The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the October-November Beauty Spot of the Month to the Lescure’s at 10012 Spring Lake Terrace.  Avid gardeners, Nasrin and Steve, have put a lot of effort into their well landscaped haven, bordered by the Commons on one side and Accotink creek on the backside.

As you approach the front of the house, a curved brick walkway takes you along a flower bed containing a variety of perennials offering seasonal interest.  A large potted agave cactus has sent up a soaring stalk, signaling it is about to bloom.  I learn from the Lescure’s that this is the first time this has happened.  There is great anticipation for what will be unveiled.  An assortment of playful pots line the front entry, with a Zen frog welcoming you home.  Cheerful yellow mums, complement the pops of purple and pink offered by petunias, variegated liriope, pink muhly grass, purple coneflower, and catmint.

Japanese maple provide a focal point in the yard, while providing privacy and shade for the front side of the house.  A tall holly tree anchors the front left corner of the house, with hydrangea, various evergreen shrubs and Nandia wrapping along the distressed tan brick walls.  The sunny, left-side of the house, contains a lush green lawn with a mature fig tree along the property line and a crepe myrtle, with ascot rainbow spurge and daylilies surrounding it’s base.

Along the right side of the property, abundant sunlight not only feeds, but illuminates the assortment of flowering perennials that line the fence.  Roses, coreopsis, coneflowers, and cannas lead you to the ultimate fall fireworks, Steve’s pride and joy, his dahlias.  While past their peak, they are still going strong during these cooler days.  Steve has been nurturing these colorful, single and double flowering, dahlias for many years.  Each fall he lifts and stores the tubers until the falling spring.  A lot of work, but well worth the effort.

As you follow the vibrant property line, it leads you to a shaded stone path that takes you to the backyard and a flagstone patio.  A favorite spot for the Lescure family!  While not visible from the street, the backyard offers a more natural landscape in contrast to the well-manicured front side.  A sloped embankment contains a host of shade loving ferns, hydrangeas, azaleas, and camellias.  An enormous banana plant stands at the top, sending tall green fronds towards the sun.  For those that have visited the Commons, the banana plant found there was a donation from the Lescure property.

The Lescure’s take great pride in their well-maintained landscape.  As the colder nights approach, take advantage of the fleeting daylight to admire their outstanding property, the final Beauty Spot award this fall.  We’ll be back this spring to feature another amazing CCH property.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the September Beauty Spot of the Month to Allen Kohn at 10013 Cornwall Road. 

Allen has been a resident of CCH since the early 1980s and during this time has put a lot of effort into creating his own personal sanctuary.  His property is uniquely situated in that it borders a quiet side street and the wooded Blenheim site offering dense foliage and many woodland visitors.   

As you approach the front of the house blooming liriope line a front flower bed.  A vibrant blue birdbath, along with red and pink begonia and spider flowers provide pops of color against a lush green backdrop.  Bright yellow rudbeckia, continuing to hang on during these cooler days, wrap around a colorful mosaic urn containing ivy.

The right corner yard contains towering cedars that overshadow a dense carpet of English ivy which envelopes the ground.  Azaleas and hostas add to the scenery and draw you around towards to the side yard.  While not visible from the Cornwall side of the house, those that venture down the side street are treated to an oasis of nature.  

As you peer over the hydrangea and fern-lined wooden fence, a large koi pond draws your focus in.  Near the pond, a cozy chair waits for Allen to return to his favorite reading nook.  Various potted plants and figurines can be found throughout the area. Tucked away near the corner of the house a life-size angel, illuminated by the sun, appears to be reaching out to hold the large blossom of a panicle hydrangea.  The backyard continues to offer more visual delights with a brightly colored blue shed and uniquely shaped birdhouses that wrap along the back property line. 

As the cooler fall air makes those evening walks more enjoyable, we invite you to take a stroll on a less traveled path to appreciate the serenity found at 10013 Cornwall.   You won’t be disappointed.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the August Beauty Spot of the Month to Yonathan Kelkele and Erin Barth at 3407 Spring Lake Terrace. 

Yonathan and Erin joined the CCH neighborhood in 2018.  When it comes to the landscape, it has been Yonathan’s labor of love.  He has spent the past four years incorporating a plethora of plants and shrubs to transform their front yard.  Yonathan’s focus has been on creating a natural, free flowing landscape that exudes the charm of an English cottage garden. 

Strategically placed boxwoods and pink crepe myrtles frame the house, drawing your eyes towards the front garden bed.  An assortment of plants and shrubs spill over each other lending to the cottage garden ambiance. Here one can find abelia, tiger lilies, butterfly bush and vibrant red hibiscus.  Rose of Sharon shrubs dot the landscape, Yonathan has been shaping them into trees.

