March 19, 2024
Creating Moods in a Regular Backyard
Imagination, creative reuse, and spirited fun turned an empty backyard into a sensory voyage in Jeffrey Harris and Kevin George’s San Antonio garden. Circular paths amble from vibrant poolside color to tranquil conversation nooks. “Before I started, I didn’t really know anything. So, it’s been an adventure,” he told us on our visit in May 2023.
When they inherited the house from Kevin’s mom in 2009, the first thing they did was turn the bare patio slab into a welcoming (and shady!) outdoor living room.
Since they love to entertain, gradually they created engaging destinations.
They added the pool to put a damper on San Antonio’s months of hot weather.
Windsor stones came in handy to add dimension in this flat yard. Jeffrey stacked them to define a poolside alcove. “As this was kind of close to the pool deck, I started thinking like, I really want to create more of a rounded form of garden where there’s plants in a circle rather than in a line,” Jeffrey said.
It’s the only spot with grass for cool, soft footing after stepping from the pool.
Native and adapted flowering perennials and annuals join evergreens for a sense of intimacy. Bees and butterflies also like to hang out here.
They broke up the plain, fenced lawn with circular paths that step from one mood to another.
Jeffrey spotlights pause points with plants and artwork.
With a salvaged arbor, he turned a corner into a contemplation sanctuary. “I worked as a social worker for many years and that work was pretty stressful. So, I needed a place to de-stress. And I had been to a few gardens around the country, and I always found them so tranquil and they really created this sense of peace for me,” he said.
“And I thought, you know what? I want that at my own house so I don’t have to keep traveling to all these different gardens.”
They lucked into a grand iron gazebo that instantly beckoned a journey along this path.
Morning glories dance across it from spring to frost. In their garden, it’s a reliable perennial, though Jeffrey admits he culls out unwanted seedlings. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love this sky-high buffet.
Turn around for a new perspective.
Or keep strolling through the gazebo to the back corner’s conversation room.
Jeffrey and Kevin repurposed the windows’ former security bars and painted them black to unobtrusively frame destinations around the garden.
Notice the black bars on the left as Jeffrey’s rounds the corner and back out to the pool.
The bars distinguish the sheltered passageway from the openness of the chaise lounge alcove.
When they put in the pool, they gave it a punctuation point at the other end.
As an elevated cedar and breezy lattice-framed cabana, it unites a cozy mood with an expansive one.
Return to cool shade in a tranquil harbor behind the shed.
Cleverly, they installed doors on both ends of the shed to access it front or back.
An English-setting wall hanging and bifold doors brought from Jeffrey’s former home enclose a graceful room while disguising the fence.
“Part of the garden is filled with colorful flowers, shrubs that give off scent, just a real sense of excitement,” Jeffrey noted. “But there’s a time for downtime, right, where one needs to relax to get a sense of calm and peace. And I think by creating the different rooms that that is achieved. And that’s nice to have both.”
Watch now!
Thanks for stopping by! Linda
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