Lexington, KY - Within the heart of the Chevy Chase, Jim Parsons has cultivated a bucolic backyard sanctuary in this downtown neighborhood by surrounding his space with luscious greenery and tediously constructed walls.
When the Parsonses first moved into the home, the backyard was nothing special - just two trees and "a big dirt pile," Jim said. After he and his family (wife, Debbie, and daughter, Morgan) decided to do a complete overhaul of their backyard on Clinton Street, he called upon the service of Bill Henkel, co-owner of Henkel Denmark and a landscaping architect the Parsonses had relied upon with previous property renovations.
Now dozens of birch, magnolia, dogwood and pine trees, as well as many other strategically placed flower beds, dot the yard's perimeter and embellish the assorted layers of ground Henkel fashioned. The plant and trees also hide the yard's fence, which allows for the family's Cavalier King Charles, Lucy, to take full advantage of the space. The entire vista is a spectacle to behold from the Parsonses' enclosed back patio, a popular haunt for Jim during a good portion of the year.
"This is where I truly hang out for the whole summer and most of the fall," Jim said, explaining that the variety of plant life keeps the space interesting through the seasons. "Bill (Henkel) has it designed so there is color at every season. You get just a blaze of fall color out here."
The most arresting feature in their backyard is the dry-laid stone wall - more than 100 ft. of it (counting the front installation as well). Aside from giving a nod to central Kentucky's heritage, the wall, which also circles the sitting area around the fire pit, is wide enough to serve as a bench for the numerous revelers the Parsonses host in their backyard.
Amazingly, especially in this day and age, each piece of stone was hand cut specifically for its placement in the wall, or within the walkway which leads from the front of the house to the back. Large boulders were essentially moved to the site where the crew from McAlister Stone meticulously picked and chipped away for the better part of six months. The family was so taken with the wall, they later had McAlister fashion a fireplace in their living room in the same vein as the exterior wall.
Further away from the back of the home, a discreet stone walking path was carved through the foliage. "When stuff is grown in," Jim said, "it's literally like walking through the woods."
To the side of the back patio, but isolated from the rest of the backyard, is the grilling station, which has a floor akin to the stone wall and walkway. Henkel originally suggested furnishing a fixed, outdoor kitchen, but the Parsonses decided to stick with a stand-alone grill, which on most occasions is manned by Debbie.
"She's the griller," Jim said. "It's sort of opposite to what it's supposed to be."
Jim is definitely more captivated with, and proud of, the small details that define the family's green space. Small sculptures, constructed by Murfreesboro, Tenn., metal artist Rick Heard (who Jim met at the Woodland Arts Fair), are peppered throughout the yard, and "twinkle" lights, small metallic tubes with a series of minute holes covering a light bulb, hang from a tree on a timer.
Unquestionably, Jim is enamored with his family's immaculately designed backyard. If you're looking for him, chances are he's taking it all in while sitting comfortable on the back patio. "It's my refuge, it's where I go in the summer. I truly live out here," he said. "I'll sit out here, sometimes, until the middle of the night - you know, when you're covered in dew and you're wondering why your wife didn't wake you up."