In a brightly colored purple, pink and white tank top, with a few tiny braids woven through her blond hair, then swept up with a flower, Brooke Downing almost blends into her southeast Lincoln backyard garden.
Turquoise, purple, yellow and pink colors pop from behind the foliage and from unexpected outdoor furnishings.
With her friend, garden designer Sue Wurm, the two took out every blade of grass that grew there and transformed the yard into a unique oasis that meets all of the criteria for a Bohemian-style garden.
You won’t find a definition for that term in any garden book. “It’s funky, fun, colorful and bright,” Wurm said.
But that is only part of the design criteria. The other elements came from repurposing pieces found in the garage, basement, thrift shops, garage sales and just about anywhere else they could salvage things.
And it suits Downing perfectly, she said. After living in the cottage-styled home for more than three decades, she wanted the backyard to reflect her personality.
Technically, the project began last fall when Downing applied a chemical grass kill to her backyard, including an area behind the garage that she referred to as “where the wild things grow.”
After that, she had the surfaces rototilled for a clean slate. Faced with the results, she said, “I looked at it and wondered, ‘What did I do?’”
It wasn’t until the second week in June when she and Wurm really dug in and began implementing the backyard plan, which included a wide path lined with custom-made stepping stones, a potting space, firepit and new seating areas.
For Wurm, it began with pruning foliage and eliminating some overgrown, very thorny, barberry bushes. Then she cut back and trimmed the existing trees.
Next they headed to the basement for a couple of afternoons to create a variety of sizes and shapes of stepping stones. They used plastic plant drip trays and cardboard boxes as molds and poured the concrete mix around colorful broken dishes, ceramic pieces, Mexican tiles and yes, even a couple of beer bottles of Downing’s favorite brews. When it was done, 20-plus very individual stepping stones were ready to be placed on the wide garden path.
Plants came from half-price sales — the beauty of doing this mid-June, they said — and the choices were a mix and match of Wurm’s and Downing’s favorites.
Downing wanted color — so there’s plenty of perennials, such as bright pinkish-orange coneflowers.
Wurm likes a bit of structure — add a few small boxwoods, in a curvy row and some knockout roses, which are traditional, but bloom and bloom and bloom.
In the center of the yard is a fountain Downing had, and it is surrounded with Goldilocks, a variety of Creeping Jenny, a lime green groundcover that was behind the garage. No other plants there, Wurm said; it is a “quiet” space.
“Rearranging” is what Wurm calls the “fun” part of this garden renovation. She and Downing walked through her house, went to the basement and garage and picked up odds and ends they thought might work in the new outside space. Wurm calls her garden business Design Cents, and emphasizes using “found” items whenever possible.
The two women came up with two full-sized wooden doors — one turquoise, one yellow — which form a bright corner in the very back of the yard. An old metal typing stand holds a piece of blue Corian to form a coffee table. And hanging on the fence are some painted birdhouses Downing had collected.
In some cases, it was just a matter of grouping things, Wurm said. One area has several blue-gray pieces of pottery and statues. Another has orange collectibles. And along the garage is a grouping of “rusty” iron pieces — from a vintage child’s wagon to an ornate iron backdrop.
“There must be order,” Wurm said, “or it can look junky.”
A firepit in the far corner of the yard, surrounded by four newly painted park benches — in yellow, purple, turquoise and orange, is a great focal point. Kindling sits in a nearby box, filled with sticks and a couple of bright, painted accent branches.
Bricks and stones, scattered throughout the yard, define spaces and paths as do bags and bags of mulch.
On the existing patio, which is made with pavers, joining Downing’s table and chairs is an abandoned blue-and-cream kitchen cupboard set from the garage that has taken on a new life as a serving piece — or a potting station. Ornate metallic candle holders nailed up behind it provide evening ambiance, as do other candle holders on tree trunks and the privacy fence along the side of the yard.
Downing’s favorite piece is a former wooden porch swing a friend custom-painted several years ago. It sits on the raised bed near the patio, covered with several coats of polyurethane to protect it. A plastic-covered cushion made from a patterned former padded headboard fits neatly on the seat.
Although gardeners rarely consider a site “finished,” Downing is enjoying the completion of the renovation. But if something pops up — at a garage sale or thrift shop — she won’t hesitate to add it to her Boho space, she said.
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