It takes artistic vision, a great deal of talent and an in-depth knowledge of plants to produce a garden like Paul Babikow's. The two-acre garden is nestled in the gently rolling countryside north of Baltimore, MD, and although the garden fits in perfectly well with the serene geography of the neighborhood, it is filled with surprises and understated excitement. Babikow is co-owner and president of Babikow Greenhouses in Baltimore, a wholesale grower of perennials and grasses. According to his wife, Beth, Babikow only took an interest in the garden after she began to develop it more than 20 years ago. The garden is all various shades of green, accented with verticals throughout and punctuated with several sculptures and lots of stonework that give it an Oriental feeling.
Right from the entry, pictured here, you know you're going to experience something different. On the entrance patio, distinguished by paving from the adjacent driveway, are 22 small trough gardens, each filled with different alpines that provide variation and
interest throughout the year.
You can go up a few steps into the house or through a passage directly to the rear garden -- or you can stroll to the left or right on a circular journey through forests of tall trees and bamboo, stopping along the way on different patios, at different levels, or pausing for a rest on a strategically-placed bench or chair.
A few of the trough gardens are repeated on the bac
k patio. Large vertical stones arise from huge beds of hostas, remininscent of a trip the Babikows took to Patagonia. Shade plants abound along the "streambed" made of stone. A rivulet runs through a stone staircase and spills out into a small waterfall on the other side with a bright green gingko cascading over it.
(click on images for larger view)
(photos © Jane Berger)
The tree ferns in this picture complement the taller evergreens, and a small patio at the rear is perfect place to sit and contemplate the scene beyond. As you continue around the property, you can eit
her descend to the lower patio or cross a bog of pitcher
plants and other water-loving species
via an attractive wooden bridge.
Bamboo is one of Babikow's specialties -- and they abound in this garden -- from ground covers like Pleioblastus distichus 'Mini' to tall screens like Phyllostachys dulcis.
You'd think that it takes a lot of time and determination to keep all of the bamboo within bounds, but in this garden is more like a backdrop for many other textures and seasons of green.
(photos © Jane Berger)
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