Some people start growing or gardening for a specific type of plant, like roses or orchids. Others are drawn to the hobby as a calming, meditative practice. For Bob Bobrow, the company began attracting hummingbirds to his backyard in St. Matthews 18 years ago.
start small
“The garden started small in 2004 and gradually grew to fill our entire property,” Bobrow told The Courier Journal. “Each expansion was prompted by a search for a new plant or plant species to add to the garden, or a desire to attract wildlife – such as hummingbirds, goldfinches, butterflies and dragonflies.”
Today, the immaculate garden includes everything from simple flora like daylilies, irises, peonies, hostas, and roses to less common plants like cruciferous vine, lady’s slipper, Spigelia marilandica, toad lilies, martagon lilies, Canada lilies, cup plants, and various peonies. The room also has a sizeable collection of large rocks, as well as 20 varieties of Japanese maple.
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A tree beginning
“(I) started… with the Japanese maple kick when I was about nine or ten years old,” Bobrow explained. “My uncle … had an orchard and … some ornamental trees, and I remember one day he took me and showed me this tree with red leaves. In 1969…they weren’t that common here.”
Decades later Bobrow and his brothers inherited the land – and he remembered the tree. With a lot of effort and several helping hands, he managed to move the maple to his front yard, where it still stands today.
Other elements of the garden are also Japanese-inspired, including the small koi pond as well as the bird bath on the side of the driveway.
“The bird bath is wabi-sabi style,” Bobrow explained. “The idea (is that) that you don’t want anything perfect. They just want a natural look.”
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Itoh Peonies – Hybrids from a tree peony bred with an herbaceous peony created by Japanese horticulturist Dr. Toichi Itoh was created – are scattered everywhere.
“I love peonies,” Bobrow exclaimed. “You really can’t get much prettier. … The (Itoh peonies) have a yellow tint; regular peonies don’t… and there are a lot more color variations.”
favorite flowers
Bobrow’s garden boasts an abundance of plants, but he says his favorites are the Canadian lilies, native to North America.
“It’s a really pretty plant,” he said. “It grows (three to eight feet) tall, then (the) flowers spread and fall over, and they hang like the flowers of the columbine.”
He also loves the various peonies he has planted, including the Itohs. But when it comes to the best part of the garden itself, Bobrow says it’s a combination of the finished space and the act of putting in the work to create it.
“Every night, if it’s nice, we sit out here,” he said, adding that in the morning he’ll be sitting at the other end. Several chairs and benches are scattered throughout so the view can be enjoyed from all angles in different ways depending on where the sun hits at any given time of the day.
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“In the end, that’s the most enjoyable part,” he said. “But there’s something about doing everything yourself that makes it more enjoyable. … I think anyone who is a real gardener has a really strong control impulse (because) you create your own world.”
Bobrow’s Garden is one of seven on display at the 2022 Kilgore Home & Garden Tour.
Know of a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or lifestyle editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
- WHAT: The 2022 Kilgore Home & Garden Tour showcases seven of Louisville’s most outstanding gardens, plus the inside of a home. Proceeds from the self-guided tour support the Kilgore Samaritan Counseling Center for those unable to pay the full counseling fee.
- IF: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 11.-12. June
- WHERE: The self-guided tour can depart from any of the seven addresses listed on the event website.
- TICKETS: Tickets cost $35 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased online, at any of the garden locations on the day of the tour, or at any of the off-site locations: Second Presbyterian Church (weekdays only), St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church (weekdays only), St. Matthews Feed and Seed , Digs Home & Garden, European Splendor, Secret Garden or the Kilgore Counseling Center.
- MORE INFORMATION: Visit kilgorecounseling.org/home-garden-tour/the-tour/ for more information, full descriptions of the gardens and to purchase tickets.
screws and nuts
Owner: Bob and Marla Bobrow. Bob is a lawyer and Marla is a paralegal. Also in the house is Will Bobrow, who is a college student.
home: This is a 1,900 sq ft Tudor style 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in St. Matthews that was built in 1936. The garden was created in 2004 and is a mixture of Japanese, English and forest styles.
special items: The garden includes basic plants such as daylilies, irises, peonies, hostas and roses, as well as less common plants such as cruciferous plants, lady’s slipper, Spigelia marilandica, toad lilies, martagon lilies, Canada lilies, tree peonies, cup plant and Itoh peonies. The backbone of the garden is a collection of large rocks and 20 varieties of Japanese maple.
Applause! Applause! The homeowners would like to thank local blacksmith Sherman Blankenship for his help with the design and construction of the front porch railing, which includes several garden features; local artist Samantha Griffin for the design and construction of a large metal Canadian lily sculpture for the back patio; and her hardscape persona who has done a great job over the years cobblestone edging the garden, supplying and setting extra large stones and working on projects like the brick driveway and patio.