Last updated on April 29th, 2020
DO YOU HAVE A SEVERE SLOPE ON YOUR PROPERTY? That is, a hill so steep that it can’t be mowed, let alone gardened? I had to address this problem, too, in my own yard. And that’s how “The Serpentine Garden” was born. Here’s the back-story:
One summer, our former lawn-person – let’s call him “Kamikazi Keith” – toppled his tractor on my property’s steepest slope not once, not twice, but three times. Although Keith was never injured, I realized that such an incline would have to be corrected. A winding path, it seemed, would be the best cure; this would also provide easy access to the kitchen-, woodland-, and pool-gardens, which are located at the top of the hill.
The Serpentine Garden was carved into the hill the old-fashioned way: entirely by hand. The only tools used were a pick-axe, a shovel, a leveling device, and one very strong man, who completed the job in about six weekends. The picture above is from May, 2009, when the garden was still very young.
As you can see, the path has an extremely gentle contour, each rise no higher than five inches, so that garden-lovers of all ages can climb it with ease. I designed a seating area at its midway point, beneath a Yoshino cherry tree, where one can stop, rest, and enjoy the view before continuing the winding ascent.
Planted in the bed behind the bench, and beneath the cherry tree, is a group of white Iris ‘Immortality.’ Its intoxicating scent is enjoyed not only in April, but in October, too, for it is a twice-blooming iris.
The garden is composed of three terraces. I planted the first terrace with tall shrubs, including Buddleja, Hamamelis (“Witch Hazel”) and hemlocks, in order to obscure the view, and also to make the garden seem more mysterious. The shrubs are underplanted with ivy and vinca minor.
But it is the second terrace that steals the show in early spring. This is when a group of Tulipa ‘Van der Neer,’ underplanted with vinca minor, makes a stunning portrait in purple and blue.
After the tulips retreat, Weigela ‘Wine & Roses’ opens its purple trumpets, with blue iris in the background. If you look carefully, you’ll notice some little specks of green behind the iris.
Those little specks, in late May, become an eye-popping patch of Russell Hybrid lupines. How I winter-sow and grow these stately spires.
In the third and final terrace, the season begins with blue and pink Phlox subulata. These are planted in front of a hedge of dwarf lilacs. The phlox, I hope, will eventually cascade over the retaining wall. Puddling plants offer the same luxury as puddling window hangings.
Update: The phlox, in May 2013: It’s puddling over the walls now, just as I’d hoped.
Another Update: Same phlox, in May, 2014: This is what voluptuousness looks like!
I wish you could visit me when the hedge of dwarf Syringa ‘Miss Kim’ comes into bloom, which is several weeks after the more common syringas on the property have finished their scented show. In June I like to spend the early evening hours sitting on the bench I mentioned earlier, sipping wine and breathing in the perfume which is mercifully strong. The yellowing foliage in the bed is that of ripening hyacinths. In the background is my replica of the Venus de Milo before she up and lost her head.
This garden is remarkably easy to maintain. Ground covers planted in the first and second terraces have practically eliminated the need for weeding. In the top terrace, weeds are kept down by a heavy layer of mulch that I apply annually each spring.
Yet another update: By June, 2014, mulch was no longer required on the top terrace. Why? Because the lilacs and phlox had grown with utter exuberance. There’s no place to put mulch!
If you have a hellish hill on your own property, why not carve it into your own piece of heaven? Make your retaining walls no higher than three feet, as mine are, and you won’t need a structural engineer to approve your design. Such walls are multi-purpose, too. During the warm-weather months I often have breakfast in the Serpentine Garden, sitting on one of its walls with a cup of tea and a plate of toast at my side.
Lily loves the Serpentine Garden as much as I do. For a beagle, she has impeccable taste.
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Kimmer says
oh it’s beautiful, love it, purple flowers, especially lilacs are my favorites. I have a space in mind for something similar, thanks for the great ideas.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Kimmer – Thanks for having a look. Perfumed purples (and blues and pinks) are my favorites too!
terry says
Kevin I am on a different computer and can now see the fields to type into. I must need to make some adjustments on my laptop, its new! Anyway this garden is beautiful! I wish I had a larger piece of property, I only have room for vegetables:)
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – Well, it sounds like you put your available space to good use: Food-growing! And congratulations on your brand-spanking new lap-top. Amazing how computers age so rapidly. Good marketing strategy for tech-industry, right?
