BY DIANA LIEBERMAN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRETT MOUNTAIN
Above: Jim and Judy Burdick, whose Bloomfield Township garden will
be included in this year's Franklin Garden Walk. Top: A naturalized •
granite and boulder walkway leads to a pretty spot for alfresco dining.
24 •
APRIL 2006 • JNPLATINUM
y garden is my passion, my sanctu-
ary," says psychotherapist Judith
Burdick of Bloomfield Township.
Over the course of 13 years, Burdick and her hus-
band, attorney James Burdick, have transformed
their home into a graceful homage to nature. Their
front yard is crowned with roses; their side yard
blossoms with viburnum and hydrangeas. Herbs,
lilacs, water lilies, rhododendrons large and small
— each has its own special garden.
Although the couple has worked with Royal
Oak master gardener Sandy Wilkins on design
and construction, and with plant designer
Deborah Silver of Deborah Silver and Co. in
Sylvan Lake, on pots and annuals, Judy Burdick
throws herself into creating and maintaining her
gardens.
"When we moved in, this was a traditional
1960s quad with beautiful trees that created a
backdrop for my dreams," she recalls. "And like
anything in nature, it is still evolving."
The towering trees surrounding the house
inspired what has turned out to be a quite
unique landscape. Instead of fighting to main-
tain a lawn and traditional garden in the shady
back yard, the Burdicks tore out the grass and
created a woodland garden. Steppingstones
and a mulch path lead through a landscape of
ground cover, including low-growing sedum,
perennial oregano, creeping thyme and sweet
woodruff, while ferns and hosta thrive in the
cool shade. In the spring, the purple blooms of
myrtle and white-flowering pachysandra add
subtle color, and white and red trillium peek
through the ground cover. As the season pro-
gresses, pink and white tulips dot the landscape.
Because the best flowers for a woodland gar-
den are those native to the area, advises Burdick,
she pays annual visits to the Cranbrook Garden
show. "I'm always adding new wildflowers that
do well in Michigan," she says.
A few years ago, when the couple built an
addition to their house, they also brought in
boulders and slabs of granite for the woodland
garden, creating a natural stairway. A water
feature from AguaFina of Sylvan Lake continu-
ously overflows into a stream bed that winds its
way through the shady landscape.
"I wanted a place for myself where I can go
on a daily basis to retreat," says Burdick. The
result, she adds, "is a haven. My garden is a
passion, a lifestyle. When I sit at my kitchen
table and look out the window, I feel like I'm in
nature. It was designed with that in mind. I feel
like I'm luxuriating in God's gift to humanity.
And if I have made a contribution in some way
to what nature has already perfected, that gives
me a great feeling of satisfaction and peace." ❑