Bayou Gardens

Christie and Michael Echols’ Home Garden

ARTICLE BY MARÉ BRENNAN AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

A global pandemic can’t stop the Echols family from being grounded in nature. Christie and Michael Echols along with their two precious children have enjoyed outside living and learning during the Covid-19 quarantine. Both husband and wife are members of the Northeast Louisiana Master Gardeners who have put their gardening know-how to work to create functional and beautifully designed garden rooms surrounding their historic Monroe Garden District home. A potager garden filled with herbs, flower and veggies neatly tucked into raised beds edged with boxwood and brick, an outdoor living room surrounded by hydrangea and crepe myrtle, an outdoor dining room and grilling station along with a designated yoga and exercise area that overlooks a zen like water feature make this family’s gardens a quarantine dream.

BL: Was any part of your garden existing when you moved in?
CE: Yes! we are so fortunate to live in an older home with lots of mature trees and plants, as well as all the shade that comes with it. The large trees and azalea perimeter in the front yard were existing. We used to have a magnificent fig tree in the front yard before the 2014 tornado. When my daughter, Amelia, was a toddler, she and I loved to go pick and eat “pigs” together, and I’d let her climb its limbs. It was sad to lose it, but I love the brick round-about and staggered concrete drive that we have now instead. Some of my favorite existing plants are the loquat tree, the cypress trees, and a magnificent array of camellias and sasanquas that a previous owner planted, and I suspect propagated, because some are very interesting hybrids.  Also, the pond was already in place. It is beautiful and has provided endless hours of entertainment for the kids, catching minnows and tadpoles.

BL: Did you design your gardens yourself or did you employ a landscape architect or landscape service to draw plans?
CE: We did them ourselves! Michael and I both love gardening, though thankfully different parts of it. Michael often has great ideas, and he is for sure responsible for the lawn and making sure general maintenance happens. The hydrangea and crepe myrtle garden was his idea, and it is one of my favorite spots! He also built a new fence and gate for me during the quarantine.  I’m the one to take pencil to paper and draw things out dimensionally. If it’s very geometric, it probably originated with me. We are partners though, and little is done by just one of us. The “potager garden” in the back is my current pet project. With strong geometries in the form of brickwork and boxwood hedges, the garden was designed to be my personal outdoor classroom. I wanted something that was structurally beautiful, so that I could experiment within the beds. As an architect, laying out the garden was the easy part for me! Learning how to grow and care for a variety of plants is my exciting challenge. We just started it in the fall, but it has already come a long way. I cant wait for some of the shrubs to mature!

BL: Are you inspired by any particular gardens or landscape styles? If so, what is your inspiration?
CE: While Pinteresting, I came across a type of garden, called a potager garden. I loved that it was designed to be beautiful but freely mixed herbs and edibles with ornamentals. Instead of rows of crops, you end up with more planted bouquets of everything just mixed together.

BL: What challenges have you faced when constructing or maintaining your garden?
CE:The garden is in a low spot in the yard, as well as being under an amazing, but often shedding, oak tree. The beds are elevated, while the paths are deep with rocks to retain rainwater. The garden gets “messy” sometimes, but I knew that going in and that works for my relaxed personality. My other challenge is that it is not a full sun garden, so there is a lot of experimenting trying to see what herbs and edibles can succeed there. I made a sun chart in my garden journal, measuring the quantity of light in various spots throughout the garden every 30 minutes of the day. It ranges from part sun to part shade. There is a lot of dappled light! Ideally, there would be more sun, but this was one of the last remaining undeveloped parts of the yard. I also chose it for its proximity to the kids’ play area.  

BL: Since the Covid pandemic has struck, what percentage of your time is spent outside in your garden?
CE: I began planning this garden knowing that Michael’s work schedule was going to become more intense with his new role as State Representative. I wanted to scale back my work responsibility in order to proactively prioritize our family’s home-life culture. I don’t believe that families are accidentally awesome. So I planned the garden, bought our family’s first dog and prepared to “dig in” to domestic life. I had no idea that we were all about to be quarantined together, but I was fortuitously prepared! With the quarantine came homeschool! Like many other parents, I found out that teaching my kids their school lessons is not an area in which I naturally thrive! Our school, JGS, never missed a beat. We had a week’s worth of assignments by Monday, after they came home into quarantine on Friday. We worked our tails off! It was a difficult challenge that I’m very proud of the girls and I for making it through. There wasn’t much left of me at the end of each school day, so I escaped every afternoon into the garden. It became “my thing” and would rebuild my confidence and peace of mind after the struggles of school each day. When it rained, I would research about companion planting or shade tolerant herbs and veggies. I’d make notes in my garden journal. Michael, the better cook, would usually make dinner when he wrapped up his day’s work, for which I am really thankful!

BL: What does your time spent in your garden feel like?
CE: It just feels like the place I am most content. I love using my hands and not feeling hurried. I feel connected to my mom, who is a wonderful gardener, and I feel connected to God, while watching all the miracles of life unfold around me.

BL: What’s the most rewarding aspect of your garden?
CE: This year, with the quarantine, was really the first time that I’ve tried starting a lot of plants from seed. I think we were all finding ways to be more resourceful. I had a big garden to fill and various seed packets shoved into drawers that I was able to pull out. Since the restrictions have relaxed a little bit, it has been so fun sharing my little plants with friends to put into their gardens! Also, eating out of my garden is so fun! I do not like cooking, but eating out of one’s garden is inherently satisfying and healthy to boot!

BL: Favorite plants?
CE: My arugula! It grows so quickly, and I eat it every day!!!  I’m also excited about the Luffa gourds, which were also planted from seed.