Michelle Mawson says
I love the second terrace with the tulipa and the vinca minor, stunning!
Bill C, says
Great looking garden. Must have been a lot of work..
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Michelle Mawson – Nice to meet you. From early-April through mid-June the second terrace is my favorite vista, too.
Bill C. – The hardest part was laying the stone steps and walls. Planting the beds — which are not terribly large — was both easy and fun.
Bobbie Floyd says
I too wish I could visit and see this magnificent garden. How can you choose a favorite from such beauty? I live in coastal Texas, with not an incline in sight!
Mary says
How I envy the fact that as well as having your hard landscaping in place you have now planted up and watching it all mature. Sigh! I’ve been waiting from last autumn for a man with a large excavator to dig out some drainage throughout the heavy alluvial clay and level it out. However, it has been so wet any heavy machinery will only compact it further so we are waiting for a prolonged dry spell. Some hope, it is the rain which makes Ireland so green!
Kay says
I am thrilled to see your rock work! My husband says I’ve become obsessed with my rock terraces, which are still being built. Luckily, we have our own little rock quarry where I can peel out sandstone layers–Jack and his tractor are needed for the huge rocks on the bottom wall of the terraces, but that’s about all I let him do! My gardening notes often say ‘got another Gator load of rocks stacked!’ We haven’t begun planting, but plan to put dewberries on part of the bottom terrace. We have a daylily farm, so I can always plant those, but I’m so inspired by your plants. I see a lot of plant propagation in my future, to fill the terrace beds…..
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Bobbie – You are lucky to have a level terrain to work with. No retaining walls necessary!
Mary – It has indeed been fun to watch the gardens here (which were all started from scratch) mature over the years. It’s like watching one’s children grow, I suppose. Here’s hoping that Ireland receives an odd dry-spell before long, if only so you can complete your project!
Kay – How fortunate you are to have your own supply of stones, and a tractor to move the larger ones! Good luck with your terracing, and then on to the fun part — planting. And incidentally, all of the groundcovers here were started from cuttings. They filled out in no time at all.
Dennis R says
Kevin, I have a similar area that slopes “down” from our house. Where did you get all those stones/rocks to build the walls? Where they already on the property or were they purchased? How many truck-loads did it take? I’m about an hour south of you in Dutchess county and would love to visit your garden. Will you have an open garden tour any time this year?
Pam says
Sigh, sigh, sigh…just gorgeous, Kevin!!
Gen says
Absolutely heavenly. I am also “blessed” with very little flat ground, and lots of shade. Coral bells have become some of my absolute favorites. 🙂
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Dennis R – You are lucky. I think it’s better to have a hill sloping down from the house than up! To make the Serpentine Garden, I purchased 4 (or was it 6?) palettes of “field stone” from a local hardware store. However, about a year later, I discovered the ruins of an old field-stone foundation buried in my Woodland Garden. If only I’d known about this treasure-trove.
I’m hosting three (!) “Open Days” to benefit the Garden Conservancy this summer. I hope you’ll contact the Conservancy, and then stop by for a tour! The dates — two in June and one in August — are listed here.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Pam – So glad you like this garden.
Gen – I like that you put “blessed” in quotes. I know exactly what you mean!
Claire says
All of your work paid off!! Your slope is absolutely stunning. I chuckled when you wrote: “wish you could visit me when the hedge of dwarf Syringa ‘Miss Kim’ comes into bloom”, Do you know just how many of us would like to visit you and your gardens? Be careful what you wish for!!
On another note: It would be great if you could devote an entry to how you approach fertilizing all of your plants – indoors and out.
I can easily research the suggested fertilizer and timing of application for each plant. And pretty much understand the NPK thing. However, I become overwhelmed with the logistics of carrying it out and end up doing nothing! Worse yet, I just give everything the same fertilizer at the same time!
