Old Town Semi-Secret Garden

About

Love of Space, of Stone, and of both wild and cultivated Nature characterizes this garden evolving over 19 years in the caring hands of sculptor and landscape designer- builder Kimmerjae. On a fairly busy street in the center of Old Town Lafayette, find a green wall of columnar evergreens wrapped with a color and texture-rich border of strong xeric forbs and low shrubs. Enter through a playfully woven arch of poplar shoots and trumpet vine. You are welcomed by a gently curving stone path to the front porch around the yard of native blue grama grass. Under a canopy of multi-trunk ash trees (well cared for and sustainably protected by Berkelhammer Tree Experts) the owner’s sculptures punctuate the border of her favorite xeric plants. Many of these provide fruit and medicinal value along with their beauty. Moving northeast around a small, ebullient collection of hardy roses, there is a central open area under the trees where monthly concerts are held in the summer months. This area is bordered by the wide arc of a raised bluestone walkway to the studio and outdoor work area. The walkway is lined with lavender and holds the edge between the more cultivated part of the garden and a backdrop of taller wildflowers and herbs. The walkway and much of the stonework throughout the garden were built using materials left over from substantial projects in her years as landscape design-builder. All supplemental watering in the quarter- acre garden is done by hand, with a few channels tended like old-style irrigation ditches. The town owns two of the artist’s sculptures in its permanent collection, and the garden is a well-loved gem in Lafayette, being featured several times in Lafayette’s Old Town Garden Tour. It is not an unusual sight to see community members taking photographs in the entry arch.

This garden’s estimated size is 1/4 acre.

2025 Open Day: Saturday, June 21 

Hours: 10-4