One room, three ways: How 3 distinct looks transformed these gardens

Louisville is home to beautifully built houses and lush, blooming gardens. As we mark our calendars with upcoming garden tours, look back at three of our favorite garden spaces featured in Home of the Week over the years.

Outdoor oasis

Craig Scherman's Anchorage home reflects more than four decades of hard work, creativity and dedication. The country Victorian house, which was built in 1876, has undergone countless improvements and updates — and the garden is a carefully crafted display of flora.

“I’ve been here for 43 years, and it just keeps evolving,” Scherman said of his expansive garden, which is filled with trees, flowers, bushes, water features, and various statuaries. The outdoor space is a labor of love. From planting seeds to building rock walls, Scherman works daily to get it all done.

“I don’t mind the work,” he added. “It’s good for me. … It keeps me active.”

Scherman is self-taught; over the years, he has figured out which types of plants to grow, where to put them, and how best to care for them.

“My dad was into gardening, so you just kind of pick things up,” he said, describing how his begonias and impatiens are thriving, but the daylilies were getting eaten up by deer. “But now I … have low-lying plants; when they spike up with the flower, you spray that with Bobbex or Deer B Gon.”

Though some of the plant life in Scherman’s garden is recent additions, there are also a few long-standing pieces of history, such as a tree he brought from his parents' house decades ago.

A Master's garden

Master gardener Peggy Campbell wakes up early each morning to tend to her one-acre property, working until about 1 p.m.

Walking through the space is kind of like browsing an outdoor garden gallery. Everywhere you turn, there’s greenery. The space is chock-full of plants, flowers, and trees — and it’s all labeled. Everything from St. John’s Wort and hypericum to coral bells and hostas have little signs in front of them. Campbell explained that part of being a master gardener is labeling your flora.

"It’s also so I can remember them," she said with a laugh. "After a while, you forget."

Forgetting wouldn’t be hard to do as countless types of plants are found throughout the space. The area Campbell is especially fond of, however, is the rose garden.

"I love roses," she exclaimed. "That’s my favorite — (but) they’re the most work, unfortunately."

She adds that she adores peonies and clematises as well.

"That’s my favorite thing in the spring," she said, adding that one area of the garden is full of wildflowers in early spring. "(There’s) trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, Virginia bluebells, wild geranium. (It’s) all here, and it dies down, then all the ferns and other plants come up."

Whimsical wonderland

Glenn and Lisa Todd’s garden is quite a sight to behold. Wrapping around their 4,400-square-foot home, the space boasts two ponds with waterfalls, a large dining and entertaining spot, and a firepit area. As Lisa explained, their outdoor oasis is the result of 20 years of work.

“(When) we moved here in 2003, there was nothing,” she told The Courier Journal. "Only grass. Everything you see planted, I have planted.”

As a gardener, Lisa has complete creative license over the space.

“Even though Glenn’s not a gardener, per se, he’s very much a co-creator,” she added, explaining that her husband did all the hardscape work, including building the gazebo and arbor.

Lisa’s favorite plantlife includes sedums, small evergreens, hostas, and shrubs.

“I’m big on foliage,” she said. “I have a lot of perennial flowers, but I’m really (heavy) on foliage.”

In addition to the abundance of foliage and perennials — including salvia, 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 explained. “I’ve got about a dozen and a half of them out here. They’re hidden here and there.”

All aspects of the garden — from the plant life and hardscape to everything in between — are completely maintained by Lisa and Glenn. “It’s a part-time job,” Lisa said with a laugh. “(Or) part-time plus.”

Though it takes a lot of work, the labor is truly what Lisa loves.

“It’s the one thing that I do where I lose track of time,” she said. “It’s almost meditative. I like listening to the birds and just being out in nature. … This is our (most) favorite place.”

Know 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.

nuts & bolts: Outdoor oasis

Owner: Craig Scherman, who is retired. He spends most of his time volunteering with Kosair Charities, the Rotary Club of Louisville, Workwell Industries, Louisville Visual Arts, Anchorage Garden Club, and the Artist Guild of Anchorage.

Home: This is a 1-bed, 2-bath, 3,000-square-foot country Victorian home built in 1876 and designated as a Kentucky Landmark in 1979.

Distinctive elements: Two-acre property encased in four-board horse fence; 17-foot ceiling; crown molding; five fireplaces; skylights; exposed wood beams; opaque, etched-glass wall separating the dining and living rooms; extensive art collection; swimming pool; pool house; natural rock and bricks used to define various spaces around the home; dogwood and Japanese maple trees, rose bushes, mature evergreens, unique perennials and annuals, and daylilies; unique water features with an assortment of bronze and marble statuaries; extensive array of unique plant containers.

Applause! Applause! Builder Dan Callan.

nuts & bolts: A master's garden

Owner: Master gardener Peggy Campbell, who is a retired RN.

Home: This is a 3-bed, 2-and-a-half, 3,000-square foot, Bedford stone ranch house in Bellemeade. It was built in 1954.

Distinctive elements: One-acre lot; raised garden beds; outdoor hanging bench; koi pond; completely chemical-free garden.

nuts & bolts: Whimsical wonderland

Owners: Glenn and Lisa Todd, who are both retired.

Home: This is a 3-bed, 3-bath, 4,400-square-foot brick home with vaulted ceilings in Stonewood Meadows that was built in 2003.

Distinctive elements: An extensive garden created by the owners wraps around the whole house, two ponds, a covered dining and entertaining space, and a firepit area.

Applause! Applause! Kilgore Counseling Center for organizing the garden tour; Matt Brown with Branching Streams LLC for building the two ponds; Laura Trachtenberg for recommending the garden to Kilgore; Steve Sarson, Dave Wittry, and John Cummings for the countless hours they spent assisting with countless garden projects; and Paul Cappiello of Yew Dell Gardens for supplying beautiful plants and interesting conversations about plant care.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: How 3 distinct looks transformed these gardens in Louisville