Susan M. says
Wow! Many thanks for this mini mental vacation through your lovely serpentine garden. I can almost smell the lilacs…Mmmmm
badger gardener says
A twice-blooming iris? I didn’t even know those existed. Thanks for the lovely respite tour through the seasons in your serpentine garden.
I just put my Chocolate Mousse in the refrigerator and am starting to prep the Purple Poulet and soon break into the extra bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Thanks for the recipe ideas. I say this as a great compliment, so hope it is taken that way, but you are the Richard Simmons of home and garden inspiration. Somehow you get me into the kitchen or out in the garden every time I read one of your posts!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Claire – Thanks for writing! Fertilizing post coming soon, I hope. Meanwhile, I’ve given a certain amount of feeding-info for houseplants here. And if I’ve neglected to mention what to feed, and when…please drop me a note.
Susan M. – It was a vacation for me, too, just selecting pictures for this article. Made me realize how much I look forward to seeing the Serpentine Garden when, at last, it returns to life in spring.
badger gardener – Yum! Your dinner is going to be utterly divine. Have a glass of wine for me, okay?
Dan says
I have always loved seeing that serpentine path. I know I saw it before the re-do, but I can’t remember what it looked like. Do you have any “before ” pix?
Cary Bradley says
What a delightful stroll through your beautiful garden. I too had never heard of iris which bloom twice, what a gift indeed! Thank you for the sweet reminder that Spring will come. Being a native west coaster, I very much appreciate the background of Washington’s cherry trees. Lovely!
Donna B. says
Kevin, this is a GORGEOUS showcase of the Serpentine Garden!
I believe that a hand-carved garden is the best kind – it creates sort of a personal attachment for the owner.
I sort of WANT a hill so I can create this kind of look! hee hee. Alas, I do not have a hill – my backyard is as flat as a pancake. Although, I am creating a raised border around my yard to plant my various flowers and veggies along my fence – I will take some of the tips from you! I have a HUGE area of the creeping Phlox as well! Let them puddle!
[a tiny pot of it given gift from my mom when we bought our first house, it now takes over an area of about 4sq ft…]
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Donna B. – Ooo, I can’t wait for my phlox to do what yours has done! Given a choice, I’d rather have a flat-as-a-pancake property, as it is so much easier to create gardens when you don’t have hills and valleys to deal with. On the other hand, this property has given me so many obstacles to overcome that I feel I’ll never run out of landscaping ordeals to write about!
ArtistryFarm says
You do enjoy your life (as do I as a dairy goat farmer) in between all the hard work. Congratulations on appreciating the finer things…
Erica says
Inspirational! I have a serpentine wall leading up to my front door that was built a few years ago with fieldstone on the property. Since the front of my house is on a very busy street I don’t want to spend time there puttering so I planted a couple of euyonomous and some irises. Do you think I will end up having to continually thin the irises to keep them blooming every year? I was thinking about adding more irises this Spring to really fill it in, but now I’m having second thoughts.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
ArtistryFarm – How many goats do you have?
Erica – You probably won’t have to divide your irises more than once every three years. If you want even less maintenance at your front-door-serpentine-walk, maybe consider dwarf evergreens, with an underplanting of Vinca minor. The look of Vinca creeping over stone walls is a pleasantly-gothic one.
Cary Bradley says
Gothic look? Inquiring minds…
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Cary – Well, to me the sight of vines billowing over a stone wall suggests something gothic, or medieval. But it also suggests both the colonial and Victorian eras. I guess it is a “timeless” look?
Theresa Jurevicius says
*sigh* Kevin! I just had my breakfast sitting on the rock wall in your serpentine garden! Absolutely stunning!! I am totally in awe of your blessing of design and andscaping! What a very gifted guy!!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Theresa – Glad you enjoyed the cyber tour, along with your cyber coffee! Thanks for the sweet, sweet compliment.
Deborah says
I love my garden too! Thank you for letting me visit your little piece of heaven. it is cetainly a labor of love, Gardener know its more than rolling up your selves its a relationship with the devas, elementals, and the seeds of the soul that are lovingly placed in our beloved earth that make a beautiful place like this. A garden is aplace to show others the possiblities of love and nuturing that we can all give Blessings
Nicky says
Hello Kevin,
I just love this idea and have been wanting to do this for 20 years but due to an injury could not do it myself however I have decided not to let this stop me. I want to grow giant echiums and all the sort of plants bees would love because I have 3.5 acres and have started a Community Garden to grow vegetables for my local Foodbank. I have entered into an agreement with my local Marae and in turn with the Horticultural Dept at the MIT (Tech) the students and volunteers do the growing (I am disabled). I have decided I want to keep bees so that we not only have the property planted with fruit trees and we make jams and marmalades for the foodbank but we also made honey too. (I wont personally handle the bees I am allergic but I will find someone who will). After all I have all this land and I believe it would be made into something wonderful just like your garden including the tractor! I do promise not to ride my one down the hill though!
Thank you for sharing your garden! I am learning how to use facebook and when I have learnt how to upload pictures I hope you will be able to see what we will achieve here too at Te Puawaitanga. Te Pua – means the seed and waitanga means blossoming. Next could even be a website you never know I am learning to do so much myself we are talking about making Te Puawaitanga into a Trust or a Non-profit Organisation. So cool!
I am truely blessed!
Elizabeth says
Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
Valerie C. says
So beautiful!! You really are very talented 🙂
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Nicky – Your project sounds very cool, indeed! Best of luck with it — and do send pictures when you are ready.
Elizabeth & Valerie – What kind words to read this afternoon! Thank you.
Billie Walker says
GORGEOUS!!! Thank You for sharing!!
Debbie says
What a beautiful garden. I have a hillside that desperately needs tamed. This is a great idea! Now to find the energy and time to do it this spring!
Sheri Rice says
Oh it’s so lovely. Makes me even more ready to get in own garden. I had to smile when I read, “In June I like to spend the early evening hours sitting on the bench I mentioned earlier, sipping wine and breathing in the perfume which is mercifully strong.”
Perhaps there are days when you sip wine that is mercifully strong and breathe in the perfume…. 🙂 hee hee
Barbara Wheeler says
Beautiful serpantine garden….we have a steep hill and mow it by power push mower when it needs it as it’s covered with grass and a few weeds….unfortunately we wouldn’t want to change it into a garden because at the top of the incline is part of our circle driveway. We have lived with it almost 50 years and I wish it were located somewhere else on our ten acres. But your ‘s is wonderful! Thanks for all you write and looking forward to the fertilizing article.
Sheri MacDonald says
I just want to tell you how much I love your blog. When I see your email come in, I know that’s my moment of the day to dream a little and be inspired a lot.
I appreciate your perspective, humor, and ease. And your garden is a total delight of creativity! Thanks for all you do!
Jo-Anne says
Good morning Kevin….we, too , are now knee deep…well calf deep, in snow …we are finally getting the ‘out like a lion’ for March………looking at your Serpentine Garden, ideas are beginning to stir ……….
Laura J says
What a lovely, lyrical post. The garden is a dream . . . .
DK says
What a wonderful garden you have created. Thanks for sharing all the detail. Love the ideas and knowing the plants you have used.
Anne Rodgers says
You said you put a thick layer of mulch down every Spring. Is that on top of last years mulch or did you rake away the Spring mulch with the fall clean up?
Elizabeth Breslin says
Thank you so much for re-posting this one, Kevin! We have a steep slope behind our house and although it now makes for a wonderful sled run, once the snow melts, we will again be confronted with the same issues you described before developing your slope into that beautiful garden landscape. It is encouraging to see what can be done.
Teresa says
Ooooo I love this, and have a hillside almost just like it, before any work….dreams for me…give Lily a great treat ! 😉
Karen Knight says
Kevin
I wanted your pup to get another treat! I love your blog and have signed-up for the updates. I like your “breezy” tone and the fact that you cover a wide-range of topics. But I really like your fun – having a double martini instead of garden chores was perfect as I sat in yet another snow storm. I appreciate what you do – thank you!
