Idaho Botanical Garden Private Garden Tour: Houses IV & V

I've been slacking, (more like spending all my off time working on our garden) so this post will go over two of the gardens. One of them was in it's first year, so there is a lot less to discuss.  House IV is the last of the Boise's North End, and eclectic neighborhood know for all sorts of historic houses, smatterings of guerrilla architecture, and lots of gardens. Some well kept, others long into disrepair. Most folks that move to the North End pay a premium to live in a neighborhood chock full of character.  

House IV had so many different plants. Again this house is on a smaller lot, but it seemed expansive with all that was going on.  

 I don't think I saw a blade of grass in the front or side yards. 

 When you enter that back yard, a beautiful, colorful garden welcomes you in. 

 It was an explosion of color and texture. 

 It was like a living fireworks show, and it was so very lush.

 I liked this old watering can trellis.

 One of the features of this property is an irrigation ditch or lateral that runs along the inside of the back fence. Instant water feature. I also spied a pump hooked up for irrigation. If it's like the rest of Boise, the water runs from early April to October on a good year. 

 The water is very cold and works a bit like outdoor air conditioning. O.K., on to house V.

 The garden volunteers at this house told us that it had been purchased early this spring, renovated and a new garden planted. The plants are still young and will take a few years to establish and take off.

 This house is on the Boise Bench, it runs south and west of downtown on a terrace of land above the river. While there are many historic homes, you can see that Boise began to grow here in the 50's to around the 70's. Fans of mid-century architecture can find some real gems in the Bench.  This house got a nice updated finish.

You can't throw a stone in Boise without hitting tons of river cobbles and gravel. Most people don't like the look of it, but this dry creek bed works well. 

 On the side of the house behind the white fence are some raised vegetable beds. Then further around and past the side driveway and garage you entered the back yard with the most inviting pool and wonderful waterfalls. It was hot out and after 3+ hours of tour, I was ready to jump in. I now want a pool at our place. 

 Behind the falls looking toward the large shaded patio.