Something old, something new
Garden tour features exotic plants and an inherited garden
Aquality garden is an evolving mixture of the old and new. Sometimes the new is a gift from a close friend, or a branch that you happened to snag from your trip abroad, or even refurbishing an old landscape.
Two neighbors have taken thoughtful approaches to incorporate the older parts of their garden into something new.
Geri and Steve Delaney have built a garden that is a conglomeration of gifted plants and carefully smuggled plants from abroad. Kerry and Bill Boehner inherited an impressive garden and have worked to preserve it by a new pool.
Both properties are featured on the Mt. Lebanon Library Garden Tour from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. July 9. Let’s take a look inside.
It’s hard to believe but Ms. Delaney, a retired horticultural therapist, has two fig trees and an olive tree bearing fruit. The 4-year old potted fig tree is from Italy, and a 7-year-old fig planted in the garden is from Greece. The 13-year-old olive tree is also from Italy.
“I was abroad and couldn't leave without cutting from the trees, “she said. “I’m lucky customs didn’t catch me.”
Her secret to keep the potted trees alive is a small greenhouse on the patio. During the colder months, she takes them inside. Next to the trees is a small potted succulent she got from Portugal.
The garden contains many gifts from friends and family. In the driveway is a paper birch tree that she got as gift from her children 22 years ago. In the left corner of the garden sits a blue spruce her daughter got for Earth Day more than 25 years ago.
A metal watering can that a friend gave her over 10 years ago sits next to a bed of white daisies that another friend gave her. The 10-finger Japanese maple next to her gazebo was a gift from one her patients at the MS Treatment Center at Jefferson Hospital.
Ms. Delaney’s worked as a horticultural therapist for 20 years, helping patients regain motor skills and movement through gardening rehabilitation. She always loved that her job included plants.
She also grows herbs. Oregano and chives are sprinkled in the middle of impressive rows of hostas and hydrangeas, adding dashes of pink and purple.
The garden was planted around the pool but does not come close to its edge. The space allows the two to exist in harmony without fear of the garden being trampled.
Ms. Delaney is mindful that her garden is not permanent. A cold snap killed two Leland cypress trees two years ago. Now, a bird fountain sits on one of the stumps. She has let mint, clematis and roses take over the bed.
“This is beautiful but it’s not mine,” she said. “It’s a good reminder that nature is always evolving, and my garden should evolve with it.”
Boehner
Kerry Boehner admits that she’s no gardener, but she enjoys the process. Her farm house had been in the Seymour family for four generations with Mary and Don Seymour being the last owners.
During the 20 years they lived in the house, they made numerous renovations and upgrades. The garden, cultivated by Ms. Seymour, was featured on past Mt. Lebanon garden tours.
Ms. Boehner and her husband purchased the house in 2011. They wanted to build a private getaway while preserving the Seymour legacy.
“The goal was to keep as much of the garden as possible,” she said. “We decided to re-plant most of the plants on the edges to preserve them.” Around the upper edges of the custom-made pool with a waterfall are original blue, white and oakleaf hydrangeas. At the base of the pool are the newer hostas and shrubs.
“We wanted to mix some of the old plants with the new ones,” Ms. Boehner said. “It’s nice way to honor her work.”
The stones that lead up to the elevated part of the garden were actually dug from the 2½-acre property.
“It was my contractor’s idea to use the same rocks from the land,” she said. “It’s a great way to recycle.”
The gardens behind the house were mostly added by Ms. Boehner but some of the original plants remain. A purple smokebush left by Ms. Seymour sits in between some evergreens that Ms. Boehner planted.
The beds beside a small path leading to the patio are Ms. Boehner’s work and feature an impressive wisteria and rose of Sharon next to wild roses.
Close family friends even had their wedding on the property in September 2016. Ms. Boehner joked that she may host another wedding in the future.