Elvis, antlers, and moon pies at Memphis Fling’s Thompson garden

At the Memphis Fling successful June, Susan Thompson greeted america wearing flowery antlers, connected the limb of a gold-lamé Elvis. It was a memorable welcome!

Her and hubby Jon’s rosy stucco-and-stone location was memorable too, adorned with antlers, hollyhocks and lilies, and stone and tree-branch art.

Susan has a agelong past with this property. For her plot description, she wrote:

“I’ve spent astir my full beingness [here]. In 1931, my Papa bought these 50 acres for conscionable $10 — backmost erstwhile it was considered excessively acold from bustling Memphis to matter. Little did helium know, the onshore held heavy past beneath its soil. This precise spot was erstwhile a Chickasaw Indian campground, location to 1 of Memphis’ lone 2 earthy springs. Later, it became the tract of a Union Civil War hospital.”

Today the 50 acres contains a tiny subdivision built astir a picturesque manmade lake. This is the presumption from Susan and Jon’s backyard.

First we were invited to peek wrong a stucco greenhouse — much similar an existent location for plants — with a pergola-shaded patio retired front.

Beyond that, a ample courtyard and pond connection plentifulness to research betwixt the main location and a detached garage. The pond is dramatically built connected a hillside overlooking the courtyard.

Along 1 partition of the house, a fantastic histrion made of chromatic seems to sprout from the earth.

On Facebook, Susan explained its origin: “We had truthful galore leftover stones aft we finished the location that Jon and I drew retired what signifier we wanted, and the stonemason, Romeo, made it.”

In a surviving echo, an espaliered pear histrion grows against a partition of the garage.

Close-up view

The stucco store with antique doors and mounted antlers gives Santa Fe vibes.

But pinkish hydrangeas marque it wide this is the South, not the Southwest.

Lilies, hollyhocks, and roses adhd vibrant colour on those dusty-pink walls. Even the doggy doorway has antlers.

Speaking of

Susan’s walls are hard-working. Here, h2o spills from a spout hidden by ivy into a sturdy trough fountain.

Side view

Serpentine branches — aged espaliers? — get caller beingness arsenic plot creation with a overgarment of purple oregon bluish paint. The branches enactment matching birdcages.

It’s amusive to spot repurposing similar this.

More birdcages, each a antithetic color, look passim the garden.

A antithetic benignant of bird cage successful a furniture of coleus

Heading astir back, I recovered a ample structure overlooking the lake.

A leggy faux bois array holds collected rocks and slag glass, positive a potted aloe and agave.

The owners intelligibly admit godforsaken plants. A brace of painted chairs features flowering cacti.

More antlers are gathered successful a airy bluish cookware with bluish slag glass.

Shade plot down the house

As I headed out, I grabbed a MoonPie for the roadworthy — a Southern puerility dainty from a playful Southern garden.

Up next: Memphis plot buying astatine Millstone Market and Nursery. For a look backmost astatine Pam Beasley’s handbasket arbor and plot rooms, click here.

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