Twin Sisters' Garden

This post is a journey back in time to April 2010 to revisit the garden of twin sisters Bernice Wade and Barbara Stiles. I also posted last winter about this beautiful garden here.

The sisters' garden is on a .45 acre lot on Gimghoul Road in Chapel Hill. In April the evergreen azaleas, densely planted all along the sides of the house and yard and behind the house, burst into bloom all at once and make a spectacular display. The colors flow harmoniously from white to various shades of lavender and pink to cherry red.

After a tremendous spring show the garden settles to quieter shades of green, but color remains with annuals and perennials grown on the sunny side of the front garden and the sunny back lower garden.

This sunny bed is packed with iris, peonies, Dianthus, wallflowers, salvia, candytuft and columbines.

Iris 'Jesse's Song'. I didn't buy JS because I saw it here first, but had I seen it here first I would have!

How I wish I knew the name of this beautiful iris. The sisters label many plants but I didn't see a label for this one.

The design of the garden truly does flow, with a lovely green open place at
the front of the house and curvilinear paths leading visitors through the garden.

Azalea 'George Taber'

There is no longer a car path to the garage, just a semi-circular drive that connects to the alley in back. The garden has taken over!

The large oak tree in back is underplanted with Solomon's Seal, Woodland Phlox, and Forget-me-nots.

Forget-me-nots weave a cloud of blue beneath other plants all over the garden.

A specimen dogwood showing its lovely layered effect.

The back garden is terraced with the stone walls that Chapel Hill is known for, and planted with more azaleas, phlox and iris.

A narrow stone stairway leads back up toward the front garden.

At the foot of the steps is a lovely Deutzia gracilis.
Every time I see it I think that I must get one.

Climbing Hydrangea and Yellow Lady Banks rose tumble down the stone wall next to the stairs.

A stone pathway leads from the stairs around the house, opening up to a wider grass pathway planted on each side by azaleas.

The garden curves back up to a half-shaded bed by the neighborhood sidewalk

planted with wood anemones

woodland phlox, iris and tulips.

The neighborhood sidewalk is decomposed sandstone, locally known as "Chapel Hill grit", which makes an excellent walking surface and is as characteristic of Chapel Hill as the stone walls and Tarheel basketball.

Later I will show some of the other house and gardens in the Gimghoul neighborhood.