Sunday, 17 October 2010
An Architect's Garden
It arrived in my e-mail box, unanticipated. An invitation to visit a garden, with the entry fee for the benefit of an alternative, holistic school for young children. Described as the renovation and expansion of an 18th Century dairy farm with magnificent gardens, stone walls, barns, an English style orangery [sic], a visual treat. Interesting. The day proving to be a mild and sunny one I decided to swing by on my way home from the morning's meeting of the rock garden society.
The garden is not on the school's grounds. Rather, it is the home and garden of Tendenze Design. In addition to design work they import and sell architectural objects and some magnificent country style furniture from Europe. Fascinating place. Never saw so much boxwood in an American garden outside of the southeastern states. Stately plants in large containers. Water features. Am I having fun yet? You bet! and I'm barely up the drive.
Design is beautifully done on visual axis with very well developed sight lines across garden "rooms.".
A trellis-like fence encloses the potager. Granite setts define the boxwood edged beds and also
pave the walkways. Silvery, jagged leaved cardoons make a bold contrast to ruby Swiss chard.
A fountain jets up from a circular pool. Bare of leaves, Pyrus salicifolia accents the design.
A little cafe-style table and chair provide a place for momentary pause, or simply leave a trowel.
End of summer, leaves have withered but the last moon and stars watermelon awaits harvesting.
Framing a view. Greensward sweep of turf grass with pale tan meadow grasses beyond.
Framed between two sizeable greenhouses a formal pool is bordered with - what else - boxwood.
I expect that in winter the glasshouses are stuffed full of the tender plants that accent the various garden rooms.
Even now a gently dripping fountain makes music in a little pool, in winter providing much needed humidity.
A Moorish rill behind the old dairy barn, with boxwood edging. It reminds me
of the paired rills at Hestercoombe, a Jekyll / Lutyens garden in Somerset, UK.
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Once a dairy barn, the structure has been upgraded, updated, modernized and is now the owners home.
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These old cloches, capturing sunlight. I too,
am captivated and hope for another visit.