A Brief List of Participants
1. Mary Lou Lindsey:
Location: 5943 Brace Road
This is a very personal garden with design ideas by Mary Lou’s dear friend, Haskell Eargle and her son, Neal Forney. Garden stones are engraved with the names and birthdays of her grandchildren and beloved pets. Art pieces created by her son are treasures found throughout the garden. Garden furniture from her mother adorns the restful patio. The sound of the waterfall from the pond invites repose and reflection.
2. Neal and Katherine Forney:
Location: 237 Hunter Lane. 28211.
This legacy garden, previouslyowned by Leon Gutmann, has been a restoration project for the Forney family. Many of the smaller plants had been “poached” (with permission) by Leon’s friends and fellow gardeners. Since acquiring the property in 2003 the Forneys have faced the mighty task of undoing decades of invasive wisteria, ivy and vinca. Using the good bones of the existing foundation plants, they have put their own imprint on the garden. Many of the plants and hardscape are rescued and recycled from their construction business. Neal’s
sculptures enhance this natural retreat.
3. Dean and Judy Johnson:
Location: 2237 Vauxhall Court.
What to do with a small grass yard with a limited visual appeal? How about an area of shapely paths set amongst deciduous and evergreen trees, flowering plants for seasonal beauty, fruit trees, a workable garden, and an ornamental hedge and fish pond! All designed to enchant the observer, provide workable gardening opportunities and add a sense of peace and quiet
to a personal outdoor space. This was the goal and this is the new garden’s beginning!
4. Elizabeth Lawrence Garden:
Location: 348 Ridgewood Ave.
In 1949, garden designer and writer Elizabeth Lawrence began laying out a garden on a modest lot that would embody her lifelong celebration of Southern horticulture. This graceful refuge doubled as a living laboratory for her study and appreciation of plants and design. Lawrence’s garden was an inspiration for her writing for thirty-five years. The property was entered in
the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, and purchased by the Wing Haven Foundation in 2008.
5. Dr. Neal and Kelly Taub,
Location: 1737 Queens Road West
This garden is an entertaining gem! Designer Myron Greer worked with the Taubs to create a New Orleans style courtyard garden between the rear wings of the home. The outdoor dining room
includes a water garden that doubles as an in-ground heated spa. A large parking court was created in the front of the house that doubles as an entertaining venue for special gatherings such as the famous “Booty Loop” bike race parties along Queens Road West. Plants of special interest include the Variegated Chinese Dogwood, “Wolf’s Eye” near
the spa. The large containers hold Japanese Maple specimens “Shishigashira” and potted dwarf bamboo, “Green Panda”. Enjoy!
6. Bob and Dru Quarles:
Location: 1700 Queens Road
The McManaway house was built in 1874 on Trade Street in uptown Charlotte, and moved to its present location in 1916. It is the former home of local Myers Park character Hugh McManaway, who is immortalized by the bronze statue at the corner of Queens and Providence Roads. The house is an historic landmark, but the gardens are not. The architectural style of the home is
Victorian Italianate, and to many the house looks like it belongs in the Garden District of New Orleans. Dru considers her garden as “crumbling decadence” – a mix of the classical,
structured Italian-villa gardens, and the verdant, rusty funkiness found in the gardens of New Orleans.