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closelocal roots: A splendid habitat surrounds a family’s home in Lake Tapps
Nancy Draper / guest columnist
Peter and Flo Ariessohn’s Lake Tapps home sits on land that was part of an old logging site, the road leading to their driveway once led to a deep forest of ancient trees. As you approach their front door, you’ll pass by the huge stump of a harvested tree, holding a “nursery tree” that now rises more than 40 feet above the stump. The Ariessohns have left this magnificent tree as a feature in their yard, which is a woodland haven for them, and for the many mountain beavers, deer and birds visiting their property.
“We bought this house in 1980, and then spent a lot of time taking photos of the back yard, thinking about the slope, the existing trees, and watching to see where the sun would shine onto it, and then we began sketching out our ideas,” Flo said. “We knew that we wanted perennial gardens, patios and paths throughout the yard, and we loved the trees, so we wanted to preserve as many as possible.”
They planted a row of Leyland cypress to frame the yard, but then lost all of them in the ice storm which hit our area about 12 years ago. They added a deck on the upper side of the house, and then began creating raised beds for perennials, herbs and vegetables. Peter framed the beds, while a friend made the stonework paths, which have a natural look, making the stroll through the garden so pleasant. A weathered steel arbor purchased at the Sumner Arts Festival, and made by a local artist, welcomes guests into the yard. A circular stone patio provides a wonderful place to sit on summer evenings to take in the views of their perennial beds.
The bed along the driveway includes hostas, ferns and Oregon grape, while the beds in the yard include poppies, day lilies, variegated Loosestrife, foxglove, crocosmia, Shasta daisies, monkshood, yarrow and several types of herbs. Peter’s Oriental lilies rise up to be over 8 feet tall at the garden’s edge. Pots of geraniums which Flo over-winters each year, line the back patio. Flo attributes the success of their garden both to their care and to the composted horse manure supplied by a friend each spring. There is no fertilizer of any kind used in the garden.
The Ariessohns had hoped to have a large vegetable garden, but over time realized there wouldn’t be enough needed sunshine. Flo now enjoys growing tomatoes and other vegetables in their plot in the Sumner community garden.
While Peter and Flo have accomplished so much, they say they aren’t done sketching out ideas. They plan to expand their patio, carve out more raised beds in the front yard and create a rocky dry stream bed around the tall cedar trees on the slope in their back yard.