John And Sandy Tidd’s Garden

The first time I drove by this house on the banks of Sugar Creek I was intrigued. The yard and woods held so many possibilities. Working outside with plant and flowers is therapeutic and restorative for both of us.

Our first project was making a Hosta bed bordering our driveway by the house. This bed contained a variety of Hostas shared with us by family and friends. A few years later we split and transplanted starts to make another Hosta bed on the West side of our house. The beautiful foliage of the Hostas varieties range in color from deep green to chartreuse, yellow, blue and green and cream combinations.

The next projects was having a screened porch built in the back of our house. John installed a pond in the corner beside the porch with a waterfall and landscaped around it. Sitting on the screened porch listening to the trickling water and birds singing, is our favorite place to be in the summer. Blooming water lilies, in the pond, in July are a feast for the eyes.

When we excavated for the porch and pond, we used the dirt to make a flower bed for sun loving plants. Pink and yellow Stella D’oro Daylilies line the perimeter of the bed and we fill in the colorful annuals.

We’ve also planted a combination of ferns, ground cover, and shades perennials in our shady area in the woods. Annual borders of impatients, as well as tree stumps used as containers for impatients, brighten and add interest to the woods.

Lee Eggleston, landscape architect, did the design on the sides of the house. He included Japanese maples, red maples, yellow cypress shrubs, heucheras in a variety of colors, spirea and ferns.

Our flower gardens bring us joy and so much appreciation for God’s Landscape in “our little corner of the world”.