STAN
FRY GARDENS - PETERBOROUGH, NH
Linear
space review by Laura Campbell, 7/2/12
The existing gardens were started in 1991. Sited on a relatively steep slope, terraces have been used to create level
spaces and garden areas in the 12 acres. They feature over 40 garden areas. The limited palette and repetition of plant
material gives a unity to the whole. Evergreen material, such as boxwood, yew,
and arborvitae have been used to provide structure and winter interest. The
terraced form of the gardens has lent it to featuring a series of allees,
typical of an Italian hillside garden.
To my mind, one of the most delightful linear
spaces lies across the street from the main garden. on the edge of a formal
hedged garden.
This space is quite long. The path is grass.
Snowdrift crabapples flank either side in a staggered arrangement. The
serpentine sheared boxwood hedges frame and accentuate the staggered
arrangement. A border of hydrangeas (I think) lies beyond the street side
boxwood hedge. On the other side, the lawn continues and a stone terrace with a
tall yew hedge runs parallel to the allee.
This is the border of the formal garden, hidden from the street. there
are two breaks in the boxwood hedge on the wall side to allow for cross paths
from the formal garden. At either end of the allee, an urn planted with red
annuals provides a focal point and terminus.
This linear design is on private property and not
meant for heavy traffic. Still I think that using grass instead of having a
line of paving material is important for the design. It gives one a sense of a
different kind of movement. The eye travels down this long expanse, but without
unnecessary speed. My eye wants to meander a little and take in those
undulating curves and notice the shrubs
and wall beyond.
The crabapple allee is probably at its best in
spring when the trees are blooming and one can walk through a fragrant world of
white clouds. In the summer, the choice of the crabapples for the allee, works
against a rigid formality. The trunks are just a little variable. They branch
out at different heights, and some trunks are less than vertical. It looks like
one tree had to be replaced, as it is smaller than the rest. Still, I think
this less than total formality is appealing in this undulating grassy walk.
On a final note, because of the nature of the
sloping site, the allees all run parallel to the slope and to the street as
well. If one is walking or driving along the street, this space looks more like
an edge than a path. It is like a pervious screen that gives glimpses of
something mysterious beyond the line of trees and shrubs.
