SMITH LAKE – Ah! Summertime and the livin’ is easy, well, technically we’d probably all like to live that way, but for some, lazy days are few and far between, even on the lake. Take Jonas and Doris Simmons, for instance. They’ve created a paradise on the lake, but it’s come at a price, and not all in dollars.
They’ve turned their steeply sloped lake lot into a virtual terrace of blooming plants. Boaters, spotting it from afar, frequently turn into the cove for a closer look at the riotous colors and unusual foliage. They are not disappointed.
The Simmonses have lived on Smith Lake for 20 years. In that time, they have put in thousands of man (and woman!) hours developing a picturesque waterfront view for themselves and onlookers who can appreciate the unusually vivid landscape from the water.
In order to shape their almost vertical lot into something they could actually plant and work on, they had to first form a series of five terraces, but even so, the hill is still very steep. Doris Simmons, 74, has developed the calf muscles of a 16-year-old dancer, while Jonas Simmons, 76, has the body of a stevedore.
Along the terraces bloom brilliantly hued lilies, iris, roses and a wide array of various other sun-loving plants. At intervals among the foliage you are apt to spy a little gnome, or a smiling squirrel, a Cheshire cat or perhaps an angel. Doris Simmons collects the whimsical objects d’art on vacations around the country, adding to her collection several charming birdbaths, arbors, bird houses, stone benches and a colorful bottle tree.
The scenic, park-like setting offers wonderful views from the window walls of the spacious 7,600-square-foot house, especially from the kitchen, where the Simmonses have coffee and look out over the gardens and the water every morning, although they don’t linger too long because there is always something to be done in the garden, Jonas Simmons on a mower and Doris Simmons with shovel in hand.
When the sun reaches its zenith they usually take a break out in a favorite spot, a point located on the south side of their property. It’s a newly developed site, where they’ve installed a swing from which to catch the almost constant breezes while watching the fish jump in the shallows only a few feet away.
You can spot catfish lazing in the sun-warmed water, while more vigorous fish leap into the air nearby as if for the sheer joy of being alive. Jonas Simmons likes to watch almost as well as he likes to fish. The spot on the point is perfect for both.
Doris Simmons, a Master Gardener, is happier working among her flowers, which look as if a fairy appeared, waved a magic wand, and created a magical garden along the shoreline and up to the house on the hill. A fairy with a shovel and a bucket is more like it!
It wasn’t easy, but the couple has managed to transform what was once a solidly wooded waterfront property into something that belongs on the cover of a home and garden magazine. With five points reaching out into the lake, it is a unique and exceptional area, with features that are uncommon on a lake which was carved from mountains and is famous for its bluffs and rugged, natural shorelines.
Because it would have been impossible to manage this feat without the terracing and the addition of a concrete water wall/ walkway, they used a lot of ingenuity and elbow grease to make sure that their efforts would not be undone by rising water.
By working smarter, not harder, they found a way to control erosion while adding beautiful vistas on all four sides of their home. In some places where water formed a natural gully down the slope, they used the natural rills and runs to their advantage, lining them with sand rock, then planting the edges with tough shrubs and trees that withstand occasional rushing water during the rainy season.
Jonas and Doris Simmons are quick to tell you that God is the real gardener here – Doris Simmons has just rearranged it a tad!
