Many of you have been so gracious to write and ask about the move into our new home (aka life apart from Sister!), which began in May. We are still unpacking strange boxes of unknown contents. So, it’s like a really interesting Christmas present from a distant relative.
One of my favorite things about our new home is my garden. You have to walk through my garden to get to the front door! The garden is where the front yard swimming pool used to be (that’s a post for another day). Our architect, Jeff Dungan, sketched for us his idea of renovation, and the walled garden entry won me over immediately. I love to garden, but this is so exciting to have it right outside the front door.
Neal and I love raised beds because they are easy to maintain. I have a total dislike for getting on the ground to plant flowers and this is perfect for me. We wanted an English garden and cottage look for our house and the stone façade was the perfect choice. Eldorado stone is one of our favorite products, because it is very old looking and you can create a flatter wall with it. The over mortar technique is one that I have studied in English cottages for years. I am sure when those older cottages were built, it was for warmth to completely seal the joints between the bricks. I love the look and wanted to replicate it as close as possible. I selected Moonlight Roughcut, as it was the perfect blend of limestone colors of gray and brown.
We selected a synthetic slate to re-create the vintage look for the roof, but with modern technology and benefits. I love the texture, and everyone stops us and asks where we found the old slate. I started to makeup a good story, but truthfully this synthetic slate is made by DaVinci Roofscapes, and the first time I saw it, I loved it. Bellaforte Slate was my choice in Smokey Gray-Vari Blend.
Our garden gate is very special as it was Neal’s grandmothers. He laughs and says he has moved that gate for years and finally it has a home. Stephen and Brian, two of our sons, gave us the fountain for Christmas this year. They wanted to give us something for the house and this is the perfect fountain for my garden.
I feel like I am in England when I go to my garden. There is something tranquil about watering flowers and picking beautiful blossoms in the early morning light. I am adding roses and other favorite flowers gradually. I even found a Downton Abbey Rose called “Anna Bates” and I just had to add it to my garden. You can see the first of the blooms in the image below.
My garden is winding down for the summer as August heat has taken its toll, but in just a few weeks, I will be planting fall bulbs and additional roses. I think it would be fun to get a flower plant or bulb from friends and name them. I mean, Anna Bates is there, why not!
Tell me, what is your favorite flower?
