How Does Your Garden Grow?

Sharon Scott grew up with gardens. Her grandmothers, aunts and mother grew flowers and vegetables, and the delicate fragrances of lilacs, butterfly bushes, clematis, morning glories, peonies and roses wafted in the air. “My family would gather in the shade of the yard and talk about things. Flowers were always close by, and early on, I wanted to be an extension agent,” she recalls. 

When she and her husband, John Tutle, purchased their Christiansburg property in the fall of 2000, Sharon had all winter to develop her 5-year landscape plan. There were a few trees in the front and on the side, but the backyard was a blank canvas. “I planted flowers and shrubs so something is blooming in three seasons. I love daffodils and tulips. I love peony season, and sometimes that coincides with the first bloom of my roses. I LOVE zinnias and black-eyed Susans, and I think they SCREAM summer and remain healthy until late fall. The sedum turns from pink to red to maroon. Hydrangeas are another favorite. I have cut flowers in my house from May through October.”

The trees have grown in the back and created shade, which many of the original plants did not thrive in. Those plants have been moved, and new shade-loving plants are spread throughout. “Today, my garden is only a faint reminder of my original plan,” Sharon states.

Her gardens have been influenced by world travels and her family. When in England, she fell in love with dry stacked stone. The wall she added the first year adds structure and texture, while travels to Japan opened new ideas for pathways. 

 

Herbs, Dirt and Bugs

 

Because she and John enjoy cooking and entertaining, she planted more than a dozen  herbs including lemon, English thyme, oregano, fennel and mint. “I made a rookie mistake,” she confesses, “in planting my first year with mint and oregano outside the fence. They migrated inside eventually, and twice a year I rip up mint and give it to friends who love mojitos or mint tea. My beautiful rosemary shrubs froze a couple years ago, and I started over with new ones last year.” Most of the herbs are perennials.

Sharon never did become an extension agent and currently owns the consulting firm Fully Engaged at fully-engaged.com. She loves being outside in the gardens where she can get lost in time doing the weeding and deadheading. “Gardening is not for everyone,” she advises. “It might be less expensive to purchase fresh flowers for your home rather than garden, especially if you like having lovely, manicured fingernails. But if you love dirt, bugs, bees and watching things grow, then create a garden.”

 

Family Dedications

 

From once a barren ground, their backyard living space now includes the deck, a greenway, “The Hill” patio, a shade garden, a formal garden, the original garden and special family gardens. “Everything in the Letty Garden [for her mom] is white, pink, and red in roses, hydrangeas, coneflowers, lavender and Russian sage. The zinnias, sunflowers, gladiolas, cleomes and four o’clocks grow in the Myrtle Garden [for her grandmother].” Her dad loved shade, and after he passed away in 2020, the stone patio became a refuge for being secluded and shady. 

 

Pathways and More

 

Sharon has flagstones and slate pieces from both her parents’ and grandparents’ properties in some places, but she especially likes her pea gravel path. “The shifting soil and low-lying spaces made carrying heavy pots difficult. I love how pea gravel is used in gardens I had visited in the UK. It lends color and texture, and I like the sound of walking it.” 

Raised beds embrace a different method of gardening, and Sharon reserves those for her lettuce, cucumbers and peppers. She has very few house plants and, perhaps like most avid gardeners, is not a big fan of winter. “The garden is less vibrant, but I enjoy the catalogs, always planning what can go in and what to remove. I have stringed lights on The Hill, creating a magical space while the plants are sleeping and dormant.”

It’s likely that her family gathering and “talking about things” when she was young influenced the poster in Sharon Scott’s garden. She had it framed by Original Frameworks to withstand the elements.

“When I visit the garden after 5 p.m., it is often with a glass of wine. I see the flowers that graced my ancestors’ yards, farms and gardens, and I smile. I enjoy the payoff of weeding and deadheading. In drinking wine, I also appreciate the fruits of someone else’s gardening labor. Farming and agriculture are part of my life and DNA. Gardening brings me peace and great joy. The poster speaks to me.”

 

Text by Joanne M. Anderson
Photos by Tom and Christy Wallace