For Renee Carhill, gardening is her creative and soothing outlet. Some people quilt, she gardens. The Jefferson Garden Club’s Yard of the Month for July is the home of Gary and Renee Carhill on S. West St. Carhill has created a welcoming corner garden of successively blooming perennials anchored by a wagon wheel backing a variegated euonymus. Salvia, lamb’s ears and iris can be found here. A decorative coneflower garden art piece adds color and sparkle to the flower bed.
Hostas line the north side of the home where impatiens grown by her grandson from seed bring pops of bright color. More family projects add structure to the northeast garden. A wooden arch installed for their daughter’s wedding and a bridge built by her son are surrounded by more perennials; Siberian iris, asters, milkweed for the Monarch butterflies and a unique peach peony Carhill grew from seed.
A large barberry bush creates a backdrop and a hydrangea edges the bridge. An antique iron kettle that was Carhill’s mother’s cleverly corrals cucumber vines which she’ll use for pickle relish. Other perennials in this bed include lilies, sweet pea, phlox, clematis, cone flowers, black eyed susans, daisies, and snow on the mountain. During her Master Gardener training she learned how to develop a rain garden and this bed is an example.
On the patio, other heirloom containers and a raised bed built by her grandson hold herbs which she uses in cooking and a variety of other ornamental plants.
Deer are always a challenge and Carhill even found a small fawn in her garden recently. “They like my apple tree but I don’t want to cut it down,” she said. Asparagus, rhubarb, black raspberries and horseradish plants complete the back yard edible garden.
