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closelocal roots: Sights, sounds spice up back yard
Nancy Draper / guest columnist
Wally Platt’s back yard haven, which he shares with his dog Rosie, has been a work in progress for nearly 10 years.
When Wally retired from his position as a Bethel School District principal, he began creating a space he could enjoy with friends and family. First he built an expansive deck across the back, complete with connecting arbors and a pergola. He then built two Koi ponds, separated by a footbridge. One of the ponds is shaded by a magnificent Japanese maple, which has been encouraged to grow up through the pergola’s top beams.
Bench seating was added on the far edge of the garden and is covered with arbors filled with grape and clematis vines. One of these seating areas features a wall-mounted fountain. As you walk toward the far end of Wally’s yard, another water feature connects the pergola to the rest of the deck.
Incorporating water features into his garden was important for him.
“I wanted to be able to walk anywhere in this yard and hear the sound of water,” Wally said.
He spent considerable time and effort creating each of the ponds and fountains. One of the ponds was changed four times. He calls it his “learning pond” because it took several tries at stacking the stone in order to get the sound of the falling water just right. Wally then began planting the pond areas, creating layers of plants by using such things as rhubarb (“The best pond plant ever,” Wally says), and then planted small variegated Japanese sedges underneath them. He finished the landscaping with plantings that include Crocosmia, ferns, sedum and small-scale Japanese maples.
“I wanted all senses and moods back here. I went for sound, sight and fragrance,” Wally explained.
He planted fragrant roses and lavender throughout the yard and created visual interest by adding art pieces and rustic finds. On the wall of his house is an old wooden window frame — the panes of glass replaced with mirrors to reflect the many colorful plants and the largest Koi pond. Vignettes along the fence on the far side of the garden are created using vintage items, which add color in the winter months when the garden is not in bloom. An old and rusted mailbox is mounted on a post and filled with hens and chicks and an old bicycle is mounted onto another section of fence. Wally has built a wonderful outdoor potting bench, using rustic wood and featuring a vintage sink, salvaged from a 1930s era hotel.
Along the back wall is one of Wally’s favorite areas to relax on summer evenings. He calls it his “window room,” which he built for his late wife. Salvaged wooden windows with intact panes of glass, found while antiquing in British Columbia, hang around the perimeter of this area, creating both visual interest and a windbreak. It is here where Wally and his friends can enjoy the gas fire pit in the center of this “room.” Wally’s dream to create a terrific garden to please the senses and his guests has been realized.