LITTLE CITY FARMS HIDEAWAY

(This is a 2016 garden description. Gardens for this year’s tour can be found here.)

With an eye for the Zen, this garden is in constant transformation. From the chicken coops and orchards of the Little City Farms neighborhood, the owners have created a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home surrounded by copious fruit and vegetable gardens—a tranquil space for authentic connection to the land.

With a high fence and skyward reaching laurel, the “real world” seems to dissolve and in its place is the serenity of this very private garden. The marvel of this garden is the seamless blending of east and west, ornamental and edible, rest and play spaces.

An ornamental dry riverbed appears to emerge from behind the redwood tree and “flow” among mugho pines, a Niagara Falls white pine, Japanese maples, and skimmias. The espaliered peach tree, producing 150 peaches a year, and dwarf Gulf Stream nandinas grow along the cottage wall. The mid-century pear tree by the patio is surrounded by heather and blood grass. Beneath the apple tree (also mid-century) are shade-loving plants – hostas, ferns, and oxalis. Raspberries, Japanese aralia, sweet peppers, tomatoes and strawberries grow along the southeast side of the garden, while the north side is bursting with celery, azaleas, kale, squash, cucumbers, rhubarb, broccoli, and parsley. Vines trained to grow along the fence dangle their eggplants, pumpkins, and watermelons far off the ground.

The lush lawn at the heart of this garden is an attraction for children, dogs, and anyone with a love of play.

Wheelchair/stroller accessible.