Beast to Beauty – Feature Garden
05 Apr 2015
This yard morphed from a pile of ugly mulch to the site of a wedding and a garden tour.
By Lisa Truesdale Photos by Kate Zari Roberts and Richard Gillies When Kirsten Gillies first saw her future husband’s home in northeast Longmont, she was amazed. As one of the neighborhood’s former model homes, it had elegant, upgraded features that made Kirsten think, “Wow!”
Working On It


Gone Fishin’
Their first project was adding a patio because “the existing patio’s only purpose was that it had steps to walk down to the grass,” Richard quips. Built with a lot of trial and error, the patio was roomy enough for a table and chairs so they could dine and relax outdoors. Next, Kirsten convinced Richard to help her dig a pond next to the patio. Richard, who always liked to tinker, “really liked the idea of adding fish,” having already crafted a large aquarium inside the home that he built into a wall between the dining and living rooms.

Knowing When to Morph
For Kirsten, the experience with the pear tree illustrates the fact that gardens, no matter how well established, are always morphing, and you have to morph right along with them. “That Cleveland pear tree had always provided shade for the plants underneath,” she explains, “so naturally I’d chosen shade-loving plants for that space. With the tree gone, the spot was in full sun, so I really had to rethink things.” She planted a small Japanese ‘Shirazz’ maple in its place and surrounded it with colorful foxglove, mums, mini roses, gaillardia, vinca vine and one of her favorites, Asiatic lilies.