A weekend's work of  winter pruning is on the curb waiting for city pickup.

Resident bunnies, Basil (white) and Parsley (brown) live in the woodland garden in what Tom refers to as the "Taj Ma HUTCH."

A special treat each day are the fallen leaves of 
Magnolia macrophylla
(Bigleaf Magnolia)

Continuing the development of MapleWalk with the history of: 

Property #2

Behind our house was a vacant lot which belonged to the man who lived diagonally in back of us.  We had our eye on that lot from day one.  Tom sent the neighbor a letter stating our interest in the lot should he ever decide to sell.  We never heard a word from him.  Our next door neighbor who had lived behind him for 18 years had only seen him once!

One day we heard that the man's daughters were in town.  We tried again to connect by writing another letter and taping it to his front door in hopes that one of his daughters would communicate with us.  Well, we did hear from someone who happened to be one of his business associates.  The long and short of it was that we NEVER spoke with our neighbor, and the ONLY time we ever saw him was at the closing when we purchased the lot.  He agreed to sell if we promised never to build on it which was certainly agreeable with us.  

This second property was extremely overgrown with English ivy, poison ivy, and wisteria vines as big around as my calf. Because of the overgrowth, the lot had become a dumping ground for construction debris (i.e. concrete, rebar) and the remnants of Hurricane Hugo.  We were unable to even walk the lot before purchasing it because we kept falling into holes!

The weekend after the closing, Tom and I began clearing the lot beginning in the upper left corner.  We would work all weekend, and realize that no one other than ourselves could tell anything had been done.  We were pulling up ivy and wisteria and it was very slow going.

It was winter when we closed on the lot, and unbeknownst to me, the leafless vines I was pulling out of the trees was POISON IVY!!  I was looking up into the trees as I pulled down the vines disregarding what was falling back into my face.  I'm sure you can imagine what I am going to say now ... I had the WORST case of poison ivy ... even in my eyes!  I was a mess!!!

As our clearing continued, we hired a Hispanic crew to work along with us one weekend.  I was hauling logs up to the street when Tom heard one of the guys say in reference to me:  "She little, but she strong like bull!"  I guess that's a compliment.  (Tom loves this story!)

Months, and months later, we had cleared enough to be thinking ... now what do we do?  Since Ann (our original landscape designer) was no longer available, Tom called Dr. Larry Mellichamp, botany professor and Director of the UNC-Charlotte Botanical Garden (since retired) to ask him for a recommendation of someone to help us with the development of our woodland garden.  Tom and Larry ended up having a long conversation at the conclusion of which Larry said, "Well, would you mind if I came out?"  Needless to say, we thought that was a TERRIFIC idea!!!

Larry would come out and walk the vacant lot with Tom discussing where paths might be, suggesting various specimen trees.  He never drew an official design, but encouraged us to include many plants that were new to us. Tom started creating paths as clearing continued.  We took out close to 100 trees ... many were saplings.  Trees over 30' in height were professionally removed.  Every few weeks, we would call Larry who would once again walk the property with us helping our vision become a reality. 

Before we began planting, we knew that we wanted to accentuate an existing elevation change on the lot.  To accomplish this we contacted, Johnny Massengill with Ponders, who we knew from an earlier project to give us some advice.  He brought 50 tons of boulders that he deposited next to the street.  Next, he and Tom picked the ones that seemed to give the drop off a “mountain feel.”  Johnny’s crew dug big holes for placement so that the stones would look like they had always been there. We used about 40 tons of those he delivered.

Since I am talking about stone, it was in the woodland garden, that we learned that we wanted to line the paths with Tennessee field stone.  Laying stone has become an ongoing winter project for Tom that continues to this day. Those paths became hardwood mulch which every year is replaced, with the old, well-rotted remains returned to the adjacent beds.  After many years of repeating this process, we have wonderful soil (home to very happy earth worms)  sitting on top of our native clay.

Planting Chinese herbaceous peony, 'Purple Rose.'  Over the past several years I have added a new peony or two (maybe even three!)  Peonies are one thing that doesn't appear to interest the deer and rabbits ... at least for now!

