Where Chickens Reign Supreme
January 20, 2012
Almost two months ago I posted about a rather famous garden with a rather famous garden blogger, Susan Harris, of Garden Rant fame. I had the pleasure of visiting Susan's garden while visiting with another famous garden blogger/author. The week's Flight's of Fancy - Armchair Travels takes us to the garden of my hostess, a multi-talented person who has become a friend, a travel companion and a confidant. This garden has been seen by many of us in pictures but we have only seen a portion of the garden. We all do edit our garden through our pictures, picking just the best to show. I find that it is difficult to show any garden as a whole with still shots. Imagine my delight when I found so many interesting garden spaces which I cannot ever remember seeing in this blogger's pictures. The gardens surrounding this home are well planned and just plain pretty if pretty can be plain. Attention to detail is seen at every turn. The approach to this home is along a winding, sloping drive bordered by woods on the right and a field on the left with hawthornes flanking the drive. In November, the red berries were in opulent profusion and the appreciative birds were seen enjoying these jewels. The field is kept neat and tidy by a neighbor who hays it during the season.The top of the house comes into view first and the reveal is slow, anticipation building for what is to come. This blogger has a few chickens but in addition she also has a cat, a pig, some dogs and many vegetables. Well, yes, the pig is not alive but I don't remember seeing it before. There are always treasures to be found if one looks closely. The front garden was a surprise to me. The entrance to any home should be approachable and inviting. This entrance has a nice wide walkway of brick with a color coordinated and dog friendly entrance. The front chair matches the fall color on the maples, the azaelas are re-bloomers, the hellebores are immense and the view from the front step is expansive.You may remember seeing this view but now I can place it in this landscape as a view from the red chair on the front step. Another surprising feature of this garden is the garden seating. I have seen at least one of these sets of chairs but the others were a surprise. I am fairly sure that this gardener rarely sits for very long in any of these seats but they are all inviting, all placed in wonderful spots and all ready for a warm body or two as the size would indicate(the chair/bench, not the body). The vegetable garden is classic and even in November it is yielding flowers, foliage and vegetables. The fencing and welcoming gate with arbor are the perfect complement to the traditional architecture of this home. This gardener is a serious cook and greens were picked for the wonderful meals I enjoyed here. You may have identified this gardener by now but here are a few more traditional views I have seen on her blog.
First, The Chicken Castle and next the chairs which we see most often facing the woods. I call this the Serenity Spot but my dear friend probably has another name for this special place. One of the great perks of garden blogging is the unexpected pleasure of developing friendships with others who have similar interests. If you don't recognize the beautiful haven featured here, it belongs to Robin of Bumblebee blog. Thank you so much, Robin, for a wonderful visit.
Addendum: Since visiting, the beautiful white rooster pictured in the first collage, the beloved T. Boone, has passed on to his next perch. He was a regal and beautiful cock. He will be missed.