Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/974577
62 SPRING 2018 cultivate nshoremag.com/nshorehome/ Italian-made mortar walls complete with symmetrical pilasters and inviting corner seating. Proctor reportedly hired over 100 Italian masons for this architecture. It truly was meant to be, as Alexandra has gardening and good taste in her blood. Thanks to her European- connected family, she spent summers in her youth surrounded by formal French gardens. By age 16, she was spending her summers in England, where she ended up at the University of London's Westfield Col- lege studying art history and English literature. After graduating, she became an assistant editor at House and Garden magazine, working under the "amazing" decorating editor Jacqueline Gonnet. "I had exposure to unbelievable decorators and homes. Mark Hampton, David Easton, Sister Parish. Also, photographers such as Michael Mundy and Oberto Gili," says Alexandra. Thus, her creative background and interests made her the perfect person to acquire the former Proctor gardens, and to recreate them in the style of what would have been here in the early 20th century. Ultimately, in the 1950s, part of Proctor's land was purchased by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The piece that was to become Alexandra's property was left untended until 2000, when a parcel was sold for development. For contact information, see Resources on page 130 Q: What style would you describe for this garden(s)? A: Classical, formal, English-inspired. Very English. Q: Is it a restoration or a revival garden? A: It's kind of a lost garden, "found." I'm not restoring it, because there's noth- ing left to restore. I'm putting in elements that I feel would have been consist- ent with a garden of its era. Q: Did you have a master plan, or did this just evolve? A: We moved here in 2005. It just evolved because each one of the architec- tural elements I found separately. I simply started cutting back. You can't stop when you think there's more. First it was the walkways; then it was the brick wall, the stone circle, then there were further walkways; then it was the back walkways; and then it was the gardener's house and finally the chapel. And all of the columns (that had previously held pergolas). The gardener's cottage is still being uncovered; that is a project for this fall. Q: How do you choose plant materials for this garden? A: Some things have to self-sow; other plants need to be well-behaved. I don't have the time to be weeding too much. There are some old-fashioned cultivars that I really love, like 'Anthony Waterer Spirea.' Formerly an unpopular plant, I discovered it and love it because you can trim it into any shape and it keeps re- blooming throughout the season. Grasses are a relatively new phenomenon. They are great in the garden as long as they are used judiciously. Q: And what perennials seem to thrive here? A: Herbaceous peonies do well. New cultivars of hydrangeas have been amaz- ing. Sedums are fantastic, especially with drought. Now we have to start plan- ning for droughts and in this garden, nothing ever gets watered. No irrigation system here. Maybe a watering can once in a while. Everything has to take care of itself. Geraniums are the workhorses of the garden. They can give you a show from March to December. I get a lot of inspiration from my travels to England. Also, my "bible" Gardens Illustrated magazine. Q: What advice can you give to the novice North Shore gardener who would like to emulate English garden beds? A: Make sure your plant material is native. You can still have the English "look," but with native plants. They will thrive here without too much nursing. Also, start with good soil. Soil is really important. The best way to make a new bed is to layer roughly six sheets of newspaper where you want it to be, and you top-dress it with organic compost or loam. Then you let it sit for six months, and then you'll have a ready bed. It's so simple. The microbes come up and eat the newspaper, and, you'll find you have the most incredible gar- den bed. You don't even have to cart the sod away. Q: What about the sunken garden in the front yard? A: That is a project for the fall. It will have four Canadian serviceberry trees underplanted with white geraniums. Everything in the front of my house is meant to be white, green, and symmetrical. Serene and calm. The back garden is meant to be riotous. It's meant to be a zow! The back gardens also have a purpose to attract bees and butterflies. That is why I let the buddleias (butter- fly bushes) self-sow—they are so important for the monarch butterflies. Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add, Alexandra? A: The gardens found me. What were the chances that I was going to be the one who bought this house? For some reason it was meant to be. Some people can't believe how much "work" it is, but it's never work for me. It is just a joy, and I get tremendous satisfaction from it. It makes my soul soar. After your children, there aren't many things you can be incredibly proud of, but this garden is one of them for me. Garden Q and A Parts of the property are encircled with low Italian-made mortar walls with symmetrical pilasters and inviting corner seating.