A visit to Springhouse Gardens offers a glimpse into what makes the Bluegrass region of Kentucky a unique and interesting place. Springhouse Gardens is situated on 6 1/2 acres of rolling topography surrounded by horse farms, a golf course and picturesque farm fields. Several sinkholes, a natural spring, mature hardwood trees, the original farmhouse, and tobacco barn have been carefully preserved and incorporated into the design of this unique nursery and garden center. Traditional dry-laid walls have been built to create beautiful and functional landscape features appropriate to the area. |
|
|
We've retained and recycled many old farm items and implements
to accentuate our rural atmosphere. Old fence boards have
been transformed into display tables and stair steppers.
Stainless water troughs hold aquatic plants. Look into our
display gardens and you may discover old plows, antique
columns, old windows and doors and maybe even the former
owner's old mailbox. Little red wagons are our signature "shopping carts" and can be pulled throughout the garden center to help our customers carry all their horticultural treasures.
Along with the natural features and historic nature of our site, we've created many beautiful gardens to serve as an inspiration and to illustrate how plants grow and mature in combination with other plants. A few of the special areas to explore include the following:
|
THE WELCOME GARDENS
Showcasing durable, low-maintenance plants - trees, shrubs, evergreens, perennial grasses, and eye-catching seasonal color - combined to create a stunning and welcoming first impression.
THE SUN MOUNDS AND MEADOW GARDENS
Featuring plants for sunny areas including many conifers, flowering shrubs and perennials...many with purple and gold foliage (one of our favorite combinations).
THE WALKING SHRUB BORDER
A pleasant, shaded walking path, with a picturesque garden gate and charming weathered sandstone steps winds between the garden center and landscape office, highlighting popular shrubs and perennial plants.
|
|
THE HILLSIDE SHADE GARDEN
This cool and shady garden behind our business office serves as our demonstration garden for plants that require shade, featuring such gems as hellebores, epimedium, and hostas, as well as numerous native spring wildflowers planted beneath a native stand of walnut, hackberry, and hickory trees.
THE TWO-TIERED WATER GARDEN
Featuring a bubbling waterfall, a stone foot bridge and an abundance of lotus, water lilies and other aquatic plants - home to many koi, goldfish, and bullfrogs (in season!).
|
|
THE DWARF CONIFER GARDEN
This sunny hillside garden lies below the Sun Mounds and across from our Landscape Office. With several interesting dry stone features, this garden showcases miniature evergreens, dwarf shrubs and low growing perennials and groundcovers. There are some noteworthy larger growing specimens used to anchor and frame the garden. Look for the Golden Larch (Pseudolarix), the Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum), a beautiful clump form of Parrotia, and a hardy Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani ‘Stenacoma'). Many conifer varieties can be found here including dwarf forms of Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis), Spruce (Picea), Hemlock (Tsuga), Arborvitae (Thuja) and Juniper (Juniperus).
THE KNOCK OUT ROSE GARDEN
This garden was designed to highlight the most popular and spectacular of rose introductions in recent years - the Knock Out series. It is integrated into the stone framework of the Dwarf Conifer Garden and is more formal in nature. The circular design is divided into four quadrants outlined by a low hedge of Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys). The outer circle is defined by a dark green Taxus Hicksi hedge on one half and by True Edging Boxwood on the outer half. Each quadrant of the garden is planted in a different rose variety, Knock Out (red), Pink Knock Out, Blushing Knock Out (pale pink), and Double (Red) Knock Out. With the original four Knock Outs in one place, comparisons in growth habit, color, bloom time, vigor, disease and insect resistance is very easy. What a beautiful sight to have 6 months of vivid colors juxtaposed with the shades of year round green provided by the neighboring conifer gardens. We will soon be planting the latest of the Knock Out series, Rainbow Knock Out and the Double Pink Knock Out, nearby in the meadow by the gazebo so we can further test the durability of the series. We'll have to leave room for the Sunny Knock Out (yellow/white) due out in 2008.
Still in the works ... THE ROCK GARDEN
Many boulders were placed in January of 2006 followed by the first round of plantings. in the spring of 2006. The outline is there, but now we wait for time and money to finish the garden the way it was envisioned. Maybe we should call it the “Patience Garden” |
|
|
