The Gypsy Garden: A Riot of Fun

This is one wild garden with all the color and dancing you'd expect from a garden with such a name. And it was created by Kerry Kirkpatrick, our web designer here at Santa Fe Greenhouses and High Country Gardens. She says before working here she knew not

Aquilegia species 'Swallowtail'®
Item # 20822 		Aquilegia species 'Swallowtail'®
Swallowtail Columbine

each $8.29
3 to 6 $7.99
7 or more $7.79
Papaver orientalis 'Princess Louise'
Item # 74873 		Papaver orientalis 'Princess Louise'
'Princess Louise' Oriental Poppy

each $4.99
3 to 6 $4.79
7 or more $4.59
  • Topic: Garden Design
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: herbs, perennial, landscape
  • Date: May 2006

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This is one wild garden with all the color and dancing you’d expect from a garden with such a name. And it was created by Kerry Kirkpatrick, our web designer here at Santa Fe Greenhouses and High Country Gardens. She says before working here she knew nothing about gardens.

“The only thing I knew how to do was plant petunias in a pot,” she said. “But working with the data base of all these plants got me to thinking. I got excited about some of the combinations and so decided to try them out.”

She started this time last year by planting a hollyhock. It never bloomed; it only grew tall and huge, and is starting up again. Surely, one of these days (this summer?) it’ll open up. She also planted a honeysuckle vine and morning glories.

“I also planted a sunflower that took over the place, and I let it,” she said. “Now I have hundreds of seedlings coming up from it.” Also, in this wild gypsy of a garden are poppies, a climbing rose and perennials such as yarrow, sedum, solidago, sage, agastache.

Kerry said she followed all of the suggestions from David Salman, President of the Santa Fe Greenhouses. “The High Country Gardens catalog is full of ideas. He really has an eye for placement and combinations and when people come to my house, they just go crazy. It’s full of color and texture, shapes and sizes.”

Now that spring is here Kerry is adding to the flamboyancy of the garden by planting annuals for spots of fast color. The Gypsy Garden is at the entrance to her place and runs right up to the front door. Then the fragrant garden and hummingbird garden are in the back. In all she has five different gardens, some of them surrounding trees. She even has what she calls The Organized Garden, one that is a little more subdued and not so out of control.

“But throughout every garden I plant mint, basil and oregano. The whole thing is fun. I sit at my computer and when I take breaks, I walk outside to see how everything is growing. Right now the Swallowtail Columbine is just getting ready to bloom,” she said. “I just plant what I want.”

Looks like she’s definitely joined the rest of us gardening-fools. Because there’s nothing like having a riot of waving flowers and an intermingling of colors and textures. When Kerry first started she didn’t know what to call her garden. Now, of course, the name The Gypsy Garden is perfect and says it all.