'Wildfire'
Acer palmatum

A new Japanese maple this year in the upper garden.

View in the Upper Garden

'Autumn Gold'

Ginko biloba

A little late in getting this photo of our ginkgo.  She is going to be a focal point in the Upper Garden as she matures.

Fall color of Hosta 'Beckoning'

Fall pruning of Osmunda regalia (Royal Fern)
A neighbor child said they look like porcupines!

Cyclamen coum (late winter and early spring blooming) and 
Cyclamen hederifolium (fall blooming) are happy planted under some of our big trees whose roots keep the soil dry during their dormant period.  They are slowly beginning to naturalize.  

How MapleWalk came into being ...

Property Number 1

Tom and I moved into our home in December 1991.  We laugh because we were actually thinking in terms that we were buying a yard with potential which just happened to have a house to go with it!

We immediately turned our focus to the outside and decided that the house could wait for some very needed updating.  

Tom was working out at a nearby fitness center and made friends with a guy there who happened to mention that his wife was a landscape designer.  We, of course, contacted her, and the ball started rolling.  (As a side note, I don’t believe she ever did another plan after ours as she started having children and then home schooled).  

We first had a design drawn for the front yard, but it wasn’t long before we had the bug and asked for a design for the back yard.  Tom and I had limited knowledge at that point, but throughly enjoyed learning and implementing the designs together.  I had never seen a landscape design before, and I was quite impressed with the detail, and along with it came plants lists which stated how many, how far apart to plant, etc.  I know the folks at the various nurseries we visited hated us because we would trot through the door with our plant lists and loads of questions.  We began purchasing books and our knowledge grew, but initially, we followed the designs to the letter outlining beds, amending soil, and planting exactly according to plan (and I mean exactly as we had our measuring tape in hand!)  It was definitely “learning as you go!”  We will never regret having a landscape designer in the beginning as it definitely kept us from making some serious and costly mistakes … such as wrong plant, wrong place.  Looking at our initial landscape designs for our front and back yards, they bear only slight resemblance to the original as with our increased knowledge, so did our desire to expand our plantings with interesting and unique specimens.  

Folks ask us, “Can you two work together?”  (without killing each other they mean!)  It has evolved over the years that Tom is the tree person and I am the herbaceous perennial person, and we both work with shrubs.  We do consult with each other, but we have worked together for so long, we both understand the MapleWalk vision.

'Tamukeyama'

Acer palmatum var. dissectum

It's been 15 years since my family gave me this Japanese maple for my birthday.  She sits outside our sunroom and has really gotten too big for the space, but I wouldn't dare risk moving her.  

Views of the woodland garden.

'Giganteum'
Farfugium

'Ogurayama'
Acer shirasawanum

Japanese maple with Camellia sasanqua
Acer japonicum 'Vitifolium' with Camellia sasanqua 'Shishigashira'

Acer palmatum 'Waterfall' being guarded by our Wheaten Terrier, "Maple Sugar"

"Kiwi" is our Cesky Terrier.  She is after some critter in the garden.  She is persistent, but failed to make a capture ... thankfully!

I think someone is due for a bath!

Tom's major winter project this year is replacing the stones lining our garden paths with larger stones.  Hopefully this will keep us from resetting the smaller stones which are constantly shifting out of place.




          

I hope you will enjoy this article written for Houzz in 2013 by Jay Sifford, garden designer extraordinaire and friend.

A Garden With a Love Story

Over 23 years, a North Carolina couple has created an inviting, magical garden that harmonizes with its woodland setting

Jay Sifford November 18, 2013
 

Some gardens have a story to tell, and some are so highly personal that they are extensions of those who create them. Other gardens seem to work in concert with Mother Nature, where the human hand takes a back seat to the seasonal symphonies she chooses to orchestrate. Rarely, though, do all three types converge into one garden space. Such is a garden called MapleWalk, created by Lib Jones and Tom Nunnenkamp. MapleWalk, in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina, weaves together unspoiled woodland beauty, an outstanding collection of trees and shrubs, and a bit of whimsy.

