Gardens
Natural Habitat
Forget the cookie-cutter shapes of some water gardens — this Overland Park couple used their own green thumbs to make their landscape something you have to see to believe.










 

After grabbing a cup of coffee or a cappuccino, Chad and Suzanne Shaffer make their way to a window to see who’s visiting their water garden each morning. The “natural” backyard feature is home to more than 200 different shrubs and trees, easily 500-600 plant varietals and about 1,500 koi, while wildlife come and go as they please.

The Shaffers moved to Overland Park in 2000 from Riss Lake to be closer to Suzanne’s job, but the deal was that Chad, being further away from work, could bring his fish to the new home. He researched, bought the right equipment and hauled 750 koi, in Rubbermaid containers, to their 1979 French Country home that sits on five acres and is “a country setting in the middle of the city,” Suzanne says. They both agreed that whatever their garden design was this time, it had to look like an original part of the landscape. Because it’s their third water garden, the couple has the process down to a science — and practically does all the work themselves.

“Suzanne has the ability to see the end product,” Chad explains. “She can look at a bare piece of land and visualize what it will look like, and I’m the guy who figures out how to make it happen. Out of necessity, we’ve learned a lot, and that’s all part of the process. You learn what works and what doesn’t work.” About three years ago, Chad and Suzanne had a “catastrophic loss” when all 1,200 of their fish unexpectedly died. Wiping away some tears, they went to Raccoon Valley Fishery in Pleasant Hill, where they hand-picked and purchased 500 koi, in all different sizes and colors. These fish and their progeny now make up approximately 1,000 fish in the pond today. (Numbers also fluctuate because of blue heron.)

Visitors to the Shaffers’ garden wouldn’t guess it was manmade — let alone by its owners, who are both family doctors. The horseshoe-shaped English garden, bounded by septic laterals on one side and an orchard on the other, holds about 100,000 gallons of water and is about four-and-a-half feet at its deepest, with different shelving units for animals and birds to enjoy. Bog gardens beneath the surface are filled with Kansas soil and clay for additional plants like the peaceful water lilies seen “floating” in the middle of the pond (they reduce maintenance, too).

The natural rock work surrounding the garden and used to build     the waterfalls was from Precision Creations, while Classic Pool Construction added a spray-in cement liner to the pond after replacing a rubber liner because of a muskrat problem years ago. The pond  could be transformed into a swimming pool for future residents because it has the right drains, skimmers and filters, although Chad doesn’t see that happening in his lifetime. The Japanese-influenced wood-plank bridge leads to the peninsula or center island, where the most formal part of the garden is, showcasing waterfalls on each side, old-fashioned flowers and an English maiden statue.

Thousands of plants fill in the rest of the garden, with 80 percent of the perennials and 95 percent of the annuals grown in the greenhouse the Shaffers built themselves. Suzanne’s favorite shrubs include the American Cranberry Bush and Beauty Berry Bush with its “brilliant purple berries,” she describes. Calendula and balsam are annuals that have pretty flower structures, while her top perennial choices are phlox and Bells of Ireland. “It’s all about the color, texture, shape of the leaf and what the stems look like,” she says. Chad, on the other hand, gravitates toward maltese cross and water iris. He also loves the big orange varieties of poppies and the tropical flare of elephant ears. On a more sentimental note, Chad planted ornamental grass that came from his childhood and hometown, where his dad planted a patch for each of his three sons after their Eagle Scouts ceremonies. When his parents moved, he dug up a chunk of the grass and has been incorporating it in his gardens ever since.

Other property features include an original fruit orchard, vegetable garden and landscaping around the home and street. Cherry, plum, peach, pear and apple trees thrive beside the peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, eggplant, beans, peas, watermelon, cantaloupe and several varieties of squash, zucchini and cucumbers. At a close glance, guests will also see other food plants dispersed throughout the water garden for added color, including cherry tomatoes, cabbage, herbs, rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish and numerous berries. In the front yard, when a city road project removed Chad and Suzanne’s “lover’s lane,” a row of mature walnut trees, Chad planted 21 Thuja Green Giant trees from the Grass Pad to replace the ones they lost, “and as soon as it grows over, we’re going to have our lover’s lane back,” he says.

As if the water garden and surrounding landscape isn’t spectacular enough, future plans include a deck remodel extending into the backyard and changing  the garden pathways to flagstone to reduce mulch maintenance. Whatever changes are made will comply with the original “deal” Chad and Suzanne made years ago about keeping their “natural” habitat intact.

“We get to watch wild animals and birds come here, make a nest, maintain it and still allow us to do stuff around the garden, basically co-exist together,” Chad says. “Then you get the unique opportunity to watch eggs hatch, little ducklings hit the water and take their first swim around the pond. It’s just pretty cool.”

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Behind the Scenes



Chad’s two main gardening rules are ‘simplicity when possible,’ and ‘reduce maintenance so you can enjoy your garden.’ That’s why the garden’s technical responsibilities are nearly stress-free — everything in the pump house is either automated or very easy to do. No chemicals are added to the pond; the waterfalls naturally create enough oxygenation, even on hot days; and because the pond is a good size, he doesn’t have to worry about ammonia levels. “It’s basically a natural bio-dome,” he says.

- A large Fluidart Technologies bio-filter and UV lights maintain water quality.

- Water loss from evaporation is replenished from natural well water, which is also used for landscape irrigation.

- The green house has automated misters and supplemental grow lights, along with a fertilizer mixer that products accurate ratios for feeding plants.

-  All plant beds and trees have automated drip systems within the garden’s 26 different zones because some plants require more water than others. “People often overlook the water requirements,” Chad says. “You have to take water conservation into mind, and I think that’s the key to success.”

- The two waterfalls have a total of five pumps, with a combined output of 24,000 gallons of water an hour, creating just the right visual effect, Chad says.