Carolyn Contois says
beautiful pics…here’s a treat for Lily… spring is on its way!
Lisa B says
Thanks Kevin,
as we have a hellish slope in our cape house…wish you were there to help design it
not a large area, but it runs along the side of house down to the raised deck and we are trying to stop water erosion, so we thought the best way was a stone stairway like the other side of the house…didnt want to spend a ton of money though and do you have any suggestions for planting, it is a narrow area..
Kyle says
Hi Kevin: I, also, have a steep hill to contend with at the back of my property. I finally started
to tackle it 2 years ago. I planted Ajuga reptans Catlin’s Giant which has been spreading nicely
and it’s beautiful in spring. It will be spectacular when the whole slope is covered! In addition,
as you know, it’s a very effective weed suppressor. Love it.
You’re terrific, your blog is terrific and I’m happy I found you. I’m going to winter sow Snap
dragons next year and I’ve begun putting down newspapers before mulching. You’re garden is
beautiful….Happy Spring!
Marion says
Beautiful
Keila Dugger says
Hi Lily! Hope this gets you a yummy treat 🙂 My 4 girls- Kloe, Kasey, Onyx, and Sophie- LOVE getting treats!
andrea says
good morning, kevin, I can’t tell you how much your newsletters, photos of your beautiful gardens/plants & delicious recipes helped get me thru this past doozie of a winter. thanks so much! it is like a wonderful treat to find them in my “in box” ……even better than the treat lily will now get!
C says
You must spend hours working in the garden and the house to make things so gorgeous! Don’t forget to give Lily the Beagle a special treat…she looks absolutely wonderful…as does the house and garden 😉
Debbie says
Kevin,
It is just a sample of God’s paradise! Who doesn’t love purple, pink and scented flowers!!!
I had a hill like yours in Georgia and I thought I had a done a pretty good job with colors and scents but your really rocks!! Absolutely beautiful.! Tough to create a masterpeice here in sunny, hot Florida.
Thanks for sharing
Michelle says
What a beautiful use of space! It makes me wish my yard wasn’t so flat. I will be planting some Lilacs this spring, and I can’t wait for the fragrance which is, along with sweet peas, among my favorite garden fragrances! Thanks again for your blog, I look forward to the e-mail every Sunday morning. Have a lovely day!
Sandy oueis says
Kevin, Perfect timing I’ve had several contractors out with quotes of 20 to 50,000 dollars for my hillside.After the last contractor was out I told my husband send the dogs to daycare and have the tractor at the hillside with rock and I’ll do it! Thank you for the inspiration! I’ll send you progress pictures . Sandy
Sandy Sebold says
All I can say is Omg, that is beautiful!!!
Marcia says
I’d love to have a hill. I have flat, flat, flat flats. Lily is so sweet……easy on those treats.
jo says
This is for Lilly AND you, Kevin. I never get enough of your Serpentine Garden… 😉
Joy says
Glorious, Kevin! Longed has nothing on you, and, bonus–dogs are welcome!
Susy says
Such a dreamy garden, and such a treat to view on a cold, snowy day! Lily needs another treat!
Bonnie says
Lovely. And love that you included the progression from year to year. Despite the snow piled deep outside here, I’m lost in your garden, with the scents & colors (oh, yes, and the wine.)
CheyAnne says
incredibly beautiful, wish I had the moisture you do. thanks for sharing
vickie says
I love the phlox is so pretty and such a great landscaping job. No give Lilly a treat from me! Have a wonderful blessed Sunday!
Debbie Engel says
We have a hill that needs this type of treatment…I am so inspired by these photos. BTW, is Lily a rescue? If so, I invite you to post a pic and little story on my fb page, Happy Tails of Rescue and please like my new page!
CarolAnn says
It is just gorgeous. It has all the colors I love in a garden. The cool shades of blue and lavender and some pinks, highlighted by white, is my favorite palette for a garden. The terracing is so well done, Kevin.
