Park Hill Garden Walk: Pure Outdoor Magic
Local Gardeners Share The Challenges And Frustrations, Joys And Satisfaction Of Making A Splendid Space
By Jean Ercolani
Park Hill Garden Walk Organizer
This spring I’ve had the distinct pleasure of interviewing several gardeners whose outdoor creations are among the eight featured in the June 12 Park Hill Garden Walk. We’ve discussed their love, challenges, frustrations, joy and knowledge of gardening.
The pride these gardeners have for their outdoor creations is inspiring. All of them started with a bit of a mess and have created pure magic. Each of their gardens is as unique as their individual personalities and are filled with interesting features, charm and a clear love of the outdoors and for entertaining.
Cheri and Joe Huff have flanked their home with two distinctly different entertaining spaces. One features a full kitchen with a large dining table and a fireplace. The other — the Secret Garden — is more of a casual lounge space with plenty of seating, a water fountain and fire pit. The plants that surround this garden space add to the overall peace and tranquility of their Secret Garden. They made certain to maintain the historic architectural features of their home when planning their outdoor spaces. A huge front porch that stretches across the front of the entire house, an herb garden, beautiful flowering plants and an interesting mix of trees, bushes and potted plants complete this lovely outdoor sanctuary.
Garth and Debbie Jordan have created an outdoor space that reflects their love of nature and the beauty of native Colorado plants. Their journey creating an outdoor oasis was quite the undertaking. Their yard was initially comprised of pink decorative rock, bad soil, clay and mulch. They started by removing it — several tons of rock, dirt and mulch in all — and replacing it with several tons of good topsoil and compost and plant fertilizer to create a healthy soil base. This process took years, but as a result, they have beautiful outdoor space on all four sides of their home that include an urban forest, wild flowers and about 40 trees of various varieties. They are constantly experimenting with different plants and design ideas and the results are simply spectacular.
Terry Brewick and Rick Morales Brewick encircled their home with an array of splendor. Multiple water features, including a koi pond, numerous seating areas, and an expansive selection of plants draws visitors from one area of the yard to the next. Delightful little walkways connect various areas of the yard, creating a sense of different rooms in every corner. Large pots are scattered throughout the yard with plants and trees. Their love of dogs was taken into account during the design. They made sure their dogs could run around and play without wreaking havoc on the landscaping. Even the dogs’ kennel is part of the landscape design.
The origins of gardening for each of these gardeners was with their parents and sometimes their grandparents. Everything from vegetable gardens, fruit trees, flowers and especially roses, were mentioned. One gardener talked about his father being a tree hugger who was constantly planting trees. This particular gardener is following in his father’s footsteps. Another had a special memory of his mother’s Queen Elizabeth roses.
I asked each of them about their passion for gardening and here’s what they shared.
Jean Ercolani: What do you enjoy most about gardening?
Cheri Huff finds it therapeutic, peaceful and satisfying. During the pandemic she struggled with the isolation and sadness. Someone asked her what made her happy and brings her joy. The answer was simple: gardening and bird watching. Being outside with her plants and watching them bloom and come to life is extremely therapeutic. Watching the birds flutter around her garden also brings her a true sense of joy and happiness. It is all very comforting to her.
Garth Jordan had a laundry list of the joy he gets from gardening. He said he treats it like a contact sport. He loves getting dirty and sweaty, and figuring out what he does not need to do and what Mother Nature will take care of with just a little help from him. He loves making his garden look completely natural and not planned. He also loves the impact plants make to the diversity of insects and birds. He makes extra efforts to support pollinators.
Terry Brewick loves being outside and enjoying fresh air and the overall tranquility of it all. He compares gardening to working on a painting with various colors and textures you play with. Rick Morales Brewick loves working his magic with pruning. He makes plants grow around things like bird baths. They both love entertaining in their outdoor space and watching their visitors light up as they walk around the garden.
JE: Do you have a favorite area and what makes it special to you?
For Cheri Huff it is definitely her Secret Garden on the east side of the house. It brings peace and tranquility to even the craziest of days. In winter the fire pit makes this space an inviting and relaxing sanctuary.
