My Houzz: Classic Garden Style for a 1745 Connecticut Farmhouse
A boxwood maze, a sweet wildflower garden and lush plantings surround a designer’s East Coast home
Ellen Allen knew when she moved into her 1745 Connecticut farmhouse that it needed a landscaping overhaul. The textile and interior designer, owner of Transatlantic Design, a 100-year-old fabric archive, went to work with the help of landscape architect Dirk Sabin to create a more open and inviting space. They removed the dark, scraggly and overgrown yews that surrounded the property, as well as a row of scrubby trees and brush that obscured the view, then put up fencing along the adjoining Flanders Nature Center reserve to keep out coyotes. Other changes included adding brick walkways, a patio and granite steppingstones to refresh the space.
Finally, Allen created beautiful little “surprise” areas such as a semiformal boxwood parterre and maze, a bistro table seating area surrounded by columns and a wildflower garden. The new garden now complements the farmhouse it surrounds.
Finally, Allen created beautiful little “surprise” areas such as a semiformal boxwood parterre and maze, a bistro table seating area surrounded by columns and a wildflower garden. The new garden now complements the farmhouse it surrounds.
Allen repainted the clapboard exterior in Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. She used White Dove, also by Benjamin Moore, for the trim. She also added curb appeal by installing new light fixtures by Gracious Home and adding urns from Campo de’ Fiore in Sheffield, Massachusetts.
One of the main features in Allen’s outdoor space is her boxwood parterre maze. “I love that the maze is in the woods and hidden from view,” she says. “It’s a secret room you have to find — though you can catch a glimpse of it as you look down from the stone patios by the pool.”
For the path area, Allen likes to use Sweet Peet mulch to discourage weed growth and add nutrients to the soil.
For the path area, Allen likes to use Sweet Peet mulch to discourage weed growth and add nutrients to the soil.
Allen admits that the maze is a labor of love. “Boxwoods take work. They are sprayed with an anti-desiccant before the winter to try to protect their foliage,” she says. “New England winters can really do a number on them. They need heavy fertilization in the spring. And of course, they need to be pruned and thinned. Not low maintenance!”
“I bought a stone pedestal and a wire armillary from Campo de’ Fiore in Sheffield, Massachusetts, and then I had a local welding shop attach the armillary to the base,” Allen says. “I like it because it is tall and large enough for the scale of the maze without being massive.” She is training a white clematis to grow over the piece.
Around the edges of the maze, Allen planted hosta and Japanese painted ferns.
At the back of the property is a wildflower garden that Allen has created and treasures.
“The wildflower garden is the transition between my cultivated, almost formal garden and the wild nature preserve behind it,” she says. “It is not easy to establish a wildflower garden and takes persistence, but I am getting there, and it’s worth it for the butterflies and bees.”
Previously, the area was an overgrown weedy mess, full of brambles and invasive plants. “In retrospect, I wish I had put down black plastic to kill it all off over a fall and winter instead of trying to tackle it piecemeal,” she says. “I have phlox, foxglove, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, bee’s balm, yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, Joe Pye weed, daylilies, cosmos, goldenrod, liatris, red clover, bachelor’s buttons, asters and feverfew.”
“The wildflower garden is the transition between my cultivated, almost formal garden and the wild nature preserve behind it,” she says. “It is not easy to establish a wildflower garden and takes persistence, but I am getting there, and it’s worth it for the butterflies and bees.”
Previously, the area was an overgrown weedy mess, full of brambles and invasive plants. “In retrospect, I wish I had put down black plastic to kill it all off over a fall and winter instead of trying to tackle it piecemeal,” she says. “I have phlox, foxglove, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, bee’s balm, yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, Joe Pye weed, daylilies, cosmos, goldenrod, liatris, red clover, bachelor’s buttons, asters and feverfew.”
This wooden bench creates a hidden seating area between the maze and wildflower garden.
When Allen moved in, there was no pool or spa. “I designed the pool to be reminiscent of an old stone foundation, and it is granite with granite coping. It’s longer and narrower than most pools so that it looks more like a reflecting pool,” she says. “The three granite patios that surround it add architectural interest too.
“I designed the garage [pictured] to look like an outbuilding on a farm since the house is an old farmhouse. It has a granite foundation, and I used recycled barn board for the siding and a cedar shake roof. The doors are commercial doors with barn board on top.”
“I designed the garage [pictured] to look like an outbuilding on a farm since the house is an old farmhouse. It has a granite foundation, and I used recycled barn board for the siding and a cedar shake roof. The doors are commercial doors with barn board on top.”
