This pergola is a beautiful part of the garden right now and the look will evolve as the vine growing on it matures. This is the view from the back of what Jim Bardot calls his Frank Lloyd Wright garden. The pergola reflects the style of the famous architect. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko
by Connie Oswald Stofko
You don’t have to know everything about gardening to enjoy a wonderful garden.
“If you ask me the name of the plant, I have no idea,” said Jim Bardot, who has seven magnificent gardens in his front yard in Amherst.
If you’re a gardener who doesn’t like to keep track of plant names, don’t let that hold you back. Get inspiration from what Bardot has accomplished. See an overview of his front yard here and see how he uses statues and negative space here. See photos from Bardot’s Frank Lloyd Wright garden in this article.
One more tip: Sometimes plants don’t flourish in a spot that seems to have the right conditions. When that happens, Bardot simply moves the plant.
You don’t have to be perfect to have a perfectly enjoyable garden.
Like the dry creek bed we saw in an earlier article about Jim Bardot’s garden, this simulated pool is like a water feature without water. Stones and statues of wading birds give the impression of water. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko
Paths can be decorative as well as functional. Without this path, visitors wouldn’t be able to enjoy the plants up close– and Jim Bardot wouldn’t be able to weed. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko
These reproductions of statues designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright are set at the edge of the simulated pool. “Nakoma,” left is a statue of a Native American woman with a baby and older child. At right is “Nakomis” teaching his son to shoot a bow and arrow. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko
