Backyard Paradise: Of Flight and Fancy

Gloria Davis has a secret at her house. And like most secrets, it’s very well hidden. Amid the carefully coiffed lawn in this established North Raleigh subdivision, a Peter Pan garden sits, surrounded by shrubbery nearly six-feet tall. And in the middle of the garden is a glorious old oak tree that seems to stretch nearly to the sky.

That old tree is the mast of a very large pirate ship—The Jolly Roger—complete with poop deck, sails, pirate flag and authentic steering wheel and compass. There is also a set of teepees for the Indians and Indian Princesses and a hideout for the Lost Boys, which is equipped with an escape hatch, of course.

Gloria is married to Chuck Davis III and they have grandchildren that visit and overtake the Peter Pan Garden, which is the whole idea. Gloria already had a playset for the kids, but her side garden, before its transformation, sat largely unused and that bothered her.

“Gloria wanted a reason to come here, and she was thinking a themed garden would be fun,” says landscape designer Cat Valand. “I was trying to think of something that would appeal to both boys and girls and that’s how I came up with Peter Pan.”

A trip through Neverland

The road to Never Neverland started, oddly enough, at RE/MAX Preferred Associates in Raleigh. Valand was there with a friend who was giving a presentation on staging homes. As it turns out, Gloria knew Valand’s mother-in-law and the two started chatting.

“With landscaping as her forte, we began to discuss my secret garden and that I wanted to create a theme,” remembers Gloria. “We just hit it off and our imaginations soared. Nothing was holding us back.”

Valand researched her subject, watching movies and reading books. The garden was built from the perspective of a child. Upon entering, you must duck below a painted window frame, which gives the impression of climbing through an open window. Authentic English chimney pots from Blowing Rock, NC are scattered at the mouth of the garden to simulate flying over rooftops.

One side of the garden features three teepees, perfect hiding places, that will soon be covered with green leafy vines. Another work of art is carefully hidden on the other side of the garden. “We have a Lost Boys hideout that was made by Luke Barrow of Rustic Garden Structures,” says Valand. “It has an entry that is concealed on purpose. It looks like a fallen tree and it has an escape out the back with a secret ladder.”

Valand convinced renowned woodworker Clyde Jones to carve a giant alligator, which was placed in the water: black mondo grass. Although much planning and research was required to complete the garden, much of the greenery from the old garden was recycled. The weathered brick pavers were recycled too and weave an intricate teardrop path around the pirate ship.

“The garden was fully established so it was neat to leave as much as we could and to incorporate some of the things that were here,” says Valand. “We moved things around and took out some things because we wanted space for the children to be able to play.”

To the untrained eye, the delightful garden is finished, but Cat Valand will soon assemble Tinkerbell on the ship mast and raise the flags for all to see. The only other unfinished touches are the bronze iron fairies she wants to purchase for the space. She found some in Blowing Rock, but the deal fell through. She’ll keep looking.

The final verdict   

The first time the grandkids saw the garden was Christmas 2006. The Davis’ have two grandsons, one granddaughter and a grandchild on the way.

“Our expectations were surpassed by their enjoyment and excitement,” says Gloria. “It’s our family time together and where we’re making memorable and magical moments today and the many tomorrows to come.”

Young Charlie, 3, loves jumping off the plank and “torturing others with his plastic sword,” says dad Chad Davis.

Cassie Davis, mom of Abbie, 5, and Park, two and a half, says the secret garden is a wonderful place for the children to express their imaginations.  “It is a place of escape and adventure for them,” she says. “They can create their own stories and actually live them out there. Abbie is a ball of imagination and the garden just opens her up to more possibilities and ways to express her awesome creative nature.  For the boys, it provides plenty of places to climb and play and run and just be boys and at the same time allows creative play that they might not otherwise create for themselves.”

In all, the project took about 8 months to complete, says Valand. It was her first theme garden, but she’s ready to take on another. It was a great experience for Gloria too. “Everyone has had the best experience in creating our Peter Pan secret garden,” Gloria says. “It could not have been more fun.”

• Landscape Designer: Cat Valand
• Lost Boys Hideout: Luke Barrow with Rustic Garden
• Plantings: Heritage Landscapes
• Ship: Jim Reynolds and Charles Cates
• Alligator Carving: Clyde Jones

Christa Gala is a Freelance Writer