Norbert Artzt and John Denton’s Bear Creek Garden is a 1/3 acre, plant sanctuary that surrounds a modest 1946 red brick cottage.  Begun in 1996, it contains a rich collection of both sun- and shade-loving native plants as well as conifers, woody evergreens, flowering shrubs, perennials and vines, camellias, ferns, and lilies.  Over 300 different species fill the densely textured, mixed beds.  Both formally shaped and naturalized elements combine to produce stasis and movement and a good measure of beauty in all seasons.  Norbert notes, “The overall design, though essentially simple, draws the garden visitor along widening and narrowing pathways from one area to another.  Dominating the woodland landscape is a magnificent, centuries-old white oak tree, one of the finest in the city.”  Note: There is no parking on Bear Creek, please park at St. George’s Episcopal Church and walk to this garden. The sidewalk is on the other side of the street; please be careful when crossing the street.

After three years renovating their home, Joy & Hans Enderle turned their attention to the gardens.  In 2007, they added a retaining wall and fill dirt to create a level patio on the steep slope of the back yard.  Then, what was intended to be a raised flower bed became an L-shaped koi pond with a basalt obelisk fountain.  To manage runoff, Joy and Hans decided to create a dry creek bed swale with boulders and river stone on the southern edge of the property.  Plantings reflect Joy’s love of Japanese gardens: conifers and Japanese Maples, bamboo in a planter and as a screen beside the pond, as well as azaleas and rhododendrons.  “My garden is still a work in progress,” Joy says, “and becomes more beautiful each year.”

This garden displays a broad selection of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and bulbs, some native to WNC, some to other states and foreign lands.  Among the many different garden areas Glenn has established, there’s a dahlia bed, a desert garden, a tropical area, a conifer berm, a shade room, and a bed for fragrance, with many of these areas defined by newly built dry stack walls.  “Gardening at my home for 13 years, I enjoy collecting varieties of salvias, poppies, ornamental grasses, bulbs, and elephant ears.” And for people wanting a new, enlarged or renovated garden space, Glenn’s landscape business (called Glenn’s Gardens) provides custom design, installation, and maintenance.  Call 828-337-4632.

The Waller Tract is 11 acres of land that moves West Asheville closer to completing the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan, a long-term plan by RiverLink to redevelop the urban riverfront corridor.  Bordering Hominy Creek, this tract will become part of the Hominy Creek Greenway which will link to Rhododendron Creek and Buttermilk Creek, extending safe pedestrian routes from West Asheville to the French Broad River, the River Arts District, and ultimately downtown.  The entirety of this tract will be placed into a conservation easement with permitted recreational uses, a move that will protect Hominy Creek from misguided development and further degradation.  The planning by RiverLink and the City of Asheville is now in the beginning stages.  Please email Nancy Hodges: Nancy@riverlink.org for more information.

Brotherhug and Janet Barlow moved to their home along Buttermilk Creek in July 2006 and began transforming the grassed yard into a paradise garden designed to provide beauty and high quality foods for people as well as wildlife for many years.  The garden was started by sheet-mulching the front yard to prepare for spring plantings and laying out paths and beds using permaculture techniques.  Over time, additional garden areas have been added, including a 600 square foot vegetable and flower garden (fenced to avoid sharing ALL the bounty with wildlife), a shady perennial area, and a recently added water garden, with more planned.  “It has been a slow process with all work being done by hand, but is generating great yields of wholesome food, herbs and flowers,” says Brotherhug.

“Wamboldtopia encompasses our garden, studio and home. It is our sanctuary and playground, wide open for creative expression – a little Utopia if you will! It all started 10 years ago with a simple geometric herb garden and has grown ever since.”

Damaris Pierce and her husband Ricki, a.k.a. The Rock Pirate, combine their passions for gardening, masonry and sculpture in their magical and playful garden. Between the stone castle studio, dog cabin, water garden and elf tower, there are countless rock creations, garden sculptures and gnome homes. A metal dragon tumbles up the front stairs, fairy doors surprise in hidden spots and a massive stone and brick arch greets visitors. The brick circle in the back was finished by Ricki just in time for their wedding six years ago. Wamboldtopia is a living canvas and testament of a couple’s love for each other and for all that grows.

Event extras: Bill Pillmorewill play the guitar on our magic circle various times during the day.  Artist Gary DeVore will be painting in the garden. Little neighbor Dylan will be offering refreshing lemonade.  Children welcome with adult supervision.

Additional Photos from the day of the stroll.

The Gnomon is the garden that Christopher Mello has created on the corner of Westwood and Waynesville Avenue off Haywood Road behind the Rocket Club and the bio-diesel pump. A gnomon is the shadow caster of a sundial and the name is in memory of a fallen gardening friend, Randy Palmer. Rest in peace Randy.

