Theme: The Garden as a Boat
I've seen a lot of gardens in my time, and this one absolutely blew me away once I figured out what was going on. Here you are, standing on the prow of large boat (the planters at front positioned in a V-shape), sailing over the ocean.
Next, you roll yourself along the deck (right) with the ship's cabin to the left.
This garden was one of eight I visited this past summer in Chatham, MA, and it is simply one of the most imaginative landscape creations I have ever seen. The stories of the house serve as the boat's decks, and as you walk along outside on each level, there's a view east, to the ocean, as far as you can see.
Looking down from an outside deck, you see "land" and a view of the place on shore that you're going to visit. In this case, it's a small pond with a cascading waterfall that's surrounded by lush plantings of varied colors and textures.
So, it's only natural that you descend down the gangplank, right ... note the rope railing and wooden steps ... to solid land in a park-like setting alongside
shore. There's a huge, oval-shaped, tranquil lawn, and benches placed underneath huge old trees
whose branches arch over the entire scene and envelope everyone in this very magical setting.
(click on images for a larger view)
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