A copper tree, its muscular branches devoid of leaves, stands as an organic sculpture in the Boulder, Colorado, rock garden of Linda Boley. The painted Japanese lilac caught my eye as soon as our bus arrived during the Denver Garden Bloggers Fling tour (June 2019). It signaled a gardener with an artistic vision.

Anyone who paints — down to the last twig! — a beloved tree that has died is a creative and resourceful soul, not to mention a perfectionist. The tree remains as a beautiful adornment to the low-growing plants that surround it.

Along the driveway, a low rock wall provides crevices for sempervivums to colonize.

A wider view. This whole composition is gorgeous.

Each sempervivum cluster resembles a miniature wedding bouquet.

Plant shadow play on a stone canvas

Across the driveway, in front of the red brick house, a garden of rich texture and color takes the place of lawn.

Burgundy foliage and flowers — this stunner is dwarf false indigo (Amorpha nana) — play off the house color.

A perfect combo

Reddish stone paths wind through the garden, providing access as well as openness amid the dense plantings.

Artfully stacked stones evoke trail markers and whimsical seaside totems.

With 80-some bloggers traipsing these narrow paths, I’m curious to know if gravity is really all that holds this cairn together. If so, I hope it’s still standing!

The cairn makes a charming and unique piece of garden art, and its terracotta hue plays well with burgundy.

Brighter colors also make an appearance, including a mass of satiny pink ice plant.

I love these blue, sparkler-like flowers layered with the ice plant.

Ice plant “oozing” over a low retaining wall

I covet the variegated iris I saw blooming in many of the Denver Fling gardens.

Hot pink segues to purple to burgundy, with pops of yellow for contrast

Along the sidewalk, nearly horizontal pads of prickly pear recline in the sun, offering up frilly yellow flowers for inspection.

Sempervivum squeezes between prickly pear pads. Any crevice will do!

A burgundy smoke bush screens a neighboring yard from view, and a rustic wooden bench offers a spot to sit and enjoy the garden.

Notice the wavy-grass design on the leg boards. We’ll see that again in the back garden.

More ice plant, plus an agave!

Even a water meter cover gets the gardened-up treatment, with masses of sempervivum crowding around.

Copper leaves affixed to a boulder by the street subtly display the home’s street number.

Another rock garden anchors the corner of the house. By the way, Linda designed, planted, installed, and maintains every part of her garden herself. She started making it in 1977, the year she purchased the house.

Linda describes her front rock garden as her play area, where she enjoys chatting with neighbors while tending to her plants.

She also enjoys providing habitat for wildlife, including bees and birds.

A simple gray pot in a mass of ‘Angelina’ sedum contains a sculptural branch reminiscent of bonsai.

A terracotta dish overflows with sunset-hued succulents.

Passing through a covered breezeway into the back garden, you find yourself on a pergola-shaded patio. A lovely bouquet brightened the table. And notice the floating daisies in the water.

Over the table a green pot has been cleverly repurposed as a hanging light shade.

A pink clematis scrambles up the fence.

In contrast with the sunny rock garden out front, the back is tree shaded, allowing Linda to grow hostas and ferns. A bubbling, toadstool-shaped birdbath adds the perfect accent.

Heuchera and fern

Linda built a “condo” for native bees — solitary nesters who appreciate a comfy, drilled hole — and installed it in the back garden. The wavy-grass design reappears here, painted in green on a picket fence. It’s just one more artful detail in a garden that makes sculpture from a dead tree, bee habitat from wood scraps, and a uniquely beautiful garden from a formerly neglected yard.

Up next: A blogger lunch at the Dushanbe Teahouse garden in Boulder. For a look back at the Strouse Garden with a view of the Rockies, click here.

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Digging Deeper

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