the garden of
Dale Sievert
The gardens were
begun in 1970. Two
major characteristics
of the gardens were introduced early.
First, all trees are deciduous.
It
was felt that only rounded shapes would blend with the nearby trees. Second, the
vegetation-surrounded oval at
Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens made a strong impression.
The front and back lawns reflect that. The gardens have
several other characteristics of note.
First, all perennials were selected for their
foliage, not their flowers. Thus,
there are over 700 hostas of over 100
varieties. Other
favorites include:
Plectranthus, Lamiastrum, Tiarella, Bergenia,
and Thalictrum. Impatiens
and begonias
are planted in monochromatic beds. Five thousand
antique
paving bricks and 2,400 cobblestones, both granite and sandstone, are
used in
walkways, patios, sitting areas, walls, and as edging. The water gardens have three
separate water features.
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Approximately 10,000 fieldstones were brought into the gardens for terraces, planters, and edging. Many other unusual rocks in the yard were primarily collected in western states. Dale did all the garden development, with the exception of the granite cobblestone planter behind the garage and the entrance gates into the Japanese Garden. |
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My
Visit: Roberta Chopko Boonton, NJ |
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All
the plants are hardy to
the area, but the containers are relocated next to sheds and fences to
avoid
desiccating sunlight during the winter, a minor feat for this Herculean
gardener!
Dale defies the
old saying that, “a rolling stone gathers no moss.”
He has, for the most part, single-handedly
rolled, moved, and carefully placed thousands of stones throughout his
garden
to create several distinct garden areas, the Hedgerow Garden, the
Sunken
Garden, the Terrace Garden, the Williamsburg Garden, and the Water
Garden, to
name but a few. Forty-three
tons of rock
and concrete were used to build the water garden, all hauled up the
hill in the
backyard by wheelbarrow, seven hundred trips in all!
Five thousand antique paving bricks,
twenty-four hundred cobblestones, both granite and sandstone, are used
in
walkways, patios, sitting areas, walls, steps, and edging. Most of the construction
materials were
housed on a vacant lot 1,000 feet up the road, before being trucked to
the
property by Dale. All
of the stones he
found on his property and in the surrounding areas were “imported from
Canada
by the glacier.” He
rescued and recycled
bricks and paving stones from the local landfills, street
reconstruction sites,
and old factory dock areas, not paying more than a couple of cases of
Pabst
Blue Ribbon beer for his bounty. Never
failing to see the humorous side to his backbreaking labor in
installing all
the hardscaping in this garden, Dale quips that he put the three
children of
his orthopedic surgeon through college, with the multiple surgeries he
has had
on his shoulder and various other parts his body. Not having an
engineering degree, as one would have expected after seeing his garden,
Dale
pursued several careers before finally teaching college economics. While continuing to teach,
in 1970 he returned
to his first love, the land, and began a part-time landscaping business. In 1982 he established a
nursery, which he
operated for another fifteen years, until he left teaching in 1999. From what we saw of this
fantastic garden, the
word “retirement” is obviously not in his vocabulary.
According to his wife, if Dale wakes up in
the morning and announces that he is going to build a bridge in the
garden, the
bridge is built shortly thereafter. The Water Garden was constructed from 2000-2003 and has three separate delivery systems. The falls in the back corner is fed from the large pool, which splits into two streams before falling into two smaller pools, finally returning to the large pool. The “weeping falls” is in the center, where water seeps out of the rocks into two small pools before draining back into the large pool. Each of the double falls has a three-foot drop on the east end of the garden. A 6’ x 12’ reflecting pool, adjacent to the waterfalls, is only one foot deep, though the use of dye makes it appear much deeper. Dale identified the single stand of ‘Paradise Joyce’, bordering the reflecting pool, as his favorite hosta. H. ‘Paradise Joyce’ is a gold-centered sport of ‘Halcyon’ with blue-green margins, and is very similar to ‘June’, the best-known sport of ‘Halcyon’. |
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