A Glimpse Of The Garden

By Nancy K. Crevier

“A Glimpse Of The Garden” is a miniseries focusing on the heart of a gardener’s work — a special spot, an extraordinary plant, a place of respite, or a place that evokes a heartfelt memory. What is down the garden path of your friends and neighbors? What is down your garden path?

The gardens created by Dr Jeffrey Metzger and his wife, Nancy, are a sweep of color and texture bordering nearly all of the three acres they call home, wrapping about the deck, and flanking the front walkway. Visitors are greeted by a burst of color at the foot of the driveway and even across the street where Dr Metzger has taken it upon himself to beautify the roadway with an array of flowers and bushes that meld into the surrounding woodlands. The Metzgers have spent 15 years building the gardens that bring them joy.

But at the back of the yard, between a picket fence and the forest, is the newest and dearest garden Dr Metzger has developed.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Dr Metzger of the garden he is dedicating to the memory of his mother, Barbara Lewis, who passed away last October.

“Mom was a real outdoors person,” recalled Dr Metzger. “In her Maryland neighborhood, hers was the only backyard that was a little oasis. So I wanted to do something in her memory and a garden seemed right,” he said.

A curve of mulch cradling tiny mounds of Irish and Scottish moss, flowering astilbe, and epimedium plants hugs a knee-high stone wall, the backdrop for the tree-shaded garden. And perched upon the wall, a labor of love built stone-upon-stone by Dr Metzger and his wife, is a special birdhouse.

“The birdhouse came from his mother’s garden,” explained Ms Metzger. “It seemed just right out here.”

“My mother loved birds,” added Dr Metzger, “so that’s why we wanted to have her birdhouse. We will probably put up some other bird houses, as well, to attract more songbirds.”

Stepping stones and a bench are also in the plans as the Metzgers add the finishing touches, but even uncompleted, the garden provides a peaceful spot for enjoying the outdoors, said Dr Metzger. “It’s a nice little contemplative place to be.”

That is what is down the garden path at the Metzgers.