Holtschlag
Ann and Steve Holtschlag
236 Spring Valley Road
Gardening in the South was a new experience for this couple transplanted from colder climates in 1993. No more going inside to stay after packing away the Halloween pumpkin, only to emerge again on Mother’s Day. Of course, that year-round feature can have a happy aspect too as Steve and Ann have discovered while building this garden from scratch. The landscape is designed as a family gathering place since the Holtschlag clan is widely scattered.
Areas in front of the house are shades of green with color from camellia, hosta, lavender, hellebores, roses and euphorbia. More of the grass disappears each year as new plants are spotted and possibilities envisioned...a common affliction most gardeners will recognize. Notice the Japanese willow planted in the container near the mailbox. The big iron pots use to reside in the couple’s Pittsburgh garden.
Walk beneath the Yoshino cherry, past the daphne and gardenia plantings (house perfume at its best) into the backyard and an explosion of color. Across the lawn in the left hand corner and through the arbor is the secret garden, impervious to grape juice stains, Play-Doh bits and melting crayons. It serves as a home away from home to four princesses in full regalia and is the preferred target area of six squirt gun wielding boy cousins. These activities usually occur simultaneously, of course. The pond is a good spot for reloading. There are seven stepping stones hand-crafted by the Pittsburgh and Boston based occupants of this garden and three yet to be installed. Steve has designed a winding, marked pathway for each grandchild which makes the Easter Bunny’s job a snap.
The large perennial bed is creative, not controlled, chaos. The philosophy is find it, like it, dig a hole, plant it and see what happens! Ann and Steve are tolerant and patient…they’ll give a specimen three tries in three new locations before they give up on it. The metal tree from their Milwaukee home will be hidden by Moonflower vines in a few weeks. This garden also serves as a winter resort for plants from their children’s gardens up North….come May, those plants will move up I-77 to summer in a cooler spot. Take note of the Carolina Silverbell, Snowball viburnum, Forest Pansy redbud, the Chinese Fringe tree and others—all are hospitable for climbing. The hydrangea garden on the side of the house, backed with tree-sized deciduous azaleas, is homage to the couple’s Seattle roots.
This is a great house for playing host to friends, Ann’s docent groups, Steve’s business associates and fundraisers. Of course, once the Holtschlag convoys approach from the North, they take precedence!