Sherry Nelson says
Kevin,
I like your solution to the hillside with the terraces. the Phlox is beautiful, here in the south we call that Thrift :). How do you handle the “De-Weeding” ? I am a busy business woman and do Not enjoy that task, but I do like the therapy of working in my garden. Thank You! I really enjoy your web page very much! Please give Lily a treat!! I have a Grand-Dog, Beagers 🙂 Love our Beagle!
Linda Miles says
You have inspired me to put more color in our yard…especially the purple cascades. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful work you do in your garden. Ms. Linda from Tally
Kathy says
Your garden is just breathtaking. I love the pinks and purples and especially love the smell of Miss Kim Lilacs. I wish I could visit with you in your garden.
Please give Miss Lily her treat now.
Lucy says
The most beautiful I have ever seen! Would love to see it in real life.
You do wonderful work.
Janel says
I enjoyed this sooooo much, Kevin! Thank you for sharing.
susan says
This is beautiful! And it gets me in the mood for spring! Thanks. Now give Lily a treat. 🙂
barbib says
Looking very pretty, Kevin, I have a question: before planting sweet potatoes, do I break off the sprouts or cut them off to include a nice piece of potato.? I luv ur posts and time spent here.
Thank you so mucvh.
cindee w says
Beautiful everything.Takes my breath away.Almost as much as the beautiful Lily.Do you have a lily garden for her?
Leslie D says
Here you are, Lily, another treat.
While I do not have a serpentine garden, I do have a raised garden and encouraged by the
lovely serpentine garden plantings, I am going to re-work it to include more blues, and purple ground phlox. Thanks so much for sharing your story of this beautiful garden.
Wish I could pick your brain for the front garden, which also needs an overhaul.
Do you have a boggy spot on your property? Turtle Head loves that.
Love your recipes too – and best of all, your humor. Thanks for all of it, and Happy Spring!
Katy Lamb says
Every picture is so full of beauty and I can almost smell those wonderful flowers. We don’t own our property, but am wondering if my landlady would mind me planting some sweet smelling flowers. Am inspired to at least plant some container flowers (if she says no) once the cold weather warms up.
Veronica says
Spectacular! that’s all I can say, a well set yard for relaxing at any time of the day.
Karen says
haha! Kevin…you must have had a sneak look at my property on Google earth lol!!!! Thank you soooooo much for this post xx
Paula says
It was so nice to view your garden in bloom while we’re still waiting to see the snow disappear. Now you owe Lily the Beagle a treat.
Molly says
Always a pleasure to spend time with you in your garden especially when you’re doing all the really hard work and we get to enjoy the results. Beautiful spot!
Julie R says
Your gardens are just beautiful. I’m glad that you included pictures from when the gardens got started, up to more recently. It is nice to see how they are coming along. I like the idea of putting ground covering plants to help cut down on weeds, smart idea. I hope Lilly gets a treat, she is so cute = )
Marcy says
Thanks so much Kevin – we tackled a hill last year on the property of our business – with paths and terraced beds – we still have to make steps up part of it – I love how you used the flag stone for your steps and look forward to adding the same look to our garden space. I always enjoy your emails. Thank you so much for taking time to share your wisdom 🙂
sandie says
Kevin I so enjoy your newsletters and I pass them on as well. I particularly like the photos you do for all the recipes because this takes time for you but makes it easy for all of us that read your newsletter recipes . Please give Lily her treat. Thank you
Donna says
I love this SO much and am going to try to figure out how I can reproduce it without feeding the deer. Turns out they are VERY fond of lilacs, but don’t seem to bother the tea tree bushes 🙂 Now give that smoochie poochie a treat, please 🙂
Dale Gasque says
The before and after pictures of your terrace were such a tonic on this rainy, gloomy morning. And I love the reminder that ground covers and happy plants are the best “mulch.”
Does Lily like apples? My dogs love this great, low calorie treat. Just don’t feed her the seeds!
Patty Thieret says
I love your terrace. Can’t wait to dig around outside. We are located in SE Missouri and are in the stone business. You would LOVE coming to our yard and quarries. Stone is amazing…all the exciting things you can do with it. Have a great spring and summer in the yard.
