HUNTINGTON — The carefully landscaped entrance to the Fenger household was designed to be maintenance free.
Terry and Sandy Fenger have an ongoing goal to minimize the work required of their lovely yard.
“We hired landscaper Janie Carpenter of Creation Gardens and Designs to help us out,” Sandy said. “She has done a great job of taking what’s here and adding to it to bring about more balance and ease of care.”
Under Carpenter’s guidance they have changed the front entrance to the house with that goal in mind. By incorporating a stone border in a curve around their brick steps they have done away with an ordinary flat step and added more curb appeal with the rounded presentation. The idea of hardscaping some of the exterior of their home to add interest is part of their maintenance free plan.
Along the side of the house they have reconfigured a flowerbed to have a stone border and weed barrier cloth around the plants.
“I very rarely have to even think about weeding that area now,” Sandy said. “It takes care of itself.”
However, one flower she is finding hard to control is the green leafed liriope. This is a plant that will take over a flowerbed if given half a chance and Sandy can testify to it.
“I spent days thinning out a bed of it but with Janie’s help we are going to redo that bed so it’s not so labor intensive,” she said.
Sandy Fenger likes a peaceful quiet garden and has sought to bring that about in her landscape.
“I like a peacefulness and serenity in my garden, so there is not a lot of bright flowers but more of those with a soft appearance. Particularly in the back I have lots of hydrangeas with the soft whites, lavenders and blues bordered by hosta. I like the variegated greens with the wild plants of the forest as a backdrop to the garden.”
One flower that she is encouraging to grow in her back yard is a hellebore flower. This is an evergreen plant that blooms mid-winter and keeps its blooms going for a month or so. It is sometimes called a Christmas rose and does well when planted among hosta.
“A friend gave me some starts and they seem to be doing well in the shade,” she said.
Growing up in the mid-west, Sandy’s family lived close to her seven aunts who each were very interested in gardening.
“I have the best memories from childhood,” she said. “We spent hours playing in their gardens, flitting here and there. It was wonderful. I’d like to create that for my granddaughter. It is fun to sit on the porch and watch she and her friends catching bugs and playing in my garden.”
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