Job mobility has resulted in us owning more homes than the fingers on both hands.Most homes came with mature gardens which, for better or worse, needed little more than tinkering.However,each gave us both pleasure and the opportunity to learn,eg
- heavily pruned cornus red twigs give a wonderful winter display
- squirrels like tulips as much as we do
- there is no such thing as a low maintenance water feature
- unchecked golden rod can become a brute……etc
Prior to Andallen, 2 gardens gave us the freedom to stamp our personality on them. The first was a new build house called Lathallan where the land had been prepared but the garden not developed.The garden was small but did allow us to develop a number of ”rooms” that were ” on trend” eg a white garden; tropical room. Planting our first and only Dicksonia tree fern was a memorable event. When we left the property we were pleased with what we had done and our confidence had been boosted.
The Ridge Garden
Our greatest challenge and learning experience came from our last garden – simply referred to as the Ridge – situated in North Carolina. A huge make over in a hostile gardening environment – high temperatures and humidity;deer;groundhogs; clay; heavy rains – executed over a 4 year period.It ended up a very special place and quite difficult to give up. The understanding of which plants will flourish even further south will be invaluable.
Andallen will be its own garden but will be influenced by both Lathallan and the Ridge.We can see it in our minds eye……
AndAllenGarden 