The Gardener's Profile: The Albright Garden

The home of Master Gardeners Herman and Donna Albright sits in the rural hills of Tennessee. Here, on several acres of land, the Albright's have turned their gorgeous farmland into a dreamy garden landscape. Everywhere I look there are ornaments and beauties of all sorts to behold. Even though the blooms of summer have fallen away, lush greenery still lingers all around, as the leaves are falling to create a lovely scene of a fall garden. Upon entering the garden through a small wrought iron gate with an antique pergola, I am transported to a place of peace and beauty.

Following the stone paths I am just taken away with all of the statues, stone works and varnished artifacts that dot the landscape. Every place I look there is another treasure to see and marvel at. Walking underneath a wooden arbor, I look up and see the hearty tangles of branches that are woven through the wood. At the top of the arbor, beneath the canopy, tiny dragonflies hang in the breeze, giving the scene a dream like quality. Adornments hang everywhere, with wind chimes, a beautifully blue wine bottle chandelier and hooks for plants and bird feeders. It is paradise, all constructed by hand by Herman and Donna. Every stone that has been placed and every flower planted is the work of over 30 years.

Coming from underneath the arbor, I see a lovely stone laden patio with an arc of rainbow Adirondack chairs with matching side tables. Each one is a different hue, giving a wonderful burst of color to the area. The chairs face out toward the stunning Koi pond. Flat river rocks border the pond, as huge golden and silver Koi swim around in a slow dance. Tall grasses line the pond, as well as elephant ear plants, that give an air of the exotic. It is just beautiful. Lovely pieces of driftwood are placed here and there, with metal herons and mermaid statues. Once again I feel as if I am walking through a dream garden, that I am Alice, walking through Wonderland and have happened upon the Mad Hatter's tea party. This garden gives you that feeling of wonder.

There are decks, patios and a gazebo all on just a small piece of the property. There are hand made pieces, such as this mosaic built by Donna. Using an old shower door she has created garden art. To say that I am inspired does not do it justice. There are a hundred new ideas I want to try after visiting this oasis!

Toward the edge of the yard, Herman has created a fence barrier, with pieces of an old wooden fence and interspersed with bamboo trellises that he also made himself. The bamboo trellises are simply awesome and I want to make some! He placed the bamboo reeds to make a grid and then connected them using small zip ties. They then planted a bean plant, that has a vine like quality, and it has crept up the trellises. Who knew beans could be so pretty?! The bean plant has lovely green foliage with pops of purple, which are the bean pods. I will absolutely be planting these next season!

Almost every piece that is pictured here was created by the Albright's themselves. I particularly love the wine bottle barrier. It was one of the first things to catch my eye when I first walked onto their property and now, of course, I want one! My poor husband is going to have to do so much more work in the spring now, helping me with all of my new found projects! I hope this post has inspired you as much as my visit to the Albright family garden has inspired me. Happy planting!

Teresa Filgis is a freelance writer with specialties in parenting, gardening and camping/outdoor living. She is a wife and mother of two and she loves spending quality time out in nature with her family. Teresa is a graduate of Austin Peay State University. You can follow her on Instagram @tfilgis.