Experience the allure of this garden revival on tour
By Thea Steinmetz
Insights
Published July 8, 2009

It is hard to visualize this now spectacular garden as a non-descript run of the mill suburban plot that it was four years ago. When Lisa and Bob Kunkle moved to this Fairview Park property, they found not only the home but also the land attractive. Bob had a vision of what could be. Now, this amazing garden is on the Fairview Park Garden Club House and Garden Tour on July 11.

His plans evolved far away from the white picket fence look with flats and flats of annuals with a repetition of seasonal bright colors. The thought of all the work it would take to totally restructure the back yard did not deter him from his extensive plan. He is a plants man at heart and his dream is to work in horticulture. Both, he and Lisa have  careers with demanding jobs and so this aspiration has to be deferred way into the future.

The whole scope of his garden is captured in photographs that chronicle the seasons. These framed pictures, positioned inside the home, give testimony to nature’s largesse. Garden tour visitors will also be able to look at a book chronicling this complete makeover.   

The sloping terrain leads from the rear of the house to a deep ravine dropping down to the Metropark. The various elevations are defined by the addition of 90,000 pounds of rock that were brought in on pallets. The Stovicheck landscaping firm positioned the rock according to their design that was first submitted as a clay model. Along with the changing of the elevation came 49 yards of Sweet Peat over the past three years, applied as mulch and soil enhancer.

The upper terrace with the simple outdoor kitchen is a wonderful place to slow down life’s hectic pace. A great number of  boulders are set in place to keep this elevated expansion in place. The various plantings on the incline toward the waterfall tell of the fondness that Bob harbors for unusual plants. The one concession he has made this year is that he introduced seasonal flowers to the mix because when folks go on garden tours they expect to see bursts of color.

Situated right on a Metropark hill, the question of infringing deer needs to be asked. A faithfully repeated application  of “Liquid Fence” seems to be the answer for deterring the ever hungry creatures.

“Instead of going out to dinner,” he says, “ I rather buy five new plants.” He hates weeds (don’t we all) and so he uses the European planting technique of placing plants closely together to keep weeds from taking over. He also believes that “you don’t really know a plant until you have moved it three times or you killed it.” Passionate about his garden, he gets up early and tends to it before going to work.

The two sports minded children also keep him active but they show no interest in their father’s passion. They do like the waterfall and the pond because its nice to dangle their feet in it on a hot day. Some creature seems to make it impossible to keep fish here and they keep disappearing.

Hostas are the one repeated plant all through the property. What started out with single purchased plants have been separated by root division into several new plants and repositioned. The variances of some small to large foliage add greatly to the pleasant visual travel of the eye.

In this aesthetically fulfilling garden, the atypical bushes and trees stand out. We have seen the smoke bush, but one with chartreuse leaves is seldom found. There also is sycamore maple and a purple locust that was found in Michigan.  An ash maple and a snake bark maple are nicely integrated. As a surprise, there was a snake slithering beneath this aptly named tree. Bob believes that the bark is reminiscent of snake skin and it also is similar to the stem on a bamboo tree.

Two handsome purple plum trees are still in place as they were when the garden was redesigned. The only other left over is the ever spreading zebra grass.

The giant purple-flowered alliums are past their prime now but the seed heads stand self-righteously erect. There are small flowered campanulas named “Blue Waterfall” that cascade along the rocks, reminiscent of falling water.

The plant world offers many shades of green, yellow, gray, silver,  purple, chartreuse and mahogany leaves.  Bob has spread these striking shades successfully throughout the informal hillside garden. The great variety of out of the ordinary diversity adds to the overall appeal and invites lingering to absorb it all.

Various clubs and organizations will be hosting the homes on tour. This garden will have representatives of the Cleveland Botanical Garden on site. It is still possible to call (440) 356-9692 and order tickets to be held for pick-up at Bain Park Cabin at the beginning of the tour on July 11, at 10 a.m.