Can I look around your garden?
A tour of a surprising Pittsburgh garden and a request to see yours
Mark Meader’s yard may be narrow but that doesn’t stop him from thinking big. This Pittsburgh lot, which Mark’s been gardening for nearly forty years, somehow includes a rose garden, a bamboo grove, five ponds, a patio for cocktails, meandering woodland paths and the tallest tomato plants I’ve ever seen.
I paid a visit with photographer Scott Danka (and his drone) and put together this segment for KDKA’s TALK Pittsburgh:
And for those curious about how Mark keeps that bamboo grove in check – he surrounded that area with a dry moat. That way he can visually see the roots/shoots emerging and snip them with clippers before they can spread to other parts of the garden.
Will you take us on a garden tour?
I thought it might be fun to dedicate a future Rootbound post to a virtual tour of your gardens. Specifically, I’d love to see your favorite parts of the garden:
A favorite plant or plant combination.
A magical corner where you love to read a book.
A huge melon that you grew.
A favorite critter visiting your pond.
Or something else.
If you’re game to participate, reply to this email (or email boaz.frankel@gmail.com) with 1-3 photos of your garden and a few sentences describing your photos. I’ll share them here soon. I can’t wait to hear from you!
And one more thing: After weeks without rain our pond has turned into a muddy patch.
I took a closer look the other day and noticed that the great blue lobelia, which I planted around the pond a few years ago, has self-seeded in the pond itself and I was delighted!
I love when the plants start making design decisions.
Thanks for sharing this amazing garden with us!