Barnhill Landscapes:
Off The Beaten Path on The Road Less Traveled
Just in time for Spring, we direct you to an offshoot of lesser-known route 98 south is route 345, better known as NW 100th St. When you turn onto this backwoods road and breeze through the trees, you can almost miss it. One of the most eclectic displays of collected combinations this side of the Suwanee. What stops you from driving right by is either the life-size dinosaur or the rusted bus rooted in a swampy, fountain-sporting pond. Is this a mirage or did we turn off the road into the Mesozoic era?
“Oh my gosh! Did you see that?” I asked Mark.
“You mean that rusted out old bus on the side of the hill?”
“No, I meant the dinosaur in the front yard.”
“What??”
Never has a car turned around faster. It was as if the images would disappear if we moved too slowly.
“There! Pull in at the triceratops,” I said.
“That’s not a triceratops,” said Mark. “That’s a regular dinosaur.”
“Potato, potato. Turn in.”
We had stepped back in time to a land of tin creatures, antique vehicles, beautiful blooms, pottery, and butt buffeting benches scattered across the landscape of, well, the landscape shop.
Barnhill’s is a family-owned business featuring bulk and bagged gardening materials as well as plentiful plants, appealing pottery, and yard décor. They started as a landscape installation company in 2007 and opened to the public in 2015. As you roam through the ten acres of products your eyes will bounce from ancient gas pumps to coke machines to playful planters. Sidestep the magnificent ground covers and take a walk through the grandparent’s home hovering in the background. In 1987, they went out for the day, became sick and never returned. Their toothbrushes were found on the sink and an open telephone book lay on the table. The Plymouth automobiles are sitting right where they were left; his two cars for work and leisure, and her car for town.
The house is an antique portrait of a generation gone by complete with a wringer washing machine, record albums and old-time office equipment. The floor has been removed in preparation for future installation of a room-to-room designed house plant display. Open the fridge and store your soda while you take in the history. It actually works and is glacier cold.
Looking for something to decorate your patio area? How about a unique Christmas gift for the person who has everything? There’s birdfeeders, benches, bike plant holders, trellises, signs and bird baths. Find a comfort plant for the kitchen among the borders and annuals offerings. Take a minute to meditate by the pond where the fountain mesmerizes you into tranquility while the tin birds guarding it catch tin fish. Take a seat on a wooden bench and plan your backyard paradise. But remember to take pictures; you don’t want to miss the opportunity to remind yourself of the outdoor art gallery that is Barnhill’s.