The garden is five years old now and is basically a collection of all the red and black leaved plants that i can find. Also included are plants with unusual flower shapes and colors and fragrances. I am now incorporating many edibles in the mix, lettuces, cabbages, and kales are the main thrust of the winter garden. As the garden is adjacent to My art studio at 307 Waynesville Avenue, visitors will find my rusty metal and ceramic work abounding. Perhaps the strongest feature in the garden is the waterfall constructed of giant metal plates that were once the water tower for the Chesterfield Mill in the river arts district.

This is a purposefully dark and moody garden. Hopefully as beautiful to visitors as it is to me. It is an intentionally public space and visitors are invited to revisit the garden anytime. daylight only please. Always welcome are donations of blue bottle and “dead” shovels.

Event extras: Christopher’s artful creation will be available for sale

Additional photos from the day of the stroll.

Started in 2003 as a peaceful response to the current war in Iraq and heavy drug activity in the neighborhood, Burton Street Community Peace Gardens is a growing labor of love in the heart of the Burton Street Community. From its humble beginnings as an overgrown lot filled with discarded 40-ounce bottles, the Gardens have grown to include two vegetable/flower gardening sites, stage area, fire pit, cob pizza oven, greenhouse, and sculpture gardens.

With a focus on environmental and community responsibility, the garden design and sculpture park have been created using found/reused items (most from the immediate neighborhood). The Gardens are hydrated from direct rain, in addition to rainwater collected in the 550-gallon tank of a neighboring residence. The greenhouse frame was constructed using steel poles from a discarded McDonalds playground. Brick, block & concrete used to build the fire pit, garden beds, & cob oven are all sourced from residences or sidewalks that were demolished and headed for the landfill.

Of special note is the sculpture park that is the creative endeavor of artist and poet DeWayne Barton/B Love along with other local artists. The installations, like the gardens, are created with found/reused items and each tells a separate and compelling story of social and environmental justice.

Our vision is to be a sanctuary for positive action, which results in neighborhood food security, community cohesion, and a vibrant, sustainable local economy.

Event extras:

• 12 – 1 PM – fresh pizza from the cob oven
• 2 – 4 PM –  tours of the gardens & sculpture park w/ B Love

Additional photos from the day of the stroll.

We don’t have a name except ‘yard’, but if I gave it one, I would call it “Liberated’ because it used to be all surrounded by chain link fence and nasty sheds. We have worked for approx. 20 months on the garden, the photos show the before and after transformation. Our long term goal is privacy provided by plants because the house is on a corner lot. Two main features are a rock patio where red dirt used to be and a rock wall built entirely of ‘side of road pick up’ rocks. There are rain chains too, which a lot of people ask us about. They’re a great alternative to running spouts down nice wood features on the front porch.

My garden gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel like gardening even more.

Event Extras: We’re opening up first floor of the house to strollers for walk-through tours, complete with a display of before and after pictures of garden and house. We’ll also answer any questions and offer informal talks about our experiences in creating ‘renovated’ house features, building rock back patio and yard, bricked front sidewalk, as well as raised vegetable and flower beds.

As “FarmGirl” (Lauri Newman), I have been gardening at the Sunny Point Café for more than 3 years. In 2007, I began designing the Sunny Point Cafe Garden to be a beautiful and inspiring space for the community, and provide fresh produce, herbs and flowers for the café. I began the installation in March 2008, and this is its first full year of “Garden to Table.”

Everything grown at the Sunny Point Café is grown naturally. I use local sources and heirloom seeds or varieties. I grow the majority of starts for the garden. Sunny Point’s owners are very dedicated to running their business in an environmentally responsible way and have been very supportive of the garden. As the garden manager, I hope that the Sunny Point Café Garden will serve as a model for other restaurants to invest in urban lots and local farmers by planting more urban food-producing gardens.

The garden would not be looking as great as it does without its many helpers. From the initial installation to the regular maintenance and the garden’s new additions, volunteer help has been a blessing and help make it all possible. For example: The raised wood beds are made from reclaimed wood donated by Ken and Kevin from their Rocket Club renovation, and all that wood was cut to spec by my dad. The co-owner, April Moon Harpers works weekly in the garden on top of her long hours working the Café. This year April and her mom, Belinda, (co-owner) have added a whole new layer of color, vertical trellises, bowling balls and pins, buckets of potatoes, and beans, beans, marvelous beans.

It can take a village to build a garden, and it is sooo much fun. I am absolutely addicted.

Event Extras: We are going to have an assortment of food & beverages that has come from the garden for visitors to try out. “Garden To Table” samples in the Garden. I will be at the garden on that day as well as my FarmGirl Intern-Kristen… the SunnyPoint owners will be there off and on as well. We will all be happy to give tours and talk to visitors.

Additional photo from the day of the stroll.