From MrsTuner's tribe of friends...

They were one of the homes on the community garden walk and wanted to share!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnirm7w6pIs

Oh my. It's beautiful! Very different from California, even before water became an issue.

A few questions, if I may.

I've never seen a garden this lush in NW Ohio. I assumed it was because they had to be re planted every spring. Do most of those plants come back every spring or do you have to plant them again?

What kind of grass tolerates shade like that?

I have seen a lot of paver-in-sand and rock mulch paths in Ohio, along with a lot of dry stack stone planters. Is it because concrete walks, patios, and walls are prone to frost heave or is it more of a style thing?

I've noticed that most Ohio gardens don't use rigid borders like wood or concrete like we use here. Dean road was done like this. How hard are these borders to maintain?

That's an absolutely beautifully executed shade garden. Great plant choices and wonderful structures and accessories. Love the potting greenhouse. edit: And the Black Bear Cottage!

Shade. It's all about the shade. And hostas. Bulletproof perennial plants that look good from spring through fall with just about zero maintenance. (In memory of Ron Popeil - Plant 'em and forget 'em!) What you sacrifice is bright color, which is hard to do in a shade garden.

The arbors, gates, wind chimes, copper rain chains, patio furniture....they all add to the feel of the garden. Even down to a sweet kitty wandering around.

What I'm seeing is almost all perennials and shrubs that require don't require a lot maintenance. Hostas, hydrangeas (Annabelle and oakleaf), ivy, Japanese maple, astilbe, purple coneflowers, allium. I'm only half way through the video...

They have some coleus and caladiums (annuals) stuck in here and there to give a bit of color.

A few of the plants, like the juniper, are usually more suited to sunny locations, but in my own garden I've been surprised how shade tolerant some evergreens can be. I have a large mugo pine and even larger Tanyosho pine that have done very well is what I thought would be less than ideal conditions.

There are also a bunch of potted houseplants in nice decorative pots spending the summer outside in their yard.

Their edging in some areas seems to be paver bricks. You have to use a line trimmer or something to keep the grass next to it from getting sloppy. I think they also have a lot of paved areas and virtually no grass in much of the garden. So after the initial effort and expense, nothing much to maintain.

I have a shaded yard similar to theirs, but much smaller in size. Here are a couple of views of the bed under my 60 year old silver maple. I planted it more than 20 years ago, and except for digging up part of a hosta or three to give away, or to add a new variety that I acquired, I've done pretty much nothing to it:

I think I also see some impatiens, but not sure. They were always extremely popular around here as a great flowering annual shade plant that doesn't require deadheading and blooms all summer. Sensitive to cold, though, so tricky in the spring.

Unfortunately some years ago there was a disease that ran rampant through nurseries and the plants turned toes up and died right after you planted them. I'm not sure what the status is right now.

Mrs ron's friends' garden also has bleeding hearts, another perennial.

As for the lawn...In my yard, I have a sun/shade grass mix. Some bluegrass, but also lots of tall fescue. Despite the shade and fighting the maple roots for water and nutrients, it does fine. Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra, I think. Have also used a Pennington's blend but we like Jonathan's better.

I don't use any commercial fertilizers. I mulch clippings when I mow and Raffi adds some liquid nitrogen several times a day.....

The couple loves to work on projects, from building the little cabin in the back yard for the kids when they were small to moving loads of rocks around to building furniture!

She has most of the ideas and he is happy to dig in to multiple projects. When we were over there before he made the movie he told me that the path started out with the larger pebbles, but made walking a little tippy for older folks. He added a bunch of pea gravel which helped, but over time and through storms, the pea gravel shifts down below the larger pebbles. I liked the visual effect, but he was a little disappointed!

She went through a really rough cancer/bone marrow/graft vs. host episode years ago and really values each and every day and looks for ways to encourage peace...

WTG got it right about shade guardens needing little fussing from year to year. The key seems to be picking the right plants/size/textures to work with each other!

Like any labor of love, I'm sure they spend plently of time on details - especially when prepping for a garden walk!

The oak leaf hydrangea out front near the road in the beginning is stunning.

They must not get deer with all those hostas and hydrangea. I could never have any of them in my old house. Fences sure help, too!

I got all sorts of ideas for things to do in my own yard, thanks to your friends' video!