Front Entryway Garden

This evergreen border graces the Durham County home’s front entry. It features non-native azaleas, a gardenia shrub, and a holly tree. In the distant background is a native dogwood tree. A basket of flowers hung from a shepherd’s hook provides a pop of color and can be changed seasonally. Pansies were in the basket at the time this photo was taken in late April 2020.

With the exception of the gardenia, the shrubs and trees were planted by the home’s original owner sometime in the 1990s. The dogwood may even be wild as it grows along a woodland edge (out of view) and there are others on the property. The Gardenia ‘Crown Jewel’ was added in 2013.  'Crown Jewel' is the result of a cross between Gardenia jasminoides 'Chuck Hayes' and Gardenia jasminoides 'Kleim's Hardy'.

The azaleas and holly are kept trimmed in a manner that has fallen out of favor. Still, they bloom beautifully in pink and white.  The hardscape path to the right is slate; the bed’s perimeter is outlined with rocks in a color complementary to the slate.