Libby's Garden Sanctuary

Anishnabeg Country, Brighton, Michigan, USA

The Brief

We are working towards a garden design that includes, but is not limited to:

• Designing a beautiful and inspiring sanctuary for Libby to garden in and to care for her dogs
• Including raised beds to protect the plantings from dogs and for ease of care
• Creating and maintaining wide access paths, appropriate for aging in place
• Advising on perennial plantings including ornamental and edible plants that are site appropriate
• Consulting on additional aspects of garden design and care as they emerge

Challenges

• Adapting an existing pool area with a fence, concrete walkway, and patio
• Heavy shade in some corners and from the surrounding forest
• Designing for mixed animal interactions – dog activity, wildlife
• An accessible garden for aging in place
• Offering some food, space for gardening, and areas for relaxing…including beautiful flowers
• Selecting year-round vegetation for residents who are mostly home during the autumn, winter and spring
• Maintaining aesthetic appeal as the focal point from the living room window and deck

Design & Implementation

We began with an unusual space filled with mulch, a few plantings, concrete, fencing, and a forest. We ended up with a spacious sanctuary for relaxation, physical activity, food, connection with nature, and horticultural therapy. 

We worked closely with the client Libby to create a beautiful space that she could play with and grow in for the rest of her years. This included a flagstone path, hills of topsoil and compost held up by fieldstone walls and edges. This area was then filled with native and ornamental perennial plantings and raised garden beds for growing annual and perennial herbs, flowers, greens and veggies.

Ideas in Action

• Beauty and function – 4 season perennial plantings, natural boulder walls and flagstone paths and sleek raised garden beds for fruiting and flowering annuals

• Ease of access and maintenance – the ground level beds have 100% perennial plantings with a focus on layering shrubs, perennials and ground covers; the raised beds are made of a long-lasting powder coated steel, with annual gardens are at waist height and wide paths throughout

Outcomes

A nice professional project for us. We understood the brief, came up with a plan and carried it out. A challenging sprawling garden space was contained and new elements installed. This meant that the garden maintenance was reduced and simplified. But above all the renewed garden looks so good with structure, form and the new features. 

“Garden Juju Collective gave us the gift of a beautiful, peaceful garden!

We live in a woods with many challenging conditions for growing plants. Bridget and the Garden Juju team transformed the area into a lovely garden which has been a wonderful source of peace and solace! 

Bridget created a garden that was tailored to our specific needs, including limited light due to tall trees, and animal threats found in a wooded area.  She designed a garden to allow us to age in place, would be easy to care for, and would allow us to travel during summer months. The plants were carefully chosen to provide beauty and interest in the space throughout the year. 

Bridget met with us, developed a detailed plan, and revised the plan to meet our needs which included woods resilient plants, and a garden that would provide a restful space that we can interact with as we age. A part of the process was finding plants, trees and shrubs that were individualized to our likes and interests. She provided us with selections that were pleasing and explained how to care for them. 

During the installation process, Garden Juju were timely and efficient but flexible enough to check with us frequently to ensure that the installation met our expectations. They were kind, respectful and personable to work with for both persons and pets.  

The installation took place in November, and the next spring the garden came to life. Every tree and shrub grew and flourished. True to the plan, the bulbs, trees and shrubs came to life at various times giving a show all year round. Even in the winter, the rocks, small hills and colorful bark on plantings provides interest for the space. 

We have not only been given a wonderful garden but developed a relationship with a terrific gardening team to guide us to care for and enjoy our terrific natural space!” 

Property Owner

Libby’s Garden Sanctuary

Anishnabeg Country, Brighton, MI, USA

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