Dolly Parton likes to say, “If you see someone without a smile, give ’em one of yours.” For retired dentist Kit Sullivan, this philosophy translates to the tulips, peonies, larkspurs, and Virginia bluebells that fill her Richmond garden each spring. “Flowers always make people happy,” she says. “I wish they lasted longer, like an artist’s painting, but they are a temporary smile.”
Kit’s generosity is well known among her family and friends, who regularly stop by her 1936 home in the city’s Windsor Farms neighborhood. Tucked behind the house is a little sanctuary where she cultivates thousands of colorful blossoms throughout the seasons. A stroll down the brick paths reveals hollyframed beds dotted with long stems ready for cutting, rows of prizeworthy daffodils, a cool section for shade-loving plants, and a garden room that’s equally suited for potting or sipping Champagne after Friday-night weeding.
Learning to Grow
Her love for these natural beauties began on her family’s farm in nearby Bedford County, where her mother crafted thoughtful floral arrangements for church each Sunday. Even so, Kit didn’t start growing flowers from seed herself until 2011, when she helped install a garden at a local foster care facility. “I didn’t even really know what a cut flower was,” Kit admits. She signed up for a few classes and used that space as a training ground, eventually growing types like gomphrenas and celosias that thrive in Richmond’s hot summers and can be used in centerpieces to brighten up the organization’s various offices and schools.
The gardener decided to put her new skills to work in her own backyard when the long-awaited removal of a sweet gum gave her a blank canvas. After years of dealing with the tree’s spiky seed balls and the sloping lawns she’d had at previous homes, Kit could finally realize her dream. “I’d always wanted to have a place where I could create my own garden and do it how I liked,” she says.
Taking Root
The project originated with a formal parterre design, an elegant and organized way for her to nurture the blooming experiments. After trial and error, she settled on ‘Soft Touch’ holly for the borders, limiting opportunities for boxwood blight to take hold. She later added a stone raised bed for annuals like cosmos, ageratum, and African marigolds; a designated area for the historic-bulb collection that she plants for spring daffodil shows; and fairy gardens for her seven grandchildren to enjoy…