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Landscape Design
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Garden Tour: Colorful, Serene Woodland Near Boston
Exuberant perennials, outdoor rooms and a surrounding woodland come together to create a beautiful landscape in Massachusetts
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Six years ago this garden in Massachusetts was a neglected landscape overrun with invasives like poison ivy, bittersweet and euonymus. However, a couple with a 2-year-old son and a dog saw past the tangled yard, drawn to the property's woodland setting as well as the town of Belmont Hill's proximity to Boston.
Soon after buying the home, they called upon landscape architect Matthew Cunningham, who had a vision of a main entry path through a colorful front yard perennial garden and a serene backyard woodland garden. "My clients wanted a rural feel with contemporary elements that would contrast with the simple and elegant traditional lines of the house," says Cunningham. They also wished for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, critter-resistant and colorful plants in the front.
Soon after buying the home, they called upon landscape architect Matthew Cunningham, who had a vision of a main entry path through a colorful front yard perennial garden and a serene backyard woodland garden. "My clients wanted a rural feel with contemporary elements that would contrast with the simple and elegant traditional lines of the house," says Cunningham. They also wished for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, critter-resistant and colorful plants in the front.
| Sneak peek! Salvia, miscanthus and peonies combine warm and cool colors. |
"As soon as I saw the house, I had a vision of a perennial garden with a walkway path slicing through it," says Cunningham. The front yard enjoys full sun for most of the day, which creates a perfect microclimate for these plants.
| At the end of the entry path, a breezeway connects the main house to the garage and serves as the main threshold into the home. The back side of the breezeway is all glass and enjoys views of the backyard. Two large pots of miscanthus flank the front door. "We play around with the plants in these containers seasonally ... we've also used large boxwoods and fuchsia to add color, texture and height next to the door," says Cunningham. "The garden is always evolving." |
| The mounded forms and spires of the perennials, ornamental grasses and inkberry contrast with the boxy shape of the house. "The plantings are seasonal," explains Cunningham. Waves of color from different plants bloom throughout the season, while glossy and silvery leaves provide contrast for most of the year. The plant selection includes Russian sage, giant alliums, salvia and white peonies. |
| Catmint and geranium rozanne add ever-blooming color down the front walkway throughout the summer. The walkway and the driveway are made of Chip and Seal, which has an asphalt base, then a layer of liquified tar topped with a layer of embedded crushed pea stones. This gives the look of stones without the scatter caused by shoveling and plowing in the winter. |
| Purple coneflowers, Russian sage and ornamental grasses bloom through July and August. |
| Astilbes, geraniums and caramel coral bells show the wide variety of color and texture in the blooms and their foliage. |
| "The established canopy in the backyard means that it enjoys dappled shade all day long," says Cunningham. In contrast to the explosion of color out front, the backyard takes its cues from its serene woodland setting. Plants like mountain laurel and ferns add to the softness and lush green surroundings. |
| Large elements of the backyard's new design include this dining terrace and a lawn terrace, created by dry laid stone retaining walls. "In the backyard, we used the brick to create texture and patterns that were not too loud," says Cunningham. While the house has a running bond-brick pattern, the bricks in the backyard were turned on edge to create contrast and tone down the busyness of the patterns. |
"I used manganese iron spot brick for the backyard. I love these particular bricks because they take on different colors," Cunningham says. "In the morning, they have a rich mahogany color, while in the afternoon they give off iridescent purplish blue hues."
| Beneath the dining terrace is a lawn terrace that overlooks the surrounding woodland. No mortar was used in building these walls, and Cunningham raves about the landscape construction company that completed the renovation, Gardenform. |
A hand-crafted stone stairway connects both of the terraces to the rest of the yard. "The clients really wanted to use a local stone," says Cunningham. Thus, he found this Goshen stone, a granite from a nearby quarry.
Pops of purple from catmint and allium tie the back garden to the front.
Pops of purple from catmint and allium tie the back garden to the front.
| The terracing and use of stone walls provides crisp changes in grade. |
"The garden's geometry pulls from the house and channels views to special plants and areas on the property," explains Cunningham.These horizontal bands of brick slice through an herb garden. "The voids between the bricks contain creeping thyme, culinary thyme, rosemary and chives ... the kind of plants that are aromatic underfoot," says Cunningham.
A narrow gravel walkway through the herb garden channels the view to a grove of existing paper birch trees. "These beautiful trees serve as living sculptures," notes Cunningham.
| Carefully placed punches of color in the foreground have a dark forested backdrop provided by conservation woodlands. |
| Sedona, chief critter of the backyard, loves to hang out in this beautiful landscape, and apparently likes to match his Pucci-esque accessories to the perennials. |
| This home's landscape continues to evolve, and Cunningham is currently trying to establish grass on the boccie court. Here's a glimpse at the plan to help you place all of the photographs into their greater context. More: Landscape Tour: Two Acres of Rural Hillside in Maine Focus Your Garden Palette Houzz Tour: Virginia Wine Country Cottage |
Ideabook updated on May 14, 2012.
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