Sheri says
Several year ago my husband suffered 3 strokes that left him paralyzed on the right side from face to foot. I have been very determined to make our backyard garden a place that he can migrate through safely. I found that making strong planter boxes and setting them level on slope and stagger stacking them, building up, helps in making safe steps and installing handrails. The planter boxes are wonderful for me and I’m able to keep my feet planted flat on the ground.
Wendy Perez says
Good God, man! You have inspired me to find a house on a crazy hill just so I can duplicate your efforts. Beautiful work and i am PICKY!!! Came upon your site while researching vinegar as weed killer (RU is not in my vocabulary nor in my potting shed). I’m glad I found you….. will read you starting with the very beginning! Kudos to you for the Serpentine Garden!
Cynthia Eckersley says
Beautifully done!
Jean says
I just want to day that your hillside garden is to die for! Also, I will eat anything that you make/bake/whip! Love, love, love your site!!
Sue says
You are an inspiration! Even much smaller projects seem so intimidating and overwhelming. Just dive in I guess! Thanks for all your cooking and gardening tips!
Samantha Gray says
Knockout! Your terracing is beautiful! Am I ever jealous! We live on one of the three steepest hills in our community, which means our gardens – all but the bottom two on level with the driveway entrance, are pretty much hellish. Our property was dubiously graced with Norway maples (25) when we bought it, and even after taking out the eldest, most fragile and dangerous of them, this still made a problem. Soil beneath them remains compacted – several people broke harrows on it – and is toxic to other plants for some years after tree removal. Finally, we managed to get vinca, hostas, some spring bulbs and hellabore to grow. Mostly we just mulch. My husband loves phlox, so I might just try to establish some this spring. Your photos give me hope!
Kay says
Mark do you have an aerial view or sketch of your property so I can visualize it. I thought all the gardens were around the house. Blueprints of the house with the additions too? I’m a visual person and like the see the whole picture. Speaking of… Love the photos in your posts. As always, thanks for sharing your life, house, garden, cooking & Lily with us.
Pat says
I love you garden. I especially like the picture of your tea and toast… looks like the flowers are growing out of the cup. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Joanie says
Kevin your Garden is beautiful , you as done so much hard work & it show , how wonderful thank you for sharing with us . your Russell Hybrid Lupines grow wild here in Newfoundland up & down my driveway both side & all up & down the high way in the spring it is so beautiful if you never come to NL. look us up you would love it here & we would love you Your Friend Joanie
Karen Knight says
Kevin
What kind of mulch do you use – hardwood? Pine? Something else? Also – do you have trouble with deer eating your front Green Giants or trouble with bagworms on them? Many thanks – glad you reposted this story – I need some encouragement!!
Dee says
Wowzers that’s simple wonderful. You have given me some great ideas for my yard. I have one spot of the sloop in shade WILL your design work in mostly shade.?
Thanks for your blog Kevin it always brightens my day
Dee
Octo-woman says
Wow! Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing it.
Barbara says
Wow!!! I am reading this in 2020, but you have solved a problem I have wrestled with since the time you wrote it! I have a “ditch” which runs downhill, does not reach the lake, just flattens out. I do have a concrete bench a little further down. I also have some flat pieces of concrete that could be incorporated. I can’t believe it! The inspiration you have given me is awesome! I want to print this somehow. I am a loyal reader, and I save your columns in a file. This one is special!
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
My view at every window is a blinding white with deep snow refusing to melt. This photo series was so refreshing. Thanks so much!
Aurora Loiselle says
Kevin, you made my Valentine Sunday 2021 today here in the outskirts of Ottawa, Canada !!! with the ideas for a hellish hill, which we have, and continue to think endlessly “what can we do to control the erosion and the work to maintain it”. Brilliant ideas illustrated with your wonderful pictures. So many thanks to you, have a great Valentine Day!
Nilli says
Oh so gorgeous!
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
Happy Valentine!
Rachel says
Kevin, this comes exactly at the right time! So many good ideas for my front slope and even the back (flat) pathways I want to make this spring…thanks!
Kate says
The pictures are absolutely beautiful. What a wonderful retreat. The perfect place to pray! Wish I had the land to start such a project. Thank you for sharing. You are a special person indeed.