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New England Gardening

gorgeous garden, Conway area - how to create rock steps?

15 years ago

Sorting through some photos of my mother-in-law's garden from the Conway area of NH, I thought I would share them with my favorite garden forum for a nice mid-winter pick-me-up.

My mother-in-law passed away from cancer last year, and spent > 20 years creating this 3-acre hillside garden. She was a Master Gardener and featured on the local garden tour. The garden has mature ornamentals such as magnolias, witch hazels, japanese maples, crabapples, fruiting apples and pears, fiveleaf akebia, grapevines, and clematis ... among many, many others. It is all I can do not to try to dig them out and bring them all home with me! (plant IDs from the photos are welcomed - I'm going to see if I can ask someone from the Mt. Washington Valley Garden Club, of which she was a lifetime member, to do a walk through with me when the snow melts to map the significant plants)

My father-in-law has recently moved out, and we are sorting through old photos and that kind of thing. It's gotten me a bit weepy about the garden she created and what may become of it ... it was the one thing she and I had in common (besides her son!), and she gave and/or purchased many beautiful plants for me over the years.

Enjoy the photos - they really don't do it justice. I love her stone work, but I know there will be many, many excavator rentals in my future (and much older children) before I can come close.

Pam

Here is a link that might be useful:

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Comments (14)

pamcleod
Original Author
15 years ago
I'm sorry, the link didn't appear in the first post!

Here is a link that might be useful: Terraced Mews
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
15 years ago
What a lovely garden! It's a shame you can't keep it in your family. I hope you do take some of the plants that have special memories for you.

Claire
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Nancy Vargas Registered Architect
15 years ago
Very beautiful garden. I hope my garden looks that good one day.
diggingthedirt
15 years ago
Really nice, thanks for sharing those photos.

It's sad when a garden loses its gardener; but I'll bet you mother in law got a lot of enjoyment out of building that lovely garden during her lifetime. Sometimes, that has to be "enough."
corunum z6 CT
15 years ago
Her passion certainly lives on! Beautiful gardens, and YES! those pictures definitely help on this winter day. The yellow magnolia might be "Golden Endeavor". I planted one in my front yard last year. The picture of the variegated shrub next to a rock may be Pagoda Dogwood? Planted one of those last year, too.

Gardens are not permanent structures, but (save children) I cannot think of a better way to visually share the joy of life's cycles. This gardener is now gone, but because of her passion and your caring, this morning I received joy. Thanks very much.

Kindly,
Jane
Marie Tulin
15 years ago
Lovely, lovely. It did lift my spirits. And I think Conway must be zone 4? Punishing cold.
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
15 years ago
Thanks for sharing those photos, Pam. It's always nice to have a reminder that spring will come when it's the depths of winter. I found myself noticing the varied foliage color and texture in the garden - quite nice. The Japanese Maple & the blue spruce - truly striking. Your MIL must have put much thought into the nonfloral characteristics as well as the flowers, or maybe that's what your eye & therefore camera sees. The lovely gray of the magnolia trunks really shines also.

Jane is correct that photos 17 & 18 include a dogwood, but the leaves are opposite, while the pagoda dogwood is the only dogwood with alternate leaves - it's called Cornus alternifolia. I'd say it's one of the variegated shrubby dogwoods, but I don't know which one.

If you can't find someone closer to help ID plants, I'd be happy to help you out next spring. I wouldn't necessarily be able to tell you exact cultivars, but I could tell you what most of the plants were generally. I'm just north of Concord.
pamcleod
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all for your comments - I hope I can capture some better photos again in the spring. Conway is Z5, but she grew many Z6 plants successfully - must have some great microclimates there. She definitely had an eye for foliage and texture, the garden has great bones and was designed for four seasons. She also has a large attached permanent greenhouse!

nhbabs, I may take you up on that if I can't find anyone in Conway ... we live in Alton.
spedigrees z4VT
15 years ago
Beautiful gardens. I love her stone walk ways and steps. I hope the property will end up in the hands of another gardener who will cherish and tend your mother-in-law's lovely gardens.
molie
15 years ago
Pam, your MIL left a part of herself for all to enjoy. Anyone looking at her gardens senses serenity, joy, and the celebration of life. Her use of textures and colors in plants and rocks was wonderful ... she created a garden that truly belongs to its place.
Molie
runktrun
15 years ago
Pam,
Thank you for sharing the photos your mother in-laws garden certainly is beautiful and it sounds as though she has sown some seeds within you. You might have fun propagating some plants for your garden. kt
pamcleod
Original Author
14 years ago
I am posting some shrub and tree ID requests on another thread, and I wanted to share new Spring photos of this garden, near the end of the photo album linked below. I am finding lots of inspiration for my own garden!

Here is a link that might be useful: Conway Gardens at Spigot Hill Rd
pamcleod
Original Author
14 years ago
After playing in the test forums, I think I have the photo thing figured out:

From 89 Spigot Hill Rd
pamcleod
Original Author
14 years ago
If you'd like to take a crack at the tree/shrub ID's, please see the Name that Plant forum, linked below

Here is a link that might be useful: Name that Plant

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