I visited MapleWalk recently on a crisp fall day. The low autumnal sun backlit the Japanese maples in an almost mystical way. Tom and Lib shared their story — one of romance, love of the land and passion for creating a beautiful space. The story was as interesting as the garden itself.

Let’s take a tour of MapleWalk.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

Tom and Lib bought their house in 1990. In true gardener fashion, they shopped for a yard with garden potential; a suitable house was second priority. They admit that they were typical Southern gardeners, growing azaleas and boxwood outdoors and African violets indoors. Even today, MapleWalk subtly shows its Southern charm, with an outstanding collection of camellias, azaleas and crape myrtles. But MapleWalk is so much more.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

The garden covers two and a quarter acres, previously three separate parcels. The second parcel became a study in patience as the previous owner held out for several years before agreeing to sell. The third parcel contained a home and was purchased for Lib’s late father. Today the home is rented with the understanding that Tom and Lib have free rein in the garden.

The second parcel, shown here, was completely covered in wisteria and poison ivy when purchased. Tom and Lib meticulously removed the vines over many weekends. They discovered piles of construction rubble underneath.

They removed more than 100 trees, had the remaining canopy raised to introduce more light, and brought in more than 40 tons of boulders. They discovered a 28-foot grade change from front to back.

Then they planted their garden.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

Tom and Lib received this Japanese maple (Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Red Dragon’, zones 5 to 8) as a wedding gift. Here the magic begins.

The tree still resides in their front yard. Several years ago a large limb fell across it during a storm, effectively breaking the tree in half. Tom took this as an opportunity to delve into the art of pruning. To this day, Lib refers to her husband as “The Happy Pruner.” Tom admits that, in his mind, good form takes precedence over color.

MapleWalk is home to 92 different Japanese maple cultivars as well as more than 50 conifers, 27 types of dogwoods and nine varieties of redbuds.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

The hosta path, near the entrance to the garden, boasts spectacular views overlooking the ravine. It was a treat to see a garden that celebrates the layers of woodland canopy and understory.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

This little guy clings to the handrail made of tree branches. He is a testament to the subtle whimsy of MapleWalk and its owners.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

Frequently the true beauty of a garden is found in its serendipitous details. Here autumn flashes its fleeting beauty in this composition of club moss (Selaginella kraussiana, zones 6 to 10) and full-moon maple (Acer japonicum acontifolium ‘Dancing Peacock’, zones 5 to 8).

Jay Sifford Garden Design

These gardeners also use brightly colored pottery to best advantage. This pot holds a weeping Ryusen maple and makes a perfect backdrop for another.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

The clear autumn sky creates a perfect foil for this big-leaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla, zones 5 to 8), which can boast leaves over 30 inches long.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

Another unique tree found on site is this false larch (Pseudolarix amabilis, zones 4 to 8). This deciduous conifer boasts spectacular fall color and texture. The foliage conjures up images of holiday fireworks.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

Lib says that one thing she most anticipates in autumn is her ‘Welch’s Pink’ beautyberry (Callicarpa americana ‘Welch’s Pink’, zones 6 to 8). This rare cultivar of the typical purple-fruited beautyberry is worth the wait.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

Almost every quintessential Southern garden is home to camellias. Tom is experimenting with training certain camellias for use as ground cover. He explains that some cultivars such as this fall-blooming Camellia sasanqua ‘Chansonette’ (zones 7 to 10) grow more laterally than vertically. The new growth can be pinned to the ground until it matures, providing a unique new use for this traditional Southern favorite.

Jay Sifford Garden Design

No true Southern garden would be complete without a crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp and cvs, zones 6 to 10). This specimen caught my eye as it seemed to harness and glow with the afternoon sunlight.

More about growing crape myrtles

Tom and Lib feel privileged to call MapleWalk home. They are actively planning to make it a perpetual garden by creating a foundation to oversee its future. Such a tranquil garden in the midst of a metropolitan area earns its place as a respite from the frantic pace of modern life