Sunday, February 28, 2010

By Joanna Brady Schmida Special to The Citizen

Nothing is so uplifting as seeing the city's private gardens in the spring. Plants are recovering after the chilly months, and flowers are spreading their cheer to the winter weary. This year, the Key West Garden Club annual spring tour is showcasing five elegant gardens to visit, all of them located close together in the Casa Marina district, an easy walk or bike ride from each other.

Touring gardens is a great way to learn about what grows well here and their preference for light or shade. Everyone will enjoy spending time in these peaceful oases, but visits to them are especially valuable for anyone planning a new garden, or replacing one. There will be knowledgeable docents on hand in all the gardens, ready to answer questions and identify plants.

The tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 6-7. Tickets are $20 and are available in advance at the Key West Garden Club in the West Martello Tower adjacent to Higgs Beach, and at MARC House, 1400 United St. Tickets also may be purchased at any of the five gardens on the day of the tour. For more information, call the Key West Garden Club at 305-294-3210.

900 Flagler Ave.

Garden of Lynn and David Kaufelt

With its charming Japanese-style bridge over the pool, this is a garden designed with peace and serenity in mind. Designed by Debra Yates, the property has taken advantage of being on a remarkable corner, protected from the wind. The home features tropical colors that blend in beautifully with the quiet garden.

There are a lot of interesting plants to see, including a row of graceful traveler's palms that line the back of the property. Many spectacular burgundy Queen Emma crinum lilies grow at the front of the house. There is a newly planted native tree walkway at the entrance, and a giant cycad at the front greets visitors.

Yates' style, so often imitated in the city, is minimalist, with a gray-green palate for the plantings, including some stately Bismarck palms. The outside living and dining rooms are designed for Key West outdoor living. There are some good container plantings, which should inspire those with small decks or balconies.

901 Casa Marina Ct.

Garden of Joe

and Elizabeth Coons

This extraordinary walled garden was designed, installed and is maintained by Pat Tierney. It features expanses of greenery and welcoming outdoor rooms. Meandering old brick curved paths, travertine patios, a well-kept lawn flanked by boulders from underground streams in Central Florida, and a John Martini sculpture all add personality and charm to this graceful oasis. Located close to the ocean, the plantings chosen were ones that could stand up to storms, water and wind.

There are many varieties of crotons, palms and large-leaf plants, as well as stately Cuban palms, spindle palms, bamboo, Jamaican dogwood and a very old gumbo-limbo. Autograph trees have been used as a screen. A pergola is covered with a brilliant magenta bougainvillea. Be sure to note the unusual treatment of the steps covered with creeping ficus.

1101 Casa Marina Ct.

Casa Altamira

The house was built in 1937 on an acre of land by a former mayor of Key West, Maitland Adams, who frequently entertained former President Harry Truman and notable celebrities such as Gregory Peck. Subsequent owners include Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Phil Caputo, who wrote many of his books there.

The home has undergone numerous improvements over the years. The magnificent garden also has seen many changes, but these have been additions to a core of very old, stately trees and plants. Good examples of the early plantings are an enormous gumbo-limbo, a huge mahogany tree and what is believed to be the largest and most prolific mango tree on the island, with a yield of approximately 1,000 mangoes annually.

Charming features include the Zenlike poets' walk, to honor the owner's mother, who is a poet. It is a quiet corner, with a bench for meditation. A long pergola covered in tropical wisteria has served as a wedding arbor. The cloister by the pool is reminiscent of elegant Mediterranean villas. Many of the more recent plantings were by Pat Tierney, who installed many varieties of crotons, several kinds of palms and low-growing plants for color. Many of the plants are native, suitable to the hammock conditions of the Keys. Two full-time gardeners live on the premises.

1617 White St.

Garden of Guy Ross

and Michael Ruiter

Undoubtedly one of the most spectacular gardens in Key West, this was the site of a fundraiser for Secretary of State Hilary Clinton before the last election. Two magnificent, 30-year-old canary date palms at the front set the stage for the garden in the back. There, a couple of lofty Cuban royal palms act as sentries to a large expanse of lawn, an allee or promenade of abal palms with beds of bright-red bromeliads at the bases. The major focus of this garden is a high waterfall at the end of this allee, carved from limestone imported from the Yangtze River in China. The stone has been sculpted to catch light through the torrent of water. It is flanked by enormous boulders from the Carolinas, and has a pool of water at the base for fish and turtles. A bandstand provides an area for music-makers near the waterfall.

Designed by Raymond Jungles and Debra Yates, the entire garden has been put together with entertaining in mind, but there is a small area for meditation, and Stephanotis has been planted all around the spa for serenity and privacy. There are many beautiful plants and palms to see and learn about at this lovely stop on the tour.

1206 South St.

Garden of Claudia Milne

and Mike Whittaker

This beautiful property extends from South Street over to Washington Street, and the focus of the garden is the long lap pool with its full-length waterfall. Landscape designer Craig Reynolds installed the plantings to take advantage of the pool setting and to integrate both properties.. There are many varieties of palms in this garden, including two remarkable triplet royal palms at the front of the house and some Bismarck palms at the back. Lady palms, Licuala, princess palms, Christmas palms, Montgomery palms and cabada all grow in abundance throughout the property.

Autograph trees, several varieties of Philodendron, papyrus, shrimp plants, bamboo, Tahitian gardenia, birds of paradise, ti plants, and a remarkably large desert rose near the pool are all worthy of mention.