The outdoor lounge furniture and umbrellas are from Crate & Barrel. The fabric is Sunbrella’s Kiwi. “I used the color green because I wanted it to be part of the landscape, not a contrast to it,” Allen says. “Colors that look too bright inside are great outside. Green is also a color I use in the house along with blue, orange and an occasional surprise — like purple.”
In between the granite stones surrounding the pool is creeping thyme. It is easy to establish and likes sun and heat, so it was perfect for this area.
“It has a tendency to cover everything, so I used some gravel because I wanted the stone to show. Its first bloom in early summer is bright pink,” Allen says.
“It has a tendency to cover everything, so I used some gravel because I wanted the stone to show. Its first bloom in early summer is bright pink,” Allen says.
“The pool is such a large part of the landscape all year, so I wanted something that would be pretty more than just in the summer,” Allen says. “The base is granite and goes into the slope of the land to suggest the remains of an old foundation. The coping is granite for the same reason.
“Although the pool is heated, I hardly ever use the heater since it is only 4½ feet deep, deep enough to do laps. The granite is darker too, so that warms it more quickly.”
“Although the pool is heated, I hardly ever use the heater since it is only 4½ feet deep, deep enough to do laps. The granite is darker too, so that warms it more quickly.”
Allen added the enclosed porch off this side of the house after she moved in. She also put in the fence, brickwork and stonework. She replaced the roofs on each wing of the house, which were two different colors, one green and one black, with cedar shake.
Allen installed the spa as well, placing it close to the house so it can be used in winter. “The spa has a brick pathway that can be cleared of snow in the winter,” Allen says. “Best thing is sitting in the Jacuzzi while it is snowing!”
Allen installed the spa as well, placing it close to the house so it can be used in winter. “The spa has a brick pathway that can be cleared of snow in the winter,” Allen says. “Best thing is sitting in the Jacuzzi while it is snowing!”
The patio is one of Allen’s favorite areas. “It is a great spot because it is right off the enclosed porch and next to the spa,” Allen says. “So even on a cool summer night, you can barbecue, then jump into the spa after dinner and warm up in front of the fireplace.”
Plantings around the patio include the huge-leafed butterbur, purple fountain grass and coleus.
Furniture: Pier 1 Imports
Plantings around the patio include the huge-leafed butterbur, purple fountain grass and coleus.
Furniture: Pier 1 Imports
The 19th-century Swedish terra-cotta statue outside the back door is a find from 1stdibs. The trellises and all the fencing are from Walpole Outdoors in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Allen has honeysuckle and clematis growing on the trellis to the left of the door.
Roses are a must in Allen’s garden, especially in the area directly behind the house. “Mostly David Austin English style in the center, and single-petal Knock Out on the edge. Allium in the spring form a border around the semicircle,” Allen says. She is also trying to establish a clematis (Tie Dye) and a pale pink climbing rose on the trellis.
This seating area includes a bistro table and chairs that once belonged to actress Polly Bergen. They are now surrounded by old wooden porch columns that Allen bought from a local estate to create a nook for relaxing in the garden.
Near the seating area is an array of Japanese painted ferns. They have a beautiful silvery foliage that spreads very slowly.
Dirk W. Sabin of Sabin Landscape Architects designed the landscape that is near the back entrance of the house. “This is a traditional parterre garden. It is boxwood with cleome and oxalis,” Allen explains.
Overall, Allen wanted to create a landscape that had planned geometric areas that transitioned to wild spaces beyond it. As a result, the space is now a mix of formal and informal areas, or what she describes as “rooms,” that respect New England history and architecture and that blend the outdoor and indoor spaces.
The design of this 1745 farmhouse has been a work in progress, with each successive owner adding to it. “It is a living thing, not a ‘historic Colonial,’” says Allen, pictured here in the enclosed porch with her dogs, Mr. Peabody and Clementine.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Small Homes | Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes | Homes Around the World
Who lives here: Ellen Allen and her dogs, Mr. Peabody and Clementine
Location: Woodbury, Connecticut
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters); 4 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Year built: 1745
Garden designer: Dirk W. Sabin of Sabin Landscape Architects
“The original house was built in 1745 by the Judsons, a prominent local family. One of my best friends lives on Judson Street — it was a dairy farm,” Allen says. “Most of the property was donated in the 1940s to the local nature preserve. In the early 1800s, the house got an addition and face-lift in the latest style, Federal. The tree out front is a 250-year-old maple that was planted when the house was built.”
My Houzz: Global Details Add Character to a Connecticut Farmhouse