Ardmore Garden

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Ardmore Garden

Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens
Ardmore Garden Donald Pell Gardens

project description

Our circulation plan concentrated on making the residence more private from road and adjoining residences at the outer perimeter while opening up much of the views from the home. For the front garden we removed much of the old foundation plantings of shrubs which hid the beautiful facade of this Neoclassical vernacular. A new flagstone walk flanked by Hamamelis ‘Arnolds Promise’ services the guest entry parking and leads you visitors onto a flagstone landing scaled to encapsulate the portico. The front garden is planted with bold drifts of herbaceous plants that create a tapestry of textures that one move through as the entire front garden is circulated. Significant drift of Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’, Muscari armeniacum, Dennstaedtia felix mas, Geranium macrorrhizum, Hakonachloa ‘All Gold, Helleborus orientalis ‘Brandywine Select, Packera aurea and Carex muskingumensis grace the front of the home while masses of Packera aurea and Carex muskingumensis soften the interior of the hedgerow. Viburnum trilobum and Viburnum pragense was added to the hedgerow to improve screening to the street along with White Oaks and American Holly as stewardship plants that can help restore canopy and understory layers.

The rear garden from the home enters out onto a 20 degree slope where large monolithic steppers take you down the slope planted with carefully selected and preserved understory trees and underplanted with strong drifts of herbaceous plants. Plantings of Acanthus hungaricus, Chelone ‘Hot Lips’ (great story on the name of this plant ), Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Molinia ‘Skyracer, Rudbeckia maxima and Sedum ternatum stabilize the slopes. A level lawn area is crossed on the way from the slope down to the pool surrounded by garden. Simple drifts of Pennisetum alopecuroides and Rudbeckia fulgida and Sesleria autumnalis surround the pool.

Paths develop beyond the pool and out to a wooded glade where groves of trees compress guests through a wooded glade. Asimina, Carpinus and Nyssa have started the restoration of the glade and lead one up a hillside to a fire ring used by the owners who can peak back through the canopy from above and enjoy layers of planted landscape. This garden with my involvement has been in development for over ten years. I’ve had the pleasure to work with the owners who like to meet once a year and talk broadly about the property. Every year I have been asked for recommendations and to my delight much of these are implemented. Looking forward I can only be excited for what this year might bring!

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