Great Escape

“When we bought our home, we bought it for the land and not the house,” Cindy Barnhill says. Yet the couple nevertheless drew inspiration from the English Tudor home. “We do a lot of French- and English-inspired gardens,” Barnhill continues. “I believe that your garden should be an extension of your home.”

That belief was the genesis of the less formal, meandering mix of boxwood, herbs, perennials and container gardens-arranged in pots from Gene Switzer Antiques-that graces the front of the Barnhills’ home.

And the approach continues in the backyard, where the most striking element is a gorgeous pool and patio. Neither of those existed 25 years ago; in fact, the Barnhills exchanged wedding vows in the very spot where the deep end of their pool now lies.

Back then the nearly empty land included a horse barn and a tack shed, which the couple inherited from the property’s previous owners. They eventually remodeled those structures, transforming the former into a greenhouse and the latter into a playhouse for their two boys.

They tackled the land and planted the orchard that now is home to approximately 120 mature and 20 younger trees with 85 varieties of fruit and nuts. Then they put in a vegetable garden of epic proportions: Last summer it contained 300 tomato cages along with squash, peppers, turnips, kale, purple carrots and more. “We’ve always been crazy gardeners,” Barnhill says. “We try to do unusual things you don’t see all the time.”

Well-placed antiques and iron archways help achieve that goal while adding architectural interest to the green expanse. Guests sitting in the poolside chaise lounges, for example, have a perfect view of an antique mirror from Christopher Filley Antiques: Attached to the back side of the house, it plays host to a revolving variety of flowering vines from year to year.

The Barnhills’ myriad perennial gardens, berm beds and pathways serve as conduits, drawing visitors further into the landscape. This is particularly evident in an aerial shot of the French-inspired parterre garden just across from the pathway that runs along the house. “You just don’t know what’s behind the next bed,” Barnhill says. “It does give you that feel of ‘The Secret Garden.’”

While the Barnhills certainly enjoy getting their hands dirty, taking care of the expanse that has grown up under their tenure on the land is more than a two-person job. Over the past 25 years, they have worked with Brian Wormley of Bergamot & Ivy, who set up the original berm bed outlines, Reed Dillon & Associates in Lawrence and, most recently, Brett Daniel of Red Square Landscaping Design-all were family friends.

But it’s a little easier to maintain the property these days, Barnhill says. “People think we must be out there from morning to night,” Barnhill says. “We’ve gotten to a point after this many years now though where there’s not that much maintenance if we keep things under control.”

In fact, a lot of the work happens in the off-season, when Barnhill and Daniels spend their days in the greenhouse, planning, pouring over seed catalogs and working on the container gardens.

“It’s fun to go away [for a season] and come back and see what’s come up,” Barnhill says. “You’re still gardening all year long and taking people along on the journey you see out your window.”

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November 17 2011 | Landscaping | No Comments »

Differences Between Temporary And Permanent Shades

Also known as instant shades, portable shades are structures which are designed to be easily carried around and can provide a user with instant shade on the fly. They are generally lighter than their fixed counterparts such as outdoor window shades, as a result can be a bit more flimsy and easy to break. However, this is compensated by the fact that portable shades can be stored in small spaces and assembled with a minimum of effort.

The reasons why people use portable shades are quite varied. A lot of use is devoted to recreational purposes starting from home. A party held in the backyard sometimes spills over into the lawn or other unshaded areas. Near the house there may be an awning or pergola, but far from the house the guests become exposed to the sun. To protect the guests portable shades can be quickly brought out and set up. There are also people who use portable shades primarily for business.

We describe a few of the portable shades for each of the occasions described above.

A regular awning is a shade that hangs on a truss over the window or door on the exterior of a building. It provides shade near these entry points which reduces the heat from entering the house, much as bamboo roll up blinds on the exterior of a window helps keep the house cool. Portable awnings are similar in the respect that they are a shade stretched over a frame that sits on four wheels. They can be transported from spot to spot. When placed into position the angle of the shade can be adjusted for to the liking of the users beneath.

For those who are near a pool, one option is to stick with the table umbrellas. However, another possibility is the cabana. A portable cabana is essentially a mini housing structure with fabric top and walls on a little building frame, large enough to accommodate one or two people. The primary role is either for a few people to be able to sit in an area protected from wind and sun, or for people to change into and out of regular clothes.

Slightly different from awnings are outdoor canopy shades which are freestanding structures that resemble large, standing-room tents. These can be placed onto a porch where it would be called a deck canopy. Although this is a freestanding shade, it is considered fixed because of the enormous time and effort required to set one up. In contrast, portable canopies are very lightweight, but lack the fabric walls that surround fixed canopies. The canopy roof is usually the only fabric in the portable versions.

For people who are interested in tailgate parties or similar events where a vehicle is a center of entertainment, a portable umbrella mounted onto a hitch may be the perfect solution. A metal frame and hitch can be attached to a truck or van onto which the umbrella can be mounted. The umbrella can be closed when the vehicle is in motion, and when stopped for entertainment, the umbrella can be opened.

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September 17 2011 | Landscaping | No Comments »

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