On the Farm | Existing orchard trees were fortified with new cultivars of heritage apples, among them Cox’s Orange Pippin, Bramley’s Seedling, Grimes Golden and Gravenstein. Planted beneath the trees in spring are patches of billowy white Caraway (Carum carvi), followed by Allium neapolitanum and Asclepias verticillata, the native butterfly weed.
On the Farm | Harmony Farms entrance
Giant Steps | Using two types of native stone—antique granite slabs and reclaimed field stones—mason Oscar Sandoval of Sandoval’s Masonry and Landscaping constructed a series of new stone walls and steps to link the different levels. You might think that contrasting form and texture requires constant maintenance. Joel Aquino of Aquino Garden & Landscape Service is responsible for the shearing at the property, a job required usually just once a year.
Garden Tour | After the redesign, the entrance to the house was redirected from the front to the back of the property. The front door now opens onto the perennial garden. A fine fescue grass mix is used for the lawn and sheared beeches create the walls.
Garden Tour | A teak bench offers a spot for quiet contemplation.
Garden Tour | Fritillaria melegris, commonly known as Checkered lily, is a favorite of the homeowners.
Garden Tour | The designers kept to a restrained palette emphasizing form and texture. Taxus (yew) sheared into neat cones forms an alleé behind the houses. One step up, the solid-looking box parterre borders are filled with cubes of looser leaved hornbeam for a sophisticated play of textures.
Recovery Room | The reclaimed-teak furniture designed by Kathryn Herman makes for durable and cozy outdoor seating. It was custom built by a craftsman in Maine.
Hip to Be Square | Pleached linden, or Tillia, are durable trees whose leaves turn a rich, golden yellow in the fall.