At the second house, located in Hadlyme near the ferry landing, Laurel explained the garden room concept. This garden was also mature, having been designed 25 years ago. The home owner/gardener had recently designed a garden room to memorialize her husband. Up the stone steps, you entered a rectangular area with a vine-covered, 2-sided stone wall that enclosed a large slab stone bench and a small pool. This was just the first of many rooms in this garden.
This "room" had a larger feel with flowering bushes surrounding at the "people level" but enormous, old trees providing a cathedral effect, especially with the sunset filtering through the treetops. Laurel had weeded furiously earlier this summer to prepare the area for a poetry reading--but rain had cancelled the event. That's the kind of summer it has been, we all agreed.
Lori and Sue head down a stone stairway to a lower level which Laurel called the allee since it was a long narrow "room" with flowering shrubs and tall trees closer to the road.
The view back up the steps to the upper room. The steps and walls are covered with climbing Hydrangea. The effect of light and shadow was marvelous.
We didn't have time to sit as the sun was setting. We did have time to go down the road to the ferry landing and see the last of the sunset over the Connecticut River.
Thanks to Laurel White, personal gardener, for this tour of two lovely, old gardens near the banks of the Connecticut River and to Sue Hewes for arranging this event. Sue and Laurel worked together--until Sue retired this summer!
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