Garden 1 Sparrow Lane

On moving into 1 Sparrow Lane, the owners, who are keen gardeners, decided to supplement the existing cutting beds and shrubberies with additional trees, shrubs and flowering plants.

The resulting borders and flower beds contain a diverse mix of color and ornament, and give increased seasonal interest from early Spring to late Fall, in keeping with the style of a traditional English garden.

A variety of fragrant English wallflowers and blue grape hyacinths were also planted, producing a riot of Spring color. At each end of the house two rose beds were created, containing plantings of yellow David Austin English Roses (‘Charlotte’, ‘Graham Thomas’, ‘English Garden’, ‘Molineux’ and ‘Teasing Georgia’) which flower prolifically throughout the spring with a second flowering period in September, producing glorious fragrant blooms which are excellent for cutting.

A low stone wall was built, which orders the garden as one enters Sparrow Lane, and a large number and variety of yellow and cream daffodils have been planted from the corner of Parsonage Road, along the length of the wall.

At the top of the driveway a variety of trees were added to the existing shrubs, for additional seasonal interest. These included a silverbell (Halesia diptera), a flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and an additional crabapple (Malus), all of which produce clusters of white blossom in Spring, as well as three red maples “October Glory” (Acer rubrum) which line the driveway, and give wonderful Fall color.

On the south border of the property the existing plantings of hemlock, viburnum, meadowsweet (Spiraea) and azalea were supplemented by a variety of interesting trees: a spring flowering kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), a pin oak (Quercus palustris) for Fall reds, and an American yellowwood (Cladrastis lutea) for Fall yellows were planted.

A couple of evergreen Norway spruce (Picea abies) were also put in alongside the three existing blue spruce (Picea pungens).

The existing raised cutting bed is viewed both from the front door and from the library window. This is predominantly an area for perennial and annual plants, but three rugosa roses ‘Roseraie de L’Hay’ were added to extend the seasonal interest, and several tall white and mauve flowering lilac (Syringa), were planted to act as a backdrop to the cutting bed.

Between the front and rear of the house, a black Jerith metal fence was put in, which included gates at each side of the house, as well as an archway, which is now covered by a Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) and a pink climbing Bourbon rose ‘Zephirine Drouhin’. In early Summer the arch is covered in sweet smelling blooms.

Adjoining the back of the house the patio was extended to run from the patio doors at the kitchen and family rooms to the gate. By the gate a small flower bed was created, the centerpiece of which is a single stem serviceberry tree (Amelanchier Laevis), providing three seasons of interest: delicate white blossom in the Spring, deep green leaves in the Summer and red and bronze hues in the Fall.

A selection of roses surround the amelanchier, namely the very fragrant white Rosa Rugosas ‘Blanc Double De Coubert’ and pink ‘Roseraie De L’Hay’, coppery pink David Austin English Rose ‘Abraham Darby’, white Jackson & Perkins Rosa Floribunda ‘Pope John Paul II’ and pink China Rose ‘Old Blush’, while Rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ and Rose ‘Madame Plantier’ (both white) are trained around the black fence.

Outside the family room window the existing flower bed was planted with a selection of pink David Austin English Roses (‘Cottage Rose’, ‘Noble Antony’, ‘Gertrude Jekyll’), all of which produce fragrant flowers, delightful for cutting.

The majority of work in the garden has been done in the North West corner of the property, around the swimming pool. Here the patio was extended, the pool controls moved further away from the pool and the pool-house was built. To the left of the pool house a mixed border was created, and a wide variety of shrubs and trees, some flowering and some ornamental, were planted, giving seasonal and diverse interest to the area.

Plantings included a white flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), a river birch (Betula nigra), four Hybrid Tea Roses ‘Just Joey’, a number of blue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), three evergreen Rhododendron ‘PJM’, two Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), two Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Diana’ and Hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart’) and a specimen Southern magnolia (magnolia grandiflora) which produces intermittent large, fragrant flowers from midsummer through Fall.

From Spring to Fall there is always something flowering in this border.

To the right of the pool-house the long cutting bed was extended to run the full length of the patio, and six tall, single stem Silver Birch trees (Betula pendula), two red leaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) and a number of hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) were planted at each end to frame the border. Additional plants were put in the cutting bed to extend the flowering season and add texture, depth of color, and height. These included: ‘Rustica Rubra’ magnolia (magnolia x soulangeana), a Silverbell (Halesia diptera), two azaleas, several Rosa Rugosa ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ and ‘Roseraie De L’Hay’ and David Austin English Roses ‘Falstaff’ and ‘English Garden’.

To the existing spring flowering bearded Iris, various other perennials have been added, including coral bells (Heuchera sanguine), goldenrods (Solidago), both white and pink Japanese anemone (Anemone var. japonica), cranesbill (Geranium sanguiniem), stonecrops (Sedum), black-eyed-susans (Rudbeckia) and various hostas and phlox.