Julie Witmer Gardens Newsletter

Julie Witmer Gardens Newsletter

Notes from Havenwood

August: Pools, Fountains, Columns, Fruit, and End-of-Summer Refresh

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Julie Witmer
Aug 27, 2025
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Our ferny Ruin Garden fountain with a new metal grate for accent.
Our ferny Ruin Garden fountain with a new metal grate for accent.

“A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Ferned grot,
The veriest school
Of peace....”

🌿 T. E. Brown, My Garden

Welcome to Notes on Havenwood…

where I share more of the inner workings of my one-acre town garden in western Pennsylvania. We are located in horticultural zone 5/6 between the Great Lakes and the Appalachian mountains.

After a long summer of brutally hot weather here at Havenwood, we are finally getting some cooler temps. We have been prepping for a tv crew to come visit the garden this autumn, so it has been good motivation to get some long-planned projects done!

A new pool in the Cottage Garden this month
A new pool in the Cottage Garden this month

Join me for an overview of our projects at Havenwood from this past August…

Cottage Garden Pool

One of the most exciting projects of the month was the pool in the center of the Cottage Garden that I have been planning for eleven years. Its a long story, but I had almost decided to change my design plan, but my daughter suggested that I go for it and I am so glad I did!

BEFORE: morning of August 4th
AFTER: this week in the Cottage Garden

Here are some process photos of how we constructed our formal pool in one day this month:

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