Part 2: Woodland Garden

Directly behind them was an overgrown parcel. Tom and Lib had their eye on it from the beginning as runoff from major storms would run onto their property. A recluse who lived diagonally behind them owned it; neighbors had seen him only once in 18 years. Tom and Lib had sent him a letter long ago - never replied to - stating their interest should he ever want to sell it.

In 1997, Tom and Lib hung a new letter on the recluse’s door when they learned his family was in town. It worked. The owner never said a word during the entire process; his advisors handled the sale. His only condition? No one was to build on the property during his lifetime.

And that suited Tom and Lib’s plans perfectly.

They now owned a lot never properly inspected as it was dangerously pockmarked with holes. This new annex was also filled with poison ivy, wisteria vines and mountains of decades-old construction debris lurking underneath. But the gleam in their eyes grew brighter, undaunted by the challenge of transforming this unkempt wilderness.

Clean up started immediately. Weekend after weekend, Tom & Lib filled wagons of vines and underbrush. Weeks became months, and nary a dent could be discerned, it seemed at times.

It took over two years of endless work to become the blank slate they hoped for. That required removing over 100 scrub trees, raising the remaining tree canopy to allow in more light, and bringing in over 40 tons of boulders to enhance the terrain. It was time to begin filling in a most glorious garden canvas. But who would help guide this vision?

Enter Dr. Larry Mellichamp, botany professor and (at the time) Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Garden. Tom asked him for ideas on hiring a garden designer, but as they chatted, Larry’s interest was piqued.

He asked, "Would you mind if I came out?”  

Exciting plans for an Asian-inspired woodland garden began to take shape. Larry walked the vacant lot and suggested where paths might go and what specimens to buy. Many of these unusual trees and shrubs were new to Tom and Lib. This was when Tom began his obsession with Japanese maples (now numbering over 90 varieties). This part of the garden is also where our rescue bunny home - called the Tajma Hutch - is found.

It took years - and many visits by Larry - to assemble their wonderful botanical garden.

But there is one more piece to the story.

Part 3: Upper Garden

One day Lib received a call from their long-time neighbors at 4255 Kingswood Road, Frank and Katherine. Frank shared they had signed up with a local retirement community. The couple didn't know how quickly an opening would come up but wanted Tom & Lib to know that at some point they would be moving. 

Lib began thinking of her 89-year-old widower dad, Eddie. She asked if they could pay for first refusal when 4255 Kingswood went on the market. It all worked out beautifully and Eddie bought the home, with his daughter just a door away. Sadly, he didn't live there long as he passed at age 90.

Dad left the house to Lib and they rented it for about five years to a nice family with young children. When they moved out, the question was: rent again, or tear down the house and expand MapleWalk? “The house needed a new furnace and roof so the decision wasn't too difficult!” says Lib.  

The house was bulldozed, and dreams of a new garden area danced in their heads. The Upper Garden has more sun than the other properties, and allowed Tom to explore planting more conifers and for Lib to grow peonies.  

Frank and Katherine’s daughters have visited MapleWalk on several occasions and seem pleased with the transformation of their childhood home.