My Own Garden

A small bit of news- I’ve agreed to have our garden on the Bainbridge In Bloom tour this summer. I’ve had enough folks say I should, so I’m going for it. Course it makes me see all the problems in the garden that I keep meaning to fix. For god’s sake, I’m a garden designer so this place should be perfect. Well, it’s not; makes me realize I do many of the wrong-headed things in my garden that I advise my clients against. Do as I say, not as I do.

Our Bainbridge cottage is pretty much a dream come true for us both. We found it walking along the beach, not in the market at all for a place, just visiting friends. It had been empty or a rental for about 20 years, neglected and funky and to our amazement, kind of affordable. Completely knee-jerk reaction and we had bought it.

We love that it is so light-filled and comfortable and open to the sea and our neighbors. The thought of sharing it with others has been fun; a little gem sitting right under everyone’s noses for years and just in need of some energy, more cash than (we) expected ( maybe that’s why others had passed it by) but feels worth it- especially when warm weather arrives. We’ve named it Wit’s End.

The Bloomers have asked me  what I consider the highlights of the garden. Below is what I shared with them:

My husband and I have spent some time on Cape Cod and the remodel of the house and that feel of a beach cottage and garden is clearly what we wanted to re-create here. But we wanted it open and friendly to our neighbors who walk down to the beach. We kept the old picket fence and the garden fairly open along the roadside so we can chat with folks as they come by. It’s an old-fashioned, informal garden; ok for it to be messy at times. I definitely wanted the layout to be functional, using gravel paths and natural stone walkways for getting out bikes, kayaks, wheelbarrows and a bit of lawn for having cook-outs, playing croquet, summer games.

The most obvious highlight is our view- I didn’t want to block it or distract from it all- so the plantings are low along the beach side. We live out on our deck in the summer- breakfast to late summer dinners. I wanted much of the garden to be low maintenance and chose many ornamental grasses, lavenders, sages, etc. along those lines. We get serious winter winds and cold up the channel so I can’t do tender choices here. I love the movement of the grasses in our sea breezes. I love our dilapidated fence with willows and lillies and cat mint swaying in front it.

The second most obvious highlight is that I wanted a good sized vegetable garden with a variety of fruit trees, blueberries and lots of strawberries.  Many of the pots on the deck also have fruit bushes, herbs, etc. I surrounded the raised veggie beds with a fairly extensive perennial garden for cut flower arrangements and did the same up by our north boundary, close to the house. We eat almost fully from our garden and the farmer’s market during the summer- the best part of summer for me.

I am a plant fanatic but also a designer that brings home way more plants than I probably should. What may be a bit chaotic for some is a lovely laboratory for me. I will often try out new plants here to see if they will work in clients’ yards so some areas will have a bit of hodgepodge of roses, new cultivars, etc. to see how they fare. I love fragrant plants so there are varieties of lilacs, daphne, viburnums, Exbury azaleas, lillies. I’m also going through a “gold” phase so there are many variegated gold and yellow plants to brighten corners of the garden.

But this is my garden- lazy in some ways because I’m designing and planting other people’s places 5-6 days a week so I want to be able to come here and futz in it some, be inspired by it, but also be able to relax when I’m really home. Make sense?

Come visit- July 9th- 11th. You’ll see why I feel so blessed.