Picture a perfectly groomed garden that fills the front and back yard of an average-sized property with hundreds of flowers, gnomes and knick-knacks throughout and more greenery than the local garden shop has in stock.
Whatever is being imagined, Rick and Marsha Hartman's garden is better.
The Hartmans' garden was chosen as Bittersweet Garden Club's Garden of the Season. The award was formerly known as the "garden of the month," but was changed to a seasonal award in 2021.
"They were chosen because he always has something in bloom," said Heather Brown, garden of the season chairwoman. "You can just tell it's a lot of years of hard work, and it shows. It's just beautiful."
Their garden is an impressive oasis. With layers of beautiful greenery, there are benches and bridges throughout the area to relax and enjoy every aspect. More than 450 hostas and countless flowers cover the space, attracting butterflies, birds and even a pair of curious owls.
The Hartmans have lived on their lot for 18 years, and have been building their garden ever since.
"There was hardly any landscaping on the lot when we moved here," Rick said. "The first task was to secure the integrity of the lot -- that is to say to keep the soil from washing away."
Located on a hill, the property catches runoff when it rains, which would pool right behind the house, keeping anything from growing -- even grass. To save the lot, Rick decided he needed to focus on four elements: color, texture, form and function.
In the form and function categories, Rick built two creeks out of natural rock, stones and gravel to catch the runoff. He also constructed a 25-by-25-foot patio behind the house where water would pool, which also made room for benches, a swing and a nice firepit.
"It's mainly for the grandkids to roast their hot dogs," Rick admitted.
The Hartmans' lot had many large oak and hickory trees that kept the area shaded, but also kept grass from growing. To solve this problem, Rick removed the hickory trees and covered the majority of the lot with flower beds, rock gardens and stepping stone and gravel pathways.
One of Rick's goals for his garden is to have color year-round. In the spring, green leaves emerge and center roses, crocuses and primroses bloom. Once those flowers begin to fade, daffodils, hyacinths, daylilies and wildflowers start bursting with color.
"The hyacinths bloom in colors of red, blue, pink, white and yellow and fill the air with a wonderful fragrance," Rick said.
After about two to three weeks of those flowers holding color close to the ground, the buds on redbud, dogwood and sand cherry trees bloom. There are several other flowers that flourish throughout the spring season, like azaleas and peonies.
When summer hits, the lilies begin to unfold. Red, orange, yellow, purple, pink and white lilies line the sidewalk in front of the home, and the blossoming rose bushes and hostas also add color to the lot. Next in line are cone flowers that border the driveway, stone walkway and metal fence along the street.
Texture comes to play in autumn when the leaves start to turn, most of the vibrant flowers are gone and the garden is left with blue, green, yellow and white leaves of hostas.
"Winter is the season where I use form as the focus of the garden," Rick said.
When all the flowers have withered and leaves have fallen off the trees, what's left are the grand stone pathways, bridges over the creek and rock gardens.
"A winter snow highlights the outline of the paths and flower gardens," he said. "The red twig dogwood and the yellow twig dogwood plants also stand out in contrast with the white of the snow."
By using color, texture, form and function, Rick said, they tried to make their lot a "four-season yard" to be enjoyed each full year. And they achieved just that.
When it comes to being chosen as Bittersweet's Garden of the Season, Rick and Marsha agree it's special, but they were not aiming to win.
"It's nothing we tried for," Rick said. "We just did it because we like to do it."
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Month. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Month. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Month. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Month. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Rick and Marsha Hartman's work has received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating a welcoming appearance from the curb to the creek behind the house. Organized by shade plants and sun plants with rocks and gravel used to control the flow of rain water, the yard is a welcome respite from a sometimes overwhelming world.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Upon arrival at Rick and Marsha Hartman's home, you can see the layers of plants, pavers and rocks that are the result of 18 years of gardening work. The Hartmans have received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating their own slice of paradise, a place to relax and enjoy and take in their surroundings.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Upon arrival at Rick and Marsha Hartman's home, you can see the layers of plants, pavers and rocks that are the result of 18 years of gardening work. The Hartmans have received recognition in the form of the Bittersweet Garden of the Season. The Hartmans live at 205 Woodward Lane on the city's west end where they have spent 18 years creating their own slice of paradise, a place to relax and enjoy and take in their surroundings.