And Then Again, Maybe We Will Build That Wall

Twenty days from breaking ground to completion

When we started developing an overall landscape plan for Willow Greens Farm, our intent was to create a five-year schedule with an eye toward first cultivating areas nearest to the house, working each space to completion and then moving on.  As time passed we’d tackle utilitarian projects like the barn and spring house, and then eventually have a go at the meadows and distant tree lines.  But the lifecycle of a garden seems to work to its own rhythm.

Without really thinking about it, projects unfolded not because they fit the plan, but because they had real and sometimes unexpressed meanings to our day-to-day lives.  The vegetable garden out yonder by the barn immediately drew our attention, and although it may not have been first on our list, we found ourselves paying most attention to what has become the beating heart of our space.

The White Garden, at first glance a throwaway patch with no real form, surprised us as we found it to be our window on the outside world.  It’s the space that greets us over our morning coffee.  It’s where the chipmunks hold court.  It’s where winter and summer birds flock by the dozens.  Adding to its attraction was the fact that it required no new infrastructure or hardscaping—just the instant gratification of bulbs, plants, and shrubs.

It’s impressive what three guys can do in a couple of days when they have the skills

Then there were the projects that thrust themselves upon us.  Trees that menaced the house had to come down, and while you are at it, why not take care of some deferred maintenance on the rest of the Walnuts and Hackberries that had become so twisted and misshapen.  Oh, by the way, that wooden fence right within your eye line that is rotting and lashed to some saplings? That has to go as well.  That doesn’t even take into account the many well-related, heating-related, bathroom-related challenges that pop up in an old house.

So we were quite pleased when we broke ground in March on the Arrival Court at the front of the house. Now, finally, we were checking off projects from the master list.  And what a project! Grading! Stonework! Plantings!  Our initial idea of coupling this with an Arrival Garden was scuppered as Daniel thought it should be a raised garden (filled to the level of the Arrival Court) and I was thinking about a sunken garden. This required drawings—so the dogs barked and the caravan moved on. But the space was crying out for some attention and the sunken garden idea was still rattling around in my mind.

Nick’s three-foot deep foundations keep the wall stable - And ensures that you find any unmarked electric lines

Fast forward to our garden visits to the UK, and we saw how a change in level enhanced every garden we visited (particularly Kiftsgate, Sissinghurst and Great Dixter).  And the natural enclosure formed by our massive boxwoods made the ideal space for a dedicated, four-square garden.  Plans were drawn up and earth-movers were summoned.

Like the tip of an iceberg, the stone seems almost an afterthought

Whenever I’ve looked at this space, encircled by Boxwoods and adjacent to the house, I think “Here is where we’ll find the bodies” or at least a scrap of colonial life.  The excavation turned up nothing but red clay, a bit of shale, and the electric line to the barn.  Although we were close to the trees, we avoided any major roots.

The sum total of our archeological finds

There’s not much to say about watching skilled craftspeople do their thing with ease, except that this was clearly a case where my initial idea of building a rustic stone “farm wall” ( I like laying stone walls, and I’m not bad at it) would have been a mistake.  The precision of the grading, the elegance of the work, and the selection of the stone steps by Nick’s guys made this a really attractive addition.  We created an opening through the smaller Boxwood hedge to an area I’m calling (adjusts monocle) the “Croquet Lawn”, a space we recently had graded and seeded for next year.

The new space beckons

Unfortunately the window for any new grass has passed so I’m looking at a muddy job site until the spring.  I’m not too bothered.  I have no planting plan, I’m not sure about any additional hardscaping, and I haven’t completely settled on a concept yet.  But what the hell, the masons were available and I was filled with enthusiasm.  What could go wrong?