The green thumb doesn’t fall far from the tree for Mason resident Gwen Horter. Her mother, Lynn Martinson, is an avid gardener who passed on an artist’s eye and floral finesse to her daughter. And growing up with the family business didn’t hurt either. Although it’s no longer there today, while she was growing up, Gwen’s family owned The Village Green florist in Greenhills. So when she and her husband Drew decided to build a new home in the Long Cove neighborhood, a dedicated space to put her passion for planting into practice was high on the wish list. “At my old home, my potting shed was basically just my back deck,” Gwen says.
Now, in their new two-year-old home, Gwen has a dedicated space for her hobby on the far end of the house. While the location gives Gwen easy access to the lush planting areas of the back yard, it keeps her out of the stream of activity in the home, as it is separated from the main body of the house by a five-car garage.
“It’s my oasis away from the hectic,” she says.
Busy family of five
The couple has three teenage sons who keep things hopping in the home. The two older boys, Hayden and Griffin are typically busy with high school sports, and the youngest son, Avery, keeps busy with school activities and collecting and enjoying movies in his down time, while dealing with the challenges of autism. For all three of them, the back yard is a great place to gather with friends and work off a bit of energy. Two patios and a fire pit provide plenty of entertainment options. A freeform pool is especially helpful when it serves as the setting for Avery’s therapy sessions.
A yellow lab named Bella and black lab named Eli, add another layer to the activity level in the home. They also keep Gwen company while she builds her colorful arrangements.
A getaway off the garage
Moving from the main body of her elegant, old-world-style home, through an oversized garage space, Gwen slides open two wooden pocket doors to reveal the ultimate bonus room—a charming sun-drenched space that provides the space and the inspiration allowing the homeowner to immerse herself in her work.
Two galvanized tubs on stands hold different types of soil, a vintage potting table picked up in Waynesville serves as the primary work station, and watering containers, pots and tools line the shelves of the blue, paint-washed potting station.
“I wanted my own area where I can enjoy potting,” says Gwen. “I wanted to be able to decorate it and keep it cute. I didn’t just want a closet to throw pots in, or have my supplies junking up the house.”
Displayed on the walls and throughout the space is Gwen’s collection of antique watering cans. “Everywhere I go I keep my eye out for more,” she says.
Kim Fox, who worked closely with Gwen on the interior design of the home, helped put a few finishing touches in the shed and patio areas. Together the two selected pots and lanterns and arranged them on stairs and in clusters by the pool.
“Gwen has a great eye for plants and landscaping,” Fox says. “Those overflowing planters and beds are all hers. I never touched a piece of dirt or a flower.”
Color front to back
The exterior of the new home is accented with colorful creations in the front landscaping beds and window boxes, and to the rear of the home including multiple beds and two perennial gardens.
Gwen is behind all of the creations, with the exception of the flower boxes. Those she entrusts to the team at WOW.
“I do that for safety reasons,” says Gwen. “There is no way I would feel comfortable that high up on a ladder.”
The flower boxes carry through the European, old-world theme that Gwen prefers, plus they have irrigation systems installed to make them reasonably low maintenance.
Flowers for hanging out
At the back of the home, Gwen’s creations are sprinkled liberally throughout the outdoor living and playing spaces. While the pots and planting beds’ locations stay the same year to year, the plant material inside them does not.
“I know where I am going to be putting my pots, but every year I try to do something a little bit different,” she says.
During the winter months Gwen peruses garden catalogs for inspiration, but when spring comes she grabs “everything that looks good to me” when she goes to the nursery. Some of her favorites are lantana, geraniums, verbena and snapdragons.
“I love a mix of colors,” she says. “I don’t go for all pinks or all reds in a container. I go for more of a shock factor.”
Avoiding any late southern Ohio frosts, Gwen usually starts planting the first of May. She fills dozens of pots, several planting beds and adds a splash of summer-long color to two perennial beds. Her goal is to have these areas looking great from May through September.
“It’s a hobby that I really enjoy,” Gwen says. “I love starting with nothing and creating something beautiful.”
Resources: Builder: Artisan Estate Homes; Interior design: Kimberly Fox Designs; Pool: Watermark Pools; Window boxes: WOW Windowboxes