private gardens of bethesda 2012

7/31/2019 Private Gardens of Bethesda 2012

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Private Gardens of Bethesda

Saturday, June 2, 2012

10:00am-4:00pm


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Collins Garden6810 Glenbrook Road, Bethesda

Situated on a spring-fed site just blocks

from the heart of Bethesda, this seven-year-old garden has a stream running

through the front yard, sun and shade,

and a public and private face.

In the front, major goals were to keep

lines of sight to the street open and to

rehabilitate a streambed that over the

years had become choked with weeds and invasive plants. The biggest

challenge for the entire site has been choosing plants that can survive

and thrive with the copious amounts of moisture in the soil, while

meeting the owners desire to have informal, lush, "English-style"plantings throughout the property.

In 2009, this garden was

honored with a Merit Award

in an international landscape

design competition sponsored

by the Association of Professional

Landscape Designers (APLD).


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Gutman Garden9509 Michaels Ct, Bethesda

The half-acre garden was

renewed recently after theGutmans decided to remove an

aging swimming pool and

concrete deck. The goal was to

create a serene garden that is

practical and flexible within a woodland setting in which the architec-

ture of the house emphasizes the connection to the exterior space, and

the garden is very much a part of the architecture. The reclaimed area

was envisioned to be a sculpture itself, offering a tapestry of shapes and

textures and providing a range of visual perspectives from inside and

outside the home.

A stone seat wall was built as the main feature to orchestrate the space

with walks, terraces and seating areas surrounding a center

lawn. Shrubs, perennials and

woodland groundcover were plant-

ed to accentuate the mature white

azaleas and dogwoods and seam-lessly weave the existing with the

new.


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Jacobs Garden6619 Elgin Lane, Bethesda

Since its beginnings more than 40 years

ago, the Jacobs Garden has evolved with

the assistance of a number of designers,

starting with landscape architect Lester

Collins, then the well-respected firm of

Oehme Van Sweden Associates, LLC, and

most recently, Clinton & Associates.

Magnificent stone terraces provide the bones of the formal section of

the garden, where Ms. Jacobs, a skilled floral designer, plants an array

of perennials, annuals, evergreens, and bulbs for use in her floral de-

signs. The lily pool, though well

thought-out and exquisitely designed,spills down a hill as if naturally flow-

ing from the wooded area above. Color

and texture are important themes

throughout the garden, providing a di-

versity of interest through all four sea-

sons.


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Katz Garden5115 Waukesha Road, BethesdaThis garden was originally designed and in-

stalled by Barbara Katz, for some wonderful

customers. It has been published several

times, and has won a Grand Award from the

Landscape Contractors Association.

Then in 2002, through some cosmic

circumstances, Barbara was able to purchase

the house AND garden. Now it serves as a living

laboratory, where she grows treasured speci-

mens, experiments with all the newest

plants, explores various combinations, and

shares her experiences with customers.

A

whimsical boxwood caterpillar greets

you before entering the backyard,

where a beautifully planted hillside is

topped by a lovely gazebo and water

feature. Though the garden features

many mature specimens, it continues

to be a work in progress!


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McCrillis Gardens6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda

McCrillis Gardens is an oasis

of calming garden paths and

shady woodland walks. Once

the home of William McCrillis,

an assistant to the Secretary of

the Interior during three ad-

ministrations, the five-acre gardens were donated to the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission in 1978.

Managed by Brookside Gardens, McCrillis has been refined as a prem-

ier shade garden. Choice ornamental trees and shrubs extend the flow-

ering season while bulbs, groundcovers and shade-loving perennials

add ongoing color and texture. A pavilion and benches provide restful

vantage points in this relaxing garden.


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Sherman Garden9125 Vendome Drive, Bethesda

The garden makeover started in 2005, two

years after Mr. and Mrs. Sherman moved tothe property. Inspired by the possibilities of-

fered by a serene reflecting pool, the cramped

lap pool was liberated from its pre-existing

confines of a massive deck and hot tub. The

plan envisioned a haven of harmonizing gar-

den rooms for enjoyment as well as a mecha-

nism for infusing the interior of this relaxed

contemporary home with the outdoor.

Roomy steps, terraces and stone walls transition the woodland aesthetic through

the various spaces surrounding the reflecting pool and indoor areas. The hard-

scape is relaxed by lush plantings including masses of perennials accentuated

with roses and bulbs which offer ever-changing vigor throughout the year. Ac-

companied by the soothing sounds

and cascading luminescence of a

focal point water-wall feature, a

wooden bridge disguising a pool

cover box provides an inviting se-

gue to the terrace beyond the pool.


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Shimizu Garden6101 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Glen Echo

Holly and Osamu Shimizu's garden

in Glen Echo, Maryland is a good ex-

ample of a garden in a small space.

They have created an oasis by build-

ing a stream and waterfall that cre-

ate wonderful water sounds and

provide habitat for frogs, fish, but-

terflies and more.

The gardens style is influenced by those of Japan and Europe but is

adapted to America. The plant palette is a mixture of natives and good

garden plants. Many types of moss are used in areas where it thrives,upholstering the landscape and surrounded by plants chosen for their

form and texture. The

fountain garden provides a

meditative refuge, as the three

tiered fountain gently splashes

as it falls.


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Simon Garden

7006 Longwood Drive,Bethesda

Designed and maintained by the

homeowner, the Simon garden is

the product of twenty-five years

worth of springtime troweling,

summer weeding, autumn rak-

ings, and winter slum-

bers. Featuring a wide range of

plants in both broad settings and

discrete vignettes situated around the acre of the Simon property, the

garden represents an elegant exam-

ple of an individual homeowner's

ability to personally care for, nur-

ture, and coax beauty from the nat-

ural landscape.

private gardens of bethesda 2012

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