A “designer showpiece” garden conveys a grand gesture, expensive hardscaping, and maybe not much in the way of plants. At the home garden of Scott Deemer in Niwot, Colorado, a grand-gesture fireplace and beautifully designed hardscaping create a wow moment as soon as you step onto the rear patio. But the plants are pretty fabulous too. Included on the Denver Garden Bloggers Fling tour (June 2019), the garden is a true marriage of nature and art.

Scott Deemer, founder of Outdoor Craftsmen, a design-build firm based in Boulder, has created an outdoor fireplace worthy of Hephaestus. Five rough-hewn stone pillars joined with plasma-cut steel plates form a heat-reflective wall that evokes the craggy peaks of the nearby Rockies. Natural boulders encircle the gas fire pit, offering a comfortable foot-warming perch.

The fireplace retains a small slope planted with flowering perennials and bulbs in hues of pink and purple, echoed by amethyst pillows on contemporary-style chairs.

Scott shows how easy it is to operate the fireplace, with just a turn of the knob changing the height of the flames.

And if the stone fireplace is the grand gesture, then what is this stunning pool — chopped liver? Obviously not. Constructed to resemble a natural swimming pond, complete with a dripping waterfall ledge, the pool is cleaned not with chemicals but with plants — it’s a biofiltration pool!

It meanders along the back of the house, which is almost entirely clad with windows through which to enjoy the view.

At the far end of the pool, a stone path leads through stately specimen trees…

…and up the slope overlooking the pool.

It’s a Fling tradition to plop down and cool one’s tired feet as soon as a body of water is encountered.

A red iris and variegated reed grow in a planting pocket in the swimming pool.

Colorful planters hug the house, brightening the patio.

A second-story balcony overlooks the pool and garden. Scott and his wife, Paula, were kind enough to invite us into their home to enjoy the views, which I’ll show in a moment.

A fun seashell planter. Scott allows small groundcovers to creep between patio pavers for a softening effect.

This pink-flowering beauty grows in a crevice beneath a stone step.

From the fireplace patio you step down into a sunken gravel patio, the next room in a chain of garden rooms.

A large fire bowl (or rustic grill?) anchors one corner of the boulder-edged space.

You step up into the next room, a potager with espaliered fruit trees and other edibles, plus a cloud-pruned pine.

Scott likes weeping trees. Several more droop along the perimeter of this space, alongside blue spruces. I believe Scott told me that he and Paula recently purchased the lot next door and would be building their dream home there. Did I hear that right, I wonder? This all seems pretty dreamy to me already.

Artichoke bud

Heading back through the gravel patio, with a view of the stone fireplace beyond

Just look at all the plants tucked into nooks and crevices in the patio — such a natural look but immaculately tended.

A voluptuous, larger-than-life, green Venus poses on a rugged stone stair that leads to a walk-out basement.

From the upstairs balcony, you see her gazing down the stairs. What a sight to greet you as you come up those stairs, eh?

A more vertiginous view from the balcony gives you an appreciation for all the stone brought into the garden to create stairs, walls, and paving.

Looking the other way you enjoy a view of the pool and meadowy slope.

I don’t, as a rule, take photos inside people’s homes on garden tours, but I can’t resist sharing this view of the Rockies as seen through windows at the top of the stairs. Mother Nature’s garden!

Another pretty container accenting the gravel patio

A stone stair leads up from the back patios…

…into the meadow garden, where the Deemers play horseshoes. A steep but narrow irrigation ditch (for agricultural fields, I believe Scott told me) cuts through the meadow.

Rosa glauca glows against a sky threatening rain.

A last look at the pool garden

While less dramatic, the front garden is also showy and full of interesting details, like this porch-column planter with a cloud-pruned pine, flowering annuals, and accent piece of wood.

Wow, check out this sculptural rock piece on the front porch. I’d love to know what kind of stone this is.

A mixed border surrounds a small lawn, richly colored with burgundy, ice-blue, and golden yellow foliage.

A golden border of creeping Jenny plus iris, poppies, penstemon, and more

A boulder mediates between a two-toned yellow iris and a fire-and-brimstone-leaved shrub.

No ordinary foundation mustache hedge here. This is beautifully planted and maintained.

The burgundy color echo leads your eye through the garden.

Steel edging alongside boulders creates pockets for plants to grow, including red-flowered strawberries.

Dusty silver foliage and a glowing white flower — perfect for a moonlight garden.

It’s wonderful to see what a high-end designer who is also a plant lover creates for his own family to enjoy. And Scott and Paula were so generous in opening their home to us as well.

Up next: A party under an enormous willow tree in Fling host Judy Seaborn’s garden. For a look back at the meadow garden of Larry and Mary Scripter, click here.

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Digging Deeper

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