Several trees and conifers provide structure throughout.  Cypress, magnolia and lilac chaste trees soak up the sun in the lawn area.  A large white panicle hydrangea and pink spirea shrub provide a focal point where the right side of the house meets a fence.  Honey suckle spills over the top of the fence and a small fig tree is located at the base.

The tiered steps leading to the front door are lined with liriope with an assortment of other perennials such as coneflower, coreopsis, hibiscus, and tiger lilies. A large rhododendron, service berry bush, and roses are intermixed in the landscape.

Erin and Yonathan have put a lot of work into transforming their 3407 Spring Lake Terrace yard into an English cottage garden paradise.  We hope everyone will take some time to appreciate this charming landscape.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the July Beauty Spot of the Month to Tony and Patty Miller at 10113 Spring Lake Terrace. 

The Millers have been residents for over 35 years.  They recently have put a lot of effort into transforming their yard from mostly grass and azaleas to a plethora of pollinator friendly plants and natives.  The landscape transformation has been a joint effort, with Patty choosing plants and placement and Tony providing the labor.  They are proud to note that no pesticides have been used.

As you approach the house, symmetrical fenced areas flank the driveway.  Each are anchored by butterfly bushes and a host of brightly colored perennials.  The bed on the right contains daylilies, liatris, native wild iris, coneflower, aster, and coreopis.  A lone clematis clings to the fence and celosia dot the foreground.

Celosia and coreopsis are continued in the left side bed, however here is where the pollinator action is in full swing.  An assortment of brightly colored bluebeard, coneflowers, zinnias, and sedum cover the area.  Black lilies are in bloom and a grouping of common and swamp milkweed, along with butterfly weed, provides a sanctuary for young Monarch butterfly caterpillars.  This area is a magnet for busy bees and birds.  A multitude of nests are tucked away in the barberry bushes and bees bounce from flower to flower.  A solitary snowball bush along the back waits to bloom again in the spring.

The flower bed along the front of the house contains a lush green landscape with pops of color throughout.  Patty has included purple sedum and bearded iris collected from her Grandmother’s garden long ago. Porcupine grass and Autumn Joy sedum hug the brick façade with bright blooms from daylilies and astilbe woven throughout. A collection of Easter lilies grows larger each year from gift plants received.   

Ostrich fern predominantly line the property border helping to control run-off.  The Millers believe they have over ten different kinds of fern throughout their property, but they have lost count! Located along the side yard is a weeping redbud, an orange azalea and a hidden black raspberry patch. 

The Miller’s have put a lot of effort into their pollinator paradise, so as you get ready to watch some fireworks this coming 4^th,  we hope everyone will check out some of nature’s colorful fireworks as well.

Have a happy and safe July 4^th weekend!

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the June Beauty Spot of the Month to Steve and Pam Caruso for their meticulously well maintained landscape at 3420 Park Hill Place. 

The Caruso’s have been residents for over 30 years and are second-time winners of the “Spot.” Their vision over the years has helped to transform their entire front yard into a sweeping expanse of color and texture, with multi-season interest.  A good steward of the Chesapeake Watershed, Steve is proud of the fact that no chemicals or fertilizers have been used in maintaining the front and side landscapes for over five years.  This has involved a lot of sweat, a kneeling pad for weeding, and plenty of mulch!

From the sidewalk, you are invited along a flagstone path that diverges, taking you through two thoughtfully landscaped areas.  The lower left side yard path is lined with daylilies, red Asiatic lilies, a prominent Japanese acuba, liriope and yellow and Siberian irises.  As you meander along you will find pachysandra covering the sloped yard under a mature holly and azalea bushes close to the house.  Wooden steps, built by Steve, transition you to the backyard where a vegetable garden and Pam’s favorite zinnias await.

The alternate path bisects the front yard which includes various shrubs, perennials, evergreens and ground covers that help control erosion on this sloping landscape.  The top area is covered with irises, green and gold, black-eyed Susan, narrow leaf sunflower, and hostas.  Hostas are continued in the bottom area and interspersed with creeping blue spruce and gromwell, blue spiderwort, sedum, and a focal crepe myrtle.  Bright pink and purple phlox cascaded over the wooden retaining wall just last month.

The areas flanking the driveway include bright pink knock-out roses and a carpet of bugleweed, various hostas and a Little Henry sweetspire.  As you approach the front door you are greeted by lacecap hydrangea, ferns, a butterfly bush, and a flower bed that contains Eastern blooming cacti, creeping phlox and bulbs waiting for another spring.

The Caruso’s have put a lot of effort into their landscape evolution over the last several years, so we hope everyone will take time this month to check out their home. 

Also, please don’t forget to visit the CHGC annual plant sale this Saturday, June 4^th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, taking place at the Skoglund home at 3415 Country Hill Lane.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Club Garden Club

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