Tour de grandeur

Imagine this: You once had a little piece of paradise on 10 acres in the country with all the privacy you wanted, yet you ended up trading it all for a small urban lot with only a small porch, grass and a chain link fence for landscaping and absolutely no privacy. Such was the dilemma for Bob and Anita Leatherwood.

On Sunday, the Leatherwoods will share how they solved this not uncommon challenge as people tour their garden during the Coeur d’Alene Garden Club Garden Tour. “Three years ago we moved from a real beautiful place to this place with no privacy whatsoever,” says Anita. They started by planting a hedge of arborvitae along the back fence. Next they covered the side fences with custom-made willow lattices and trained Virginia creeper and wisteria to climb them. They planted perennials and hardy evergreens to finish the privacy screens. Bright annuals fill in spots around the garden and Scotch moss brightens the spaces between the path pavers. They added a small pond fed with splashing waterfalls and filled with water plants and brightly colored fish. They created an outdoor room sheltered by a clear polycarbonate cover and cooled with tiny misters built into the cover’s framework. They often sit here in the evening enjoying the garden. When friends come over, they open a nearby shed door to reveal a dart board complete with night lighting and score sheet. The Leatherwoods’ garden is located at 5840 N. Isabelle Drive in Coeur d’Alene. Donna Lange, 5793 N. Isabelle Drive, Coeur d’Alene: “Rosewood Garden” has evolved over the past 11 years from a bare lot and new house to a serene and beautiful garden. Donna has divided her garden into rooms and filled them with more than 100 different varieties of plants including roses, shade plants and flowering perennials, annuals, and trees. Each garden room has a name including the “Tiger Temple” and the English Garden. “It’s easy to tell someone where to go in the garden,” she says. The garden is rounded out with strategically placed benches and chairs, a koi pond, shaded pergola and a small vegetable and herb patch. There is no wasted space here. Musicians will entertain you at this garden. Marjory Lee and Pete Jensen, 732 S. Canal Street, Coeur d’Alene: This garden is on half of an acre with boat access to the Spokane River. Although two years ago it was a weedy plot, it now has the look of being a much older garden with its unusual perennials and colorful annuals. One of the two water features has a rose shrouded waterfall. Some of the unusual perennials to be seen include fern peonies, hardy hibiscus, gardenias, agastaches, and penstemons. Although the garden is mainly flowers, it also features raised vegetable beds, fruit trees and berry patches. Marjory grows many of her own beautiful flowers so be sure to also visit the greenhouse. Dan and Kathryn Pinkerton, 6360 E. Pinegrove Drive, Coeur d’Alene: This family friendly back yard is a child’s paradise. It features 15 mature fruit trees adjacent to the basketball court and six rows of various berries by the fire pit. The Arborvitae Garden surrounds the lawn next to the play area. Raised beds hold the vegetable and herb garden along winding raised walkways. A goldfish pond and waterfall splash by the grape arbor, adding peace and serenity to nearly half an acre of rose bushes, rhododendrons, lilacs and peonies. A tall fence around the yard keeps the smallest child feeling protected and secure. With a view of Canfield Mountain and surrounding tall pines, this garden play paradise brings the country into the city. Artisans will be displaying their work at this garden. David and Lenia Schmidt, 1901 James Cove Drive, Hayden: In August 1996, with only a few large trees, David and Lenia’s garden was a clean slate. Since that time, they have transformed it into a bird sanctuary that has been designated a National Wildlife Habitat. By planting annuals, many unusual perennials and a wide variety of trees and berry bushes, they have successfully attracted many species of birds. In addition to the bird-friendly plants, there is a fish pond with a six-foot waterfall and a bog perfect for water loving plants. This garden will host more artisans. Marc and Nancy Sue Wallace, 1887 E. Woodstone Drive, Hayden: This garden was designed, constructed and planted two seasons ago to create a restful retreat. The side yards are transition spaces blending the front public gardens to the back private garden. There you will find several patios that offer choices for entertaining, viewing and respite; all connected by paths, steps and stones. A multi-leveled water feature provides soothing water sounds and movement. Unusual dwarf conifers give structure throughout the winter months. Japanese maples light up the early spring garden with bright growth, and end the year with a blaze of color in the fall. Grasses, perennials and ground covers fill in amongst the prominent specimen plants. The north side of the garden features a wildflower meadow that is bright with the kaleidoscope of color from early spring until fall. One of the brightly colored Excel Moose will be at this garden. Mystery Garden: Because parking is nonexistent at this garden, the public is asked to park at Hayden Meadows Elementary School, 900 E. Hayden Avenue in Hayden to catch the free shuttle bus to the garden. Four years ago, after several decades as a portrait photographer, this Mystery Gardener traded his lakefront home of 40 years for a 1960s house with a poor excuse for a yard near the shores of Hayden Lake. While he may have stepped out from behind the camera, he certainly didn’t leave his sense of composition and placement behind. With the help of his friend Richard Carsini, he filled his garden with sedums that serve as grass, evergreens, planting beds filled with Japanese maples, tall Japanese iris, hostas, perennials with colorful leaves, and bonsai apple and pear trees all woven together with paths of colorful Missouri rainbow gravel dotted with clumps of bright green Scotch moss. Flagstones and flat river rocks are stacked in such a way that it almost looks like water is still flowing over them. Sculptures created from castoff iron grates, horseshoe nails, stone and concrete dot the garden. Japanese lanterns, a fountain and other small water features are strategically placed to provide a gentle sound of water. All of the garden can be enjoyed from a large wrap around deck.