Whimsical Garden
Roslindale
This Victorian-style house was plagued with a sloped front yard, heavy shade in the back, poor soil, and an oversized concrete pad with a defunct brick oven. Originally used to distribute groceries to horse and wagon buyers, the renovated 1897 barn needed a wide and functional driveway that no longer blended into the backyard. How could we separate the spaces visually and functionally? And how could we honor the homeowners who wanted to incorporate parts of the old house, unexpected colors, and garden art?
We divided the back yard into two spaces: first we designed a curved sitting wall and water feature that shapes the entertaining area and provides a focal point. Further back, we created a second, quieter, shaded sitting area. The water feature incorporates old farm equipment and the arbors are an eclectic repurposing of a boat and wooden ladders. The multicolored perimeter fence was designed by the homeowner. The front walkway’s organic shape is graced with a fan pattern of granite cobbles topping a homeowner-devised snow melt system.
Photography by ©Damianos Photography
