Garden Photos from Napa

A tunnel is created by Lady Banks roses growing over a metal arch. Next to the tunnel is a small rose garden, with a hedge of Escallonia in the background. “As the hedge was maturing, the individual plants were growing at different rates. When I decided to prune the hedge, I went with the growth pattern and cut it in a wave. I love the feel of motion that it created,” says Dona.

A rusted arch adorned with Rosa Altissimo (red climbing roses) forms the entrance to the garden.

In the fall, the leaves on a Ginkgo tree blanket the grass with a carpet of yellow. The red chairs are surrounded by Nassella tenuissima (Mexican feathergrass). “These were never planted. They traveled from the adjacent section of the garden and planted themselves. I need to keep an eye on them, as they like to travel,” Dona says. The hedge in the background is Feijoa sellowiana.

A rustic bench draped by climbing wisteria is carved from a dead tree that was on the property.

A close-up photograph of a yellow Graham Thomas rose.

A garden pathway winds through a tunnel of yellow Lady Banks roses, which bloom in mid-spring.

A garden labyrinth of hand-laid stone weaves a circular pathway through a bed of creeping Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin' (elfin thyme). The colorful hedge at the far end of the labyrinth is Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo).

At the north end of the property is an orchard of Asian pear trees that bloom in the springtime. “We have several varieties, including Shinseiki, Chojuro, 20th Century, Ya-li and Korean. We even sell the pears to local restaurants,” says Dona.