The Art of a Garden

(04-05-10)

(A knot garden designed to be viewed from above)

The Private Garden of Eve and Per Thyrum

This week some of us students from Longwood Gardens were given the unique opportunity to visit the private garden of Eve and Per Thyrum. Although their names may not be familiar to you, you may still appreciate their own personal approach to horticulture.

(Their welcoming entrance!)

They call their garden Frog Hollow (not to be confused with the southwest part of Longwood also called frog hollow). The garden is a living collection, to be sure. They have many different plants, many different cultivars of some plants, and they also had many unusual or unique plant varieties.

(They were excited to have us and we were excited to see their fun garden! Eve is here telling us about the plantings and the work that’s involved)

I’ve come to realize that the passion of the ‘home’ gardener is hard to beat; Eve and Per being no exception! This couple came to their current property after living many years in Texas. She was a biochemist and said she didn’t really know anything about gardening.

(A view of the front of their house, plus some plantings)

In the 1980′s Eve and Per decided to take some courses at Longwood (under the direction of Bill Thomas). And the rest is history! They hit the ground running with their garden and the collection as it stands today is a true testament of honest hard work and a love of horticulture. It also speaks to the truth that you can succeed at something you’re passionate about, even without years and years of schooling!

(A view of the side of the house which was showing off a beautiful Star Magnolia and Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’)

The two of them do everything in the garden all themselves. She actually told us what tasks were specifically contracted out and that was only adding a new wall at the front and taking tree damage down from around their house. I know it might not be as impressive if you haven’t been there to see the amount of space and plants they have, but trust me that it’s a lot of work! If they weren’t so passionate I doubt everything would be so well kept.

(Even the entrance on either side of their driveway was well planted)

We were told that we didn’t come at the best time of year. My first thought was ‘whaaaat’?!?!?!’ :) I personally thought the garden had a lot to offer, but apparently it didn’t compare to what it will look like later in the spring and in summer. They have hundreds of hosta’s, which we weren’t able to see as its too early. I grew up in a wooded area, so I do have a soft spot for shade perennials like hosta. Especially the mini ones. And the Thyrums showed us a whole bed that they had solely for mini hosta’s! I would love to get back there and check them out!

There was a lot of statuary in the garden, which I’m typically not a fan of unless the garden is more formal. I’m funny like that. I either like a very formal garden or a completely natural garden. However, they had some very natural sculpture, so that was our happy medium! Check out these metal sheet agave like sculptures. I just loved these!

Sans the Hosta that I was disappointed to have missed, they had an amazing array of plants. The following were some of my favorites. Some are linked to whole pages devoted to that specific plan, so be sure to check those out if you want to learn more!

(Edgeworthia chysantha)

(Elaeagnus pungens – this specifically is the cultivar ‘Maculata’)

(Isn’t this Prunus persica ‘Bonfire” gorgeous? So vibrant!)

(The Sempervivum were so neat in these planters!)

(I love the way they had trained this Cunninghamia lanceolata ‘Glauca’)