Hillside Garden, Norwich, Vermont

Two gardeners starting afresh in northern New England were looking to expand their gardening repertoire.  With a house renovation nearing completion and a master plan by Janet Cavanaugh in hand, Susan Howard and I were tasked with outfitting the plan and beautifying the house and pool with an assortment of perennials, shrubs, roses, vines and choice ornamental trees.  I suggested a low, S-shaped evergreen hedge to give the terraced rear garden year-round architectural interest to showcase a long season of vibrant color. A large retaining wall settles into the landscape with a planting of native shrubs and grasses.