For December, the Lake Forest Garden Club “Yard of the Month” award is given to the beautiful home and gardens of Rebecca and Milton Trosclair, at 198 Bayview Drive. The Trosclair’s have lived at their Lake Forest address for the last 9 years, moving here from Georgia in 1999. Over time, their gardens have undergone an incredible makeover. It began as a simple yard with the very basics in landscaping, several pine and oak trees, accented with only a few azalea bushes. Through much hard work and determination, the Trosclair’s lot has been transformed into the BEST example of cottage style gardening in the area. No matter the season, Rebecca and Milton’s home always has an amazing appearance.

For the article this month, Rebecca has graciously shared with us the story of her garden.

I began gardening at an early age along the side of my grandmother. I have tried to instill that same love of gardening in my daughter as well as my three granddaughters, Gabrielle, Madeline and Riley. I have always enjoyed gardening, but at a novice level. While living in Atlanta, I began going on garden tours, taking classes at the vocational school, and attending Southeastern flower shows. I had the opportunity to travel to England, France, Italy and Switzerland to visit gardens. All of this inspired me to continue learning gardening techniques.

Retirement and moving to Baldwin County gave me the opportunity to become a Master Gardener. I continue to enrich my knowledge of gardening at our monthly meetings through informative and educational speakers. Working on projects and attending continuing education seminars keeps me on the cusp of all the new plant and gardening ideas. I enjoy the company of other gardeners who also enjoy sharing their trials and errors of gardening. Best of all, the fun of “playing in the dirt”, planting to my heart’s content, and sharing the love of gardening brings me lots of joy.

Creating my Cottage Garden

A stone terrace and fishpond were installed by Milton and I, with the help of our son. The site was excavated, while moving original plants to a more suitable site. During this process, all the planting beds were designed, soil testing was done and amendments were added. This corrected the soils ph for growing the southern plants to be included in the garden.

Under story trees were planted to offer shade a selection of Natchez Crepe Myrtles, Yoshino Flowering Cherry, Vitex, Purple Leaf Plums, Chinese Pistache, Southeastern Cedars and Leyland Cypress complement the Oaks and the Japanese Maple already on the property.

Included in the shrub plantings were Azaleas, Camellias, Hydrangeas, Sweet Olive, Gardenia, Indian Hawthorne, Cleria, Boxwood, Loropetalum, Glossy Abelia, Viburnum, Sweetspire and Aucuba.

The careful layering of plantings of perennials such as salvias, sages, lantanas, potterweed, milkweed, pentas, cranberry hibiscus, ferns, gingers, hosta with a touch of annuals create lush colorful borders brimming with the cottage style. An artful combination of trees, perennials and annual flowers work magic in attracting birds, butterflies and bees, adding to the garden’s delight.

A selection of old architectural elements of iron, windows, columns, and bird houses all add whimsy, as well as family history to the garden. I enjoy tucking things into the garden to add visual interest and style. During your walk along the garden paths of natural stone and gravel, you may see statuary, arbors covered in roses or autumn clematis, and benches that offer a place to sit and enjoy listening to a bird sing or a butterfly fluttering by.

The gardens are designed with five different garden rooms in mind. Each of the garden rooms is joined by connecting pathways, and arranged with a special focal point, intended to attract your attention. This design offers me the opportunity to create a different feel in each area. Our small lot seems to have a much larger feel because of the pathways and small areas filled with different designs and visual interests.

The Five Garden Rooms:

The Front Entry Garden

An iron water fountain
Several old iron gates
An old carriage light
An iron table and chairs offering a place to sit and await the arrival of guests

The Side Yard Garden

An entry arbor covered in autumn clematis
A collection of old windows
Hydrangea plantings
Ferns and shade loving plants

The Eating Terrace and Pond Garden

Goldfish for the children’s delight
The relaxing sound of water
A lush planting of agapanthus, ferns, ground orchid, hosta, and peacock ginger
The perfect spot for entertaining and sharing a meal from the grill

The Meditation Garden

A statue of St. Francis, reflecting his love of all the creatures who add so much to the garden
A hidden area suggesting a place to sit and experience the beauty of the natural world

The Country/Childrens Garden

A collection of perennials, host plants, and nectar food to attract birds, butterflies and bees
Bird houses for the small black cap chickadee or a house wren to nest
Roses, cat whiskers and cleome, potterweed, princess flower, lantana, salvias, sages and fun loving flowers for picking.
Also, found here is a swing for sitting with “Nana Bird” to read, or watching a lizard catch a bug.

My garden is a therapeutic place where I can always find a peaceful spot to bring to my life. It is certainly a place to be grateful for at the end of a day.