Seasons of Change

The garden at a Myers Park home is constantly evolving.

- Jodi Helmer

Haley Poole is not afraid of change. When she likes a plant, she grows it; if it doesn’t thrive, she pulls it; when inspiration strikes, she rearranges flowers and furniture.

“The garden is always changing,” she says. 

While Poole is comfortable experimenting now, she admits that she initially felt overwhelmed with the idea of turning the yard of her Myers Park home from a run-of-the-mill grass and gardens layout into a well-designed space.

“I love to garden, but I had no idea where to begin,” she recalls.

Poole and her husband, Scott, purchased the Colonial home in 2002. The backyard included an expanse of lawn, lackluster flower beds, and a detached garage that was about to fall down. To dress up the space, the couple installed a handful of plants, including viburnum, camellias, and magnolias, around the perimeter of the yard to create a pretty privacy screen. After that, Poole was stuck.

“[In 2012], we had contractors here building a new garage with a guest suite, and it was such a mess with all of the construction that we thought it was the perfect time to redo the gardens,” Poole says.

She called her friend Laurie Durden, garden designer for the Duke Mansion, for help with her own garden’s design. Together, they came up with a plan to turn the yard into four distinct outdoor rooms.

A covered porch off the family room is an expansion of the original concrete patio. Poole wanted a space where her family, including three children—ages 13, 11, and 8— could eat dinner together, watch football on the outdoor television, or relax with a book and listen to the neighbor’s chickens clucking.