Grandmother Willow offers sage advice in Pocahontas. Old Man Willow terrorizes the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings. The Whomping Willow bashes the unwary and guards a secret passageway in the Harry Potter series.

Why does the willow figure so prominently in our cultural mythology? Perhaps because its undulating, drooping branches seem to reach for you as you walk beneath them, and its leaves whisper in the breeze. Hideaways beneath skirt-like tendrils seem made for romance or the sharing of secrets.

Happily, a grand old willow in Judy Seaborn’s Niwot, Colorado, garden appears to be the friendly sort. Dubbed Grandma Willow by Judy and her family, the tree sheltered a half-dozen tables and 80-some bloggers at a lovely garden party that closed out Day 2 of the Denver Garden Bloggers Fling (June 2019).

As we streamed into Judy’s garden at the end of a long day of garden touring, servers appeared with trays of hors d’oeuvres. We were soon revived with delicious food, wine, and other refreshments. What a treat! Happy conversations ensued beneath Grandma Willow’s canopy.

Judy’s garden — long mixed borders surrounding a lush lawn watered with well water — was just a “beat-up horse property” when she bought the house in 1999. She immediately set to work turning it into a garden with play areas for her kids, a flower garden to relax in, and a vegetable garden to feed her family.

A tiered fountain anchors a flowerbed along the back patio,

At the other end of the long patio, a pretty birdbath floats the fallen blossoms of a hanging fuchsia.

A deep, undulating mixed border draws you out into the garden.

Toward the back, an arbor and picket fence disguise a trampoline play area.

I love this idea.

More grown-up amusements are on offer too, like a bocce court in the side garden.

Rhythmically spaced black planters run the length of the court — a perfect accent.

Looking back toward the house

A large vegetable garden and fruit trees grow where a horse corral once stood.

A metal rooster presides over the garden.

A charmingly rustic shed bears a sign that reads In the Garden: Botanical Interests. Botanical Interests is the seed company that Judy co-owns, and which we toured earlier that day.

Judy’s backyard is HUGE. Here’s the wide view across the lawn, with the vegetable garden just off to the right.

The Texas bloggers posed for a group photo here. Once again we were the largest contingent by state, beating even the hosting state of Colorado by one.

From left to right: Andrea of Grow Where You’re Planted; Cat of The Whimsical Gardener; Cindy of My Corner of Katy; Laurin of Ravenscourt Gardens; Pam (yours truly) of Digging; Caroline of The Shovel-Ready Garden; Shawn of Ravenscourt Gardens; Linda of Central Texas Gardener; Jean (our newest Texan, who was in the process of relocating from Louisiana to Houston) of Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog; Holly of Gardening Among Friends; Laura of Wills Family Acres; Vicki of Playin’ Outside; Diana of Sharing Nature’s Garden; and Joellen of Gardening Among Friends.

I’ve been Flinging with many of these folks for a decade, and with Diana for 12 years!

Angie of Angie the Freckled Rose getting some shots of her own.

Back under the willow, I found Barbara of B. Wise Gardening relaxing in a wicker swing. This is the life!

After all, when you have a tree as majestic as Grandma Willow, you’d be crazy not to throw parties under it. My thanks to Judy for throwing one for us bloggers!

Up next: The brunch-ready garden of Kirsten and Scott Hamling. For a look back at the outdoor-living showpiece garden of Scott Deemer, click here.

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Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.