Glenn and Lisa Todd’s garden is a sight to behold. It surrounds their entire 4,400-square-foot home in Stonewood Meadows and features two ponds with waterfalls, a large dining and entertaining area, and a fire pit area. But as Lisa explains, the outdoor oasis wasn’t thrown together overnight. In fact, it’s been in development for nearly two decades.
“[It’s]been 19 years,” she told the Courier Journal. “(When) we moved here in 2003, there was nothing – (just grass). Everything you see planted I planted.”
cooperation of the couple
“I’m the gardener, so I had full creative license,” Lisa said. “Although Glenn is not a gardener per se, he is a co-creator.”
She explains that her husband did all the hardscape work, including building the gazebo and arbor. He’s also the muscle when Lisa needs a little help moving things.
“If I have trouble lifting something, he’s there,” she said. “We really did everything together.”
Lisa adds that she has always had an interest in gardening. In fact, she grew sunflowers as a teenager. But what really got them going in their current home was the fact that they needed a way to create some privacy in their new garden.
“I started from the outside and worked my way in to set the boundaries,” she explained.
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The diamond-shaped lot — which is approximately 50 feet by 100 feet — is now filled with an abundance of vegetation.
favorite foliage
Lisa is a fan of sedum, small evergreens, hostas and shrubs.
“I’m a big fan of foliage,” she added. “I have a lot of perennial flowers, but I’m really (strong) on foliage.”
As well as the abundance of foliage and perennials – including sage, daylilies, geraniums, butterfly bush, hydrangeas and more – Lisa has also sprinkled other fun accents throughout the garden.
“I (also) make pebble mosaics (and) dot mandalas,” she said. “I have about a dozen and a half of these out here. They are hidden here and there.”
Like Easter eggs, Lisa’s handcrafted creations are hidden in various spots around the room, adding fun little touches to visitors. In one corner there is a fairy garden with strawberry jar mushrooms and hypertufa planters. At the back of the yard, Lisa has added her collection of Alice in Wonderland items. The purple and pink Cheshire Cat smiles from above while the little caterpillar smokes on a mushroom opposite.
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There’s also a mix of other creatures located in different areas, like teddy bears near the shed and a monkey – called a Boozer – at the top of a tree.
Gentle meditation
All aspects of the garden – from the plant life and hardscape to everything in between – are fully maintained by Lisa and Glenn. “It’s a part-time job,” says Lisa, laughing. “(Or) part-time plus.”
She usually starts her work sometime in February, depending on the weather.
“I start cutting things down,” she explained, “(then) I do a garden clean in March. (After that, I start fertilizing (and) roughing up the old mulch. … I plant bulbs and the like in the fall … and don’t hang it until the end of October.”
Even if it sounds like a lot of work, work is really what Lisa loves.
“It’s the only thing I do where I lose track of time,” she said. “It’s almost meditative. I like listening to the birds and just being in nature.”
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The Todds spend most of the year outdoors, working and enjoying the results of their endeavors.
“The bench and the arbor (are) the most beautiful,” said Lisa. “When we sit out here in the evening and have a glass of wine, that (area) is the focal point. It…gives your eyes a place to rest, and hearing the water (from the pond waterfalls) is very soothing. This is our (usually) favorite spot.”
The Todd House is featured as one of the seven houses with outstanding gardens on 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.
The Kilgore Home & Garden Tour
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: Glenn and Lisa Todd, both of whom are retired.
home: This is a 4,400 sq ft 3 bedroom, 3 bath vaulted brick home in Stonewood Meadows, built in 2003.
special items: The expansive garden landscaped by the owners surrounds the entire house, two ponds, a covered dining and entertaining area and a fire pit.
Applause! Applause! Kilgore Counseling Center for arranging the garden tour; Matt Brown with Branching Streams LLC for construction of the two ponds; Laura Trachtenberg for recommending the garden to Kilgore; Steve Sarson, Dave Wittry and John Cummings for the countless hours they have dedicated helping with countless garden projects; and Paul Cappiello of Yew Dell Gardens for providing beautiful plants and interesting conversations about plant care.