When Elissa Steeves first walked around the Blacksburg, Virginia, house that her husband, Harrison, had purchased, it already had
a functional landscape. The yard had long since healed from the construction of the 1950s home. The lawn was established, and the
trees offered some shade. It had matured into the kind of yard that has moments of beauty but does not require much beyond regular
maintenance.
However, Elissa's creative spark, energetic spirit, and horticultural expertise would have no outlet unless she could redesign her
yard. So during the past 20 years, change has become the norm, and the landscape has become a garden.
Starting Over
Work began in earnest when a tree-smashing ice storm took out many of the old plants. What would have been a tragedy for many,
Elissa saw as a blessing. "I can grow things now that I couldn't have originally because it was so shady," she explains. Always
brimming with enthusiasm, Elissa beams, saying, "Losing everything was great because then I was able to start over."
The garden today has both sun and shade, vistas and intimate nooks. Most of the plants are perennials. Elissa is constantly making
improvements in the form of a new plant, a new combination, or a better design.
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Try This Use a garden hose to outline your new border. Look at it from all sides. Envision the plantings. If in doubt, adjust the size and
shape, and make the bed deeper. Then mark it using a can of spray paint so you can put the hose away. Live with that outline for a
few days. If you like it, start digging.
Tip: If your hose is stiff from cold temperatures, put it in the sun for an hour to
soften it.
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Creating a Border
The word "border" is defined as the ornamental edge of something, such as an embroidered tablecloth or a papered wall. In garden
design, a classic border is a long planting of perennials (and sometimes trees and shrubs) backed by a wall or hedge, usually at
the boundary of the property. If the lot is a large one, the border forms the edge of the garden.
However, in contemporary use, a border has come to mean any bed of carefully composed plantings. It can be narrow or wide,
straight or meandering, as it is in this case. Elissa has taken her paths into the depths of her border to, in effect, form island beds
that can be appreciated from all sides. While this was an even greater challenge for her to create, it has been an enjoyable
project. Read the box at right to learn Elissa's tips for designing a gorgeous border.
