Today we’re heading to Northwest Philadelphia to visit Asha’s imaginative city garden. Nearly every corner offers something unexpected, from repurposed household objects to playful details tucked among the plants. Here’s what Asha has to say:
On a small lot surrounding an urban twin house in Northwest Philadelphia, I have created a playful mix of found objects and plants. The garden is dedicated to feeding my family and inspiring children to love ornamentals of all kinds.
A blue Buddha solemnly prays beside a pink anemone in bud and a silvery kale (Brassica oleracea, annual) variety up front.
A Buddha sitting on a porcelain throne is perhaps a tad irreverent, but maintaining a sense of humor is surely in keeping with Buddhist philosophy. He’s seated with sedum and beside the sink of succulents.
Under the home’s eaves, where rainwater doesn’t reach the garden, broken pottery I’ve gathered from numerous sources is playfully practical.
In the backyard, I keep chickens to provide eggs for my family. And elsewhere, a beehive makes sure plants are pollinated. Honey is flavored by flowers throughout my community.
We can’t forget the claw-foot tub with netting draped around the shower head. The composition is sparked by a flame red flamingo.
Succulents and shells fill the bowls. And at the base, counterclockwise, we see shards of terra-cotta, ‘Caramel’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Caramel’, Zones 4–8), spotted widow’s tears (Tinantia pringlei, Zones 7–11), hellebore (Helleborus cvs., Zones 4–9) and violets, the last fuchsia gladiola flower, and a pot of ‘Millenium’ ornamental onion (Allium ‘Millenium’, Zones 5–8).
Cacti in pots are enmeshed with my kids’ toys so my gardens inspire play and practicality. Toys and toiling happily coexist here.
My garden earned status as a finalist for the PHS (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society) home garden that best combines edibles and ornamentals.
With permission of my neighbors, I even tend shrubs like Peach Drift rose (Rosa ‘Meiggili’ Peach Drift, Zones 4–11) and saplings of Rose of Sharon hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus, Zones 5–9) along the long driveway.
Thank you, Asha, for showing us how imagination, humor, and resourcefulness can transform even a small urban lot into a productive garden full of discovery.
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