine climbing up an old steepled bird house. The path follows the front fence, covered with climbing hydrangea that creates privacy along the walk. It leads to the “well” around the walnut tree and takes you to the corner back of the tree! It is a world of its own and not expected in such a small space. In that corner, tucked in and out of the iron fencing, white bleeding heart contrasts against the green and creates a “hidden surprise. White is found everywhere and in Bob’s words, “If a nursery plant is white or yellow, it comes home!” The path continues down the side fence with mounted pots of ivy, and leads through azaleas, Mughos and tall cedar “soldiers” escorting you.

From that point, looking down into the patio, it seems a new garden! Light glistens on the pond and plays off the bright chartreuse lime cedars tucked in pots on the steps. What amazed me in this garden is the way the plants, trees and shades of green seemed to be placed to allow light to come and go and to enhance! Positioning of everything allowed views of the garden, no matter where you stood. The pond, at the center, has a different appearance from every spot in the garden. From above, you look down through the base of the weeping birch as it shelters candy tuft and vinca ground cover but still permits a “see-through” peak to the lower patio and the potted specimens on the stone stairs. Every vantage point of the garden seems “framed” to consider what view was beyond, creating and enlarging the garden. You see “more” of the same garden at every turn, but with new perspective and lighting.

Walking up the property, more steps take you past a patio edged with rows of pink and white peonies, and a magnificent potted yellow magnolia, then through a gate to the back lot. Once in weeds, 3 years ago, they converted the back. They edged the street side with more of the Artisan filial-topped iron fencing (a signature of their property!)

On advice from an arborist, they carved wide beds around their huge multi-trunked maples, allowing them to become the focus. The unusual 5-6 trunks per tree specimens were allowed to breath and “show,” and show they do! The back lawn lays a deep green pallet beneath the immense white trunks that seem to own the history of the years. Around the beds, they have added shrubs and planting that soften the park but lets the trees command. A sitting area in the back is already in-place for relaxing with a glass of wine and that is the part Robert enjoys… as he doesn’t like gardening. “But I like deadheading,” he says, going along with his fastidious need to keep it tidy. “And I love the pond and the birds,” he adds.

Bob’s one garden tip (as he is the obvious gardener) is “Shamelessly overplant, I hate bare dirt…” Based on what I saw, this sounds like sage advice! Now if I could just figure out HOW he does that!
He also loves pulling weeds! “Immediate and gratifying,” he says.

His favorite time in the garden is in the evening, with a glass of wine, or morning with coffee, to just see how everything is growing and to watch the seasons and light change. “I’m more taken with light than color…the sun and the shadows… if it is green, I’m happy.”

I am too!

Kay is the owner of Blue Door Garden Store, located at 155 N Third St. Specializing in paraphernalia for the home gardener; she carries garden gifts, decor and a wide variety of pots, tools, gloves, and organic product.