This is my garden and the base of operations for Zone4 Landscapes. This garden is largely responsible for my having chosen this professional path. It was not “designed” in the sense that I design solutions for clients; my wife and I started this garden in 2003 before I had any formal training so I didn’t lay it out with AutoCAD and figure out all of the plantings ahead of time. The initial phase was however, thought out and “designed” in my head with larger brush strokes. Any garden grows and changes over time and most gardeners are constantly making changes and improvements but this garden takes it to an extreme level.
So much of this garden is about experimenting with new plants and techniques and finding a place put leftover plants or materials at the end of the season. I always denigrate it as a design since it was really not top down but actually every decision a gardener makes is a small act of design and this garden shows how a series of decisions, modifications and enhancements can evolve over time.
I have to include it in my “portfolio” because it is one of the most mature gardens I have to show and I have more photographs of this garden than all of the others combined! It was an effort to stop myself from putting 5 times as many images on this page and I may yet.