This question was hard for Garth Jordan to answer. There are aspects of each part of the yard that bring him great joy. An area out front has been a bit of an experiment. He threw a bag of wildflower seeds out there and the results were amazing. The success and development of the urban forest has been fun for him. He also loves all the new insects their garden has attracted. He described a large spider with a huge web between two lavender bushes as being “simply beautiful.” The web captured several insects, and the spider had a feeding frenzy. He grew to a size between a golf ball and a baseball. He also has a hawk that hangs around the yard.
Rick Morales Brewick is fond of the space they created for the dogs and his “Mother’s Garden,” which includes plants from his mother’s garden. Terry Brewick’s favorite area is “Teddie’s Garden,” named after his first dog. This area features a weeping red bud planted in Teddie’s honor, a water feature and two huge pots of begonias.
JE: What are your biggest gardening challenges and how do you get past them?
Cheri Huff’s immediate response was Japanese beetles. The good news is that she has found certain types of rose bushes that they like more than others. Unfortunately, two of her oldest roses got destroyed by the invaders. The other big challenge is staying ahead of the weeds. She is constantly weeding. She has used pre-emergent products but is careful to find ones that are not bad for the planet. Also, a pre-emergent won’t work if you don’t use them at exactly the right time. It’s best to just pull the weeds by hand.
For Garth Jordan the biggest challenge by far has been the soil. He started with a mess of rock, mulch and clay. The previous owners had planted pots in the ground with various plants and flowers in them and just covered them with rock and mulch. The soil around these pots was clay. Jordan prefers doing everything himself and does not hire it out. Therefore, the removal of all rock, mulch and clay and the rebuilding of good, healthy soil took years. The movie The Biggest Little Farm was an inspiration for him. Lastly, he says, “patience is key.”
Japanese beetles also present challenges for Terry Brewick and Rick Morales Brewick, as does the Colorado weather. They hold their breath each spring to see what survived.
JE: What tips do you have for someone wanting to start a garden or improve their yard/outdoor space?
Cheri Huff suggests walking the neighborhood and looking at other people’s yards for ideas. Also, consider several factors when thinking about and planning your garden. The big picture needs to include the height of what you plant (including at maturity), depth, colors, textures, etc. Go to the Denver Botanic Gardens for ideas. She also suggested getting a phone app that identifies plant types. When you see a plant you like, you can quickly identify it.
For Garth Jordan “it’s all about the soil.” Once you get the soil done, don’t be afraid to play and experiment. Don’t get frustrated when things die. That’s just Mother Nature. Just try again. Keep experimenting and enjoy. And, when in doubt, plant a tree.
For Terry Brewick and Rick Morales Brewick, it comes down to three key factors: Soil is key. Pay attention to the light. Make sure you have proper water to your garden.
As we wrapped up, each gardener had great closing comments. Here are a few snippets:
Cheri Huff: Gardening . . . it’s good for your soul and the environment. Just love it.
Garth Jordan: His garden has brought a lot of joy to the neighborhood. People constantly stop to chat and thank him for the beauty they get to experience as they walk past his yard.
Terry Brewick and Rick Morales Brewick: The limelight of our garden (pun intended) are the limelight hydrangea topiaries. We have 10 in the yard and it is just a joy to watch them grow and bloom year after year.
The Fine Print
Eight Gardens On Display On Sunday, June 12
The 2022 Park Hill Garden Walk features eight uniquely different, stunningly beautiful gardens. This 22-year tradition takes place on Sunday, June 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are available at parkhillgardenwalk.org for $15, seniors (age 65+) are $12 and children under 12 are free. Tickets are also available at these retail locations:
• City Floral: 1440 Kearney St.
• Spinelli’s Market: 4621 E. 23rd Ave.
• Cake Crumbs: 2216 Kearney St.
• Park Hill Library: 4705 Montview Blvd.
• Park Hill Art Festival on June 4 and 5: 4958 Montview Blvd.
Tickets will be available the day of the event for $20 at any Garden Walk location.
The Park Hill Garden Walk committee is a group of volunteers working to raise funds to support the mission of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Learn more and get involved at greaterparkhill.org.
