In the July/August 2011 issue of Gardening How-To, we wrote about Debra and Aaron Lerner’s lovely Minnesota garden. At the center of this extraordinary suburban garden is a waterfall and pond, which attracts birds, raccoons, mink, and other wildlife. You’d never know that the colorful, vibrant garden in these photos is under attack, but it’s true:
Now that the Lerners have landscaped their lot from edge to edge, their biggest struggle is figuring out how to thwart the predators and nibblers.
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This quiet hilltop retreat was the last piece of landscaping to be finished in the Lerner yard. Seated here, you can look down through trees to the roof of the house.
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Aaron Lerner laid the stone steps up the side of this hill to the tiny seating area at the top. Blue boots add a touch of whimsy to the serenity.
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Debra Lerner uses only one annual in her garden: coleus. Red coleus.
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Almost all the color in the garden comes from foliage: from silver to chartreuse, from red to blue, from cream to green to gold.
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The deck is right out the Lerner’s back door, and the pond is right next to the deck. They don’t have to go far for the perfect place to relax.
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Debra has to replant lotus in the spring, as it is not hardy in Minnesota’s Zone 4 climate.
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Garden art is scattered throughout the Lerner garden. It enlivens the scene and sometimes—as with the silver bird sculptures—serves to fool predators.
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