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Garden Tour: A Ravaged Plot Emerges as a Showpiece
From natural disaster to natural beauty, this suburban Pennsylvania garden recovered in style
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor based out of Hershey, PA. Come visit me at 'A Nest for All Seasons' where I write about design, photography and modern garden living!
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor... More »
Barb Krasuski and Peter Swan didn't think they needed sinkhole insurance. In fact, they went back and forth several times before paying the $40-a-year premium. Several years later a giant storm rolled through central Pennsylvania, causing flooding and extensive damage throughout the region. Let's just say the sinkhole insurance came in handy.
Join me today as we take a tour through the garden that was reinvented and reconfigured after the big storm. Would you have guessed there once were giant sinkholes throughout this lovely space?
Garden at a Glance
Who cares for it: Barb Krasuski and Peter Swan
Location: Hummelstown, Pennsylvania
Join me today as we take a tour through the garden that was reinvented and reconfigured after the big storm. Would you have guessed there once were giant sinkholes throughout this lovely space?
Garden at a Glance
Who cares for it: Barb Krasuski and Peter Swan
Location: Hummelstown, Pennsylvania
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Welcome to the garden of Barb Krasuski. A nurse by day and a gardener by night, Krasuski has created a haven of peace and abundance in a small city in central Pennsylvania.
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| The first thing that hits you when you walk into Krasuski's garden is peace, in the form of 34 green velvet boxwoods, grown into this symbol over the course of five years. |
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Here Krasuski munches on cherry tomatoes as she walks through the garden as part of her evening routine. Neighbors and friends are always welcome to join.
Krasuski's favorite edible garden combination is nasturium, cherry tomato and a little basil rolled up into one and munched fresh and warm from the summer sun.
Krasuski's favorite edible garden combination is nasturium, cherry tomato and a little basil rolled up into one and munched fresh and warm from the summer sun.
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| Krasuski's favorite tomato variety is a small yellow cherry tomato called 'Sungold'. From my own experience in her garden, I can tell you these little tomatoes are the sweetest, thin-skinned variety of cherry toms. Krasuski's secret for the mounds and mounds of tomato plants: Giant compost bins throughout the property are filled through fall, winter and spring. Then tomato plants are planted in the compost bins each spring. By summer, the compost piles are invisible. |
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| Another big producer in the garden is the blueberry bushes. Screened from critters, a variety of blueberry bushes, including a new 'Pinkie' variety, are clustered together. |
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| Krasuski's garden is not just productive but whimsical and fun as well. Lettuces and herbs fill a variety of containers from pots and planters to wheelbarrows and shoes. |
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Yes, shoes!
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In fact, Krasuski has been known to grow plants in just about anything. Her favorites are succulents. They need very little water and are tough as nails. It is not just any plant that can survive in a shoe or teakettle!
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Krasuski's garden has always been a source of pride for her, so it was devestating when massive storms rolled through the region and created giant sinkholes. The street buckled, the patio caved, and there were neighbors standing neck deep in Krasuski's vegetable gardens.
Sinkhole insurance paid off, and a year later the garden is back and better than ever. A brand-new patio was first on the to-do list.
Patio: CZ Landscapes
Sinkhole insurance paid off, and a year later the garden is back and better than ever. A brand-new patio was first on the to-do list.
Patio: CZ Landscapes
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| A smaller patio cuts through the side garden for additional seating. |
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| The garden wasn't the only part of the property that suffered. The driveway was devastated. Once the garage was torn down, it was time for a serious remodel. The home was repaired and expanded, providing Krasuski with a new giant master bedroom suite, quilting room and extra space for her husband's model trains. |
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Krasuski was determined not to let the sinkhole damage slow down her garden this spring, so she was busy starting seeds all winter in the greenhouse, preparing to reclaim her garden.
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The greenhouse is a community effort, with neighbors bringing over plants to overwinter or seeds to start each spring.
During summer, the greenhouse is used less frequently but still houses a few succulents and tropicals.
Greenhouse: Sunglo
During summer, the greenhouse is used less frequently but still houses a few succulents and tropicals.
Greenhouse: Sunglo
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| One of Krasuski's major successes, thanks to the greenhouse, is the gorgeous blooms of this plumeria. This fragrant flower took years to bloom. |
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| Blooms aren't the only layers of color in this garden, though. Coralbark Maple is a favorite of Krasuski's for its delightfully peeling pinkish bark and red-tipped foliage. |
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Krasuski is a master at combining colors and textures. Colors pile up on one another with a casual ease, building layer upon layer of interest.
Shown: Coneflower and Phlox
Shown: Coneflower and Phlox
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Trumpet vine creeps up and over one of the many arbors in the garden.
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Trumpet vine can be an aggressive grower, but it attracts hummingbirds, so perhaps it is worth the trade?
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The pièce de résistance of the garden is its newest addition. This area was yet another giant sinkhole in early 2012. Krasuski quickly erected a fenced garden and filled it up with edibles. Most of these plants were grown straight from seed and started in the greenhouse.
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Mandevilla creeps up and over the veggie garden arbor, a welcome greeting that hints of the vibrant colors to come.
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Pots of thyme and other herbs are sprinkled throughout the vegetable garden to provide seasonings at your fingertips without overrunning the vegetable beds.
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The vegetables range from broccoli to chard, and each bed is mulched thickly with mushroom compost and straw.
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Seen from above, the vegetable garden is a well organized explosion of green. It's hard to believe this was a pit two months ago.
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| From cultivating vegetables to ornamentals, turning a natural disaster to natural beauty, Krasuski has proven she is a master at her craft. Full of whimsy, humor and color, her garden is one of a kind. |
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Krasuski and Swan are featured on the community wall mural of neighbor Jo's home. It is no surprise they are shown gardening.
Next: See more of this neighbor's house
Next: See more of this neighbor's house
Ideabook updated on Aug. 28, 2012.
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But sinkhole insurance? Who would even think they could possibly need that! Very lucky decision!
Bobbi - i never even knew sinkhole insurance existed - go figure! They are more common than you might think here in PA though, so perhaps we should rethink our policy!
And Amy - I just realized you took all the pictures! Great job! You're a very talented photographer!
My pleasure to meet you both!