When Crescent Hill homeowner Patti and her then-husband were looking to buy the place she now calls home, they were living just a few doors down the street.
Their old spot had a nice front lawn, but the new place featured a vast space that Patti knew would allow her to use her green thumb. Over the last 27 years, she has done just that.
“The yard in this house is amazing,” she told The Courier Journal. “It’s well over an eighth of an acre.”
Picking perennials
A huge pin oak tree that has been around for more than a century stands in Patti’s front yard.
“It survived the Crescent Hill tornado,” Patti said, adding that the front lawn featured nothing but grass — plus the pin oak — when she first moved in. “I would just do a ring around the tree, constantly mowing. … (Everything that’s now) around the tree (reflects) years of figuring out where I wanted to go with the garden.”
A self-taught gardener, it took some trial and error to figure out what worked best throughout the outdoor area. Ultimately, Patti opted to use primarily perennials both in the front and back of the house — and they all grow naturally.
“I use Greater Louisville Lawn Services,” she added. “That’s the only thing I fertilize or anything — just the grass.”
Keeping it conditioned
Patti doesn’t add fertilizer or mulch to her plants, opting instead for soil conditioner.
“My garden beds are just beautiful,” she exclaimed, explaining the effects of the conditioner. “When I dig through, I don’t get a lot of weeds, and it’s just really healthy.”
Patti’s thoroughly conditioned garden includes everything from delphinium and climbing hydrangeas to blue angel hostas and dahlias.
Of course, conditioner isn’t the only thing helping the hearty plants flourish. All living things need a little H2O to help them grow, and Patti has worked out a specific system for that.
“I have a rainmaker and spouts and I make it rain every day back here,” she said. “I have all kinds of sprinklers, (especially for when I’m traveling).”
She adds that she has to limit how many potted plants she keeps, as those aren’t included in the automatic watering system.
“You either thrive or you die,” she added with a chuckle.
Adding adornments
Patti’s perennial garden — which she has lovingly tended for nearly three decades — is the highlight of her outdoor oasis. But there are also other adornments throughout that add a bit of flair to the space.
The first and most obvious is the glass garage. The structure allows for an almost unobstructed view of Patti’s work from the driveway, the garage itself, and the back patio.
Complementing the garage are several glass art stepping stones, which Patti crafted herself. “I made those … 20 years ago,” she said of the pieces. Two feature cacti against red and orange sunsets, while a set of four on one side of Patti’s pond boast a variety of sea creatures.
“I’m close to retirement,” she said. “(I’m) less than two years (away) — and then I’m going to go back to making (those) stepping stones.”
Until then, Patti plans to continue working on her outdoor space every chance she gets. “(I’ve) been out in the garden from about 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.,” she said. “That’s a great day for me.”
She has plans to add even more to the area before the Crescent Hill Garden Tour on June 1. The lush space is currently mostly green, but Patti has plans to incorporate some pops of pink.
“I (also) haven’t bought my annuals yet,” she added. “By the time the garden tour (starts, it) will just be crazy.”
Tourgoers are in for a treat, because Patti’s garden is already gorgeous, and offers a few different areas to take a seat and simply enjoy being outside.
“People will just want to sit (out here),” Patti said. “I really want them to, (and to) enjoy walking through it — that’s my goal.”
Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
nuts & bolts
Owner : Patti, who is a clinical informatics consultant for Oracle Health.
Home : This is a 3-bed, 2-bath, 1,900-square-foot, Cape Cod Victorian home in Reservoir Park. It was built in 1904.
Distinctive elements : Perennial gardens; handmade stained-glass stepping stones.
Applause! Applause! Greater Louisville Lawn Care, who has been taking care of the homeowner’s grass care for 27 years; Paul's Fruit Market; St. Matthews Feed and Seed for all the soil amendments (soil conditioner) and beautiful plants inside and out; daughter Phaedra and 2-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter hope for encouraging the homeowner to share her garden with others.
30th Anniversary Crescent Hill Garden Tour
WHAT : The 2024 Crescent Hill Garden Tour will feature eight private gardens in the Crescent Hill neighborhood, as well as the grounds of the historic Peterson-Dumesnil House, 301 S. Peterson Ave. There will also be a vendor fair at the Peterson-Dumesnil House This is a rain-or-shine event.
WHEN : 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 1. Peterson-Dumesnil House tours will be available at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. Peterson-Dumesnil grounds tours will be available at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 pm.
WHERE : The self-guided tour begins with a tour map pickup at the Peterson-Dumesnil House. Attendees are then welcome to tour the private gardens until 5 p.m.
TICKETS : Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at crescenthillgardenclub.org . Funds from the tour are used to support local community organizations, garden projects throughout the Crescent Hill area, and the annual Appalachian Redbud Tree Giveaway Project.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Step inside this tranquil garden featured on the 30th Anniversary Crescent Hill Garden Tour
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