“Their work totally exceeded my expectations. They transformed messy, ugly areas into a place of beauty. I love my new gardens and am in awe of their work.”

— Diane Drey | Washington Depot, CT

A Series of Gardens for a Vacation Home

| WASHINGTON DEPOT, CT |

Time it Took to Accomplish Project: 2 days

Our client, Diane Drey, dreamed of a stunning view from her kitchen window. But the property that she and husband Mel rented in Washington Depot was anything but picturesque.

Joe and Denise Martin of the AJM Earth team met with Diane in early Spring of 2018 and discussed exciting options for how to improve the property and turn her vision of beautiful garden beds into a reality.

The Work Began Before we Even Planted the First Flower

*Joe Martin walking the property with Mel and Diane.*

For AJM Earth, transformation begins before we ever break dirt. Since our client’s point of view is number one, we began by walking the property with Diane and Mel.

This included walking off three sections that mattered to them the most:

The driveway entry
The view from her kitchen window
The backyard

Diane wanted a low maintenance design with lots of color– yellows and reds being her favorites.

Denise Martin, head of design, sketched a beautiful rock garden concept that would offer dynamic visual interest during their entire vacation stay, from Spring to Fall. Her sketch also centered on Diane’s wishes, incorporating flowers bursting with reds and yellows.

Denise’s original sketch concept for the new rock garden

Denise included Connecticut native plants such as Rudbeckia, Hemerocallis, and Lavandula in the rock bed. Adding native plants to the concept would bring three unique benefits to this project:

Check off one of Diane’s requests.
Provide low maintenance work.
Attract local wildlife.

Mel requested that a small area of this bed also include fresh herbs.

So for the chef in the family, Denise agreed to include a variety of herbs planted on either side of the stone path nestled in the heart of the rock garden. The herbs created more visual interest as well as fragrance to this bed.

After Diane and Mel approved of the designs, the AJM Earth team was ready to get to work!

Phase I: Creating The Rock Garden

Work on the rock garden came together quickly and efficiently. With all hands on deck, creating a well-manicured garden that included a step-stone pathway was an effortless endeavor.

Before long, the crew could focus on the existing garden beds around the property. The one bed highest on Diane and Mel’s eye-sore list was the garden bed located at the entrance to the rental property. So it became our number one focus as well.

Phase II: Revamping the Entry Garden Bed

The entrance to the vacation property had a few issues:

There was hardly any soil in the area to plant.
It was close to the road.
It had very little sun.

Using native flowers in this area were not a potential problem, so Denise incorporated the same color scheme into this bed. The alternative for sun loving Daylillies and Black-eyed Susans were a neon red Astilbe and Ligularia dentata Britt Marie, as sketched out below:

Denise’s original sketch concept for new garden beds.

A few other varieties of colorful perennials not only made this area pop, but also brought out the natural beauty of the stone wall— which otherwise vanished into the background.

The team quickly got to work breathing new life into the existing garden beds. It required a lot of effort but was well worth it. The outcome created a whole new meaning to the phrase “curb appeal”!

Phase III: The Taming of the View

This final area of the property, the backyard, was completely overgrown. For Diane and Mel, it was the biggest eyesore of all especially because it was their “lovely” view during their vacation stay. So, the focus of the redesign was to make it clean and simple.

Denise’s original sketch for backyard gardens

Although it appeared a gnarly mess, there was potential for a lovely outdoor reading nook as well as a new path leading right to their door from the meadow.

A row of boxwoods and one healthy Hydrangea was already in place. So Joe and Denise decided to follow the lead of the existing flora and add Hydrangea paniculata (Little Quick Fire) providing a burst of color that would bloom during the full length of their vacation stay.

After removing the overgrowth, the hidden bed was at last visible. It became the perfect home for a bed of Diane’s favorites, Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) and Echinacea.

The AJM Earth team worked tirelessly and efficiently to produce a vacation escape that Diane and Mel would love for a lifetime. And in just two days their landscape design vision became a reality.