Gardens, According to Jim
Springfield gardener Jim Silcell knows what it takes to make a beautiful garden, even if he can’t name all the plants in it.
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Silcell likes to add one-of-a-kind touches to his garden space. |
A ceramic blue and white plaque reading “Welcome to My Garden” greets visitors to Jim Silcell’s backyard in southwest Springfield. But to call it simply a garden is an understatement. Silcell’s yard features exotic trees, colorful plants, a water garden, statues, antiques and an innovative watering system. “I knew all the things I wanted,” Silcell explains. “When I walked back there, I knew how it had to be, I have that feeling when I go into something.”
But don’t think it took him years to achieve this envy-worthy masterpiece. With only six weeks and a handy son, Silcell was able to turn a yard full of weeds into a well-cultivated space. In fact, Silcell’s son often comes up in conversation as being clever. “I like to say he got that from me,” he says with a smile.
The Innovative Plan
Jim’s previous home had a large lot and a big garden. “I had gotten arthritis so bad it was hard to take care of it,” Silcell explains. One daily task required to take care of an expansive garden is watering. This proved to be one of the more difficult parts for Silcell. So when he began his new garden five years ago, he used the smaller space to create an improved method, an in-ground sprinkler system. Running on the zones, which water different sections of the garden at different times, small black hoses hide in pots and along the planted beds. “It works good for me,” he says. “I don’t have to go out and water everyday.”
Once Silcell and his son had sketched out the plan for the new yard and created the watering system, the rest, surprisingly, didn’t require a lot of daily up-keep. “It pretty much really takes care of itself,” Silcell says. “I can be gone and have someone come in and weed one day a month, but it will be fine.” Most of the backyard includes stone paths and mulched flowerbeds. But don’t take low-maintenance to mean unkempt; even the small amount of grass is trimmed with care. “I like it to be even,” Silcell says. “As my grandson says, ‘Grandpa is really particular.’”
Stone Elements
One of Silcell’s favorite places to visit is Sandstone Gardens in Joplin. Most of the large stone elements in his garden came from Sandstone Gardens, including the focal point in the center of the back yard—a stone pot containing a large banana tree. The curved stone bench under the arbor is another treasure he picked up at one of his favorite garden accessory stores.
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