Monday, July 2, 2012

Danielle's Gardens

So have you ever wondered what makes one person have such a love of gardening and growing things and another has no interest whatever?  Does it come with the gene code or is it something learned?  Wherever it comes from our family has many accomplished gardeners. Our mother has always had a garden of one kind or another and I can still remember my grandfather's lush and productive vegetable gardens. He used to grow the best tomatoes ever. One of my brothers (and his lovely wife) as well as my sister Danielle are avid gardeners and in fact edge over to the "extreme gardener" category.  All our gardens are very different but we are all alike in that we love to create beauty in our outdoor living spaces and have a deep love of growing things.

Today I visted Danielle's beautiful gardens and wanted to share some of her lovely outdoor spaces.

Her home is up a fairly steep hill. In the front of the property is a ledge outcrop where she's chiseled out planting spaces but leaving some of the ledge exposed.



The driveway winds up the hill to the right of this area and has plantings all along its length.




Love the color of the front door and the containers on the front steps! Danielle painted a verdegris finish on the urns on the top step to harmonize with the color of the house. Love it!


At the top of the driveway is a sweep of lawn that leads to the pond





Absolutely love this vignette on the upper end of the pond.

A couple  views looking from the pond back toward the house.


The shrub/tree border on the northwest side of the property includes many lovely conifers



And a perfect spot for enjoying the gardens is the gorgeous patio with outdoor fireplace...


What could be better than enjoying al fresco dining in such a gorgeous setting?!

Danielle's gardens will be on the Garden Conservancy's Open Days on July 21 and 22. Worth a drive to NH to enjoy this beautiful garden.
http://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays/open-days-schedule/venueevents/966-danielles-garden

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10 comments:

  1. SueJuly 2, 2012 at 4:55 AM

    Love the pond but that patio setup and outdoor fireplace is to die for!

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    1. Deanne FortnamJuly 3, 2012 at 3:43 AM

      It is indeed Sue, especially wonderful in the fall when the evening get a bit chilly.... The other day she looked outside and there was a family of turkeys sitting on the patio furniture! I guess they know good digs when they see them! LOL

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  2. GayleJuly 2, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    Gorgeous! Gifted gardeners certainly do abound in your family!

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  3. GardenbugJuly 2, 2012 at 6:42 AM

    Astonishing! Not the same, but the similarities... It certainly runs in the family!

    I see a bunny theme going on there. :)

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    1. Deanne FortnamJuly 3, 2012 at 3:47 AM

      Thanks Marie, yes it does run in our family. We have two other sisters who also garden but not on as large a scale.

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  4. ksJuly 2, 2012 at 9:03 PM

    I'd be hanging out on that patio all day long..beautiful garden !

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    1. Deanne FortnamJuly 3, 2012 at 3:45 AM

      Thanks Kathy, yes it's a good place to hang, when you aren't pulling weeds of course, LOL

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  5. MichelleJuly 3, 2012 at 10:21 AM

    Danielle's garden is fabulous! I can tell she's related to you.

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  6. DaniDJuly 3, 2012 at 2:54 PM

    Thank you again Deanne for your lovely blog post and the photos of my gardens. It definately runs in the family and for me, the insipiration came from your amazing gardens in Nashua. And for those who have read this, Deanne has helped me tremendously over the years and this year she designed the containers on the front steps and one of the containers on the patio. Of course it looks familiar! Where it differs --- I had to design gardens that are "easy" to maintain. I used to travel frequently so water and drought tolerant perrenials are key and I've developed a new passion for conifers and unique flowering shrubs and trees. All of it adds up to a safe haven for wildlife and beautiful vistas in any season!

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    Replies
    1. Deanne FortnamJuly 4, 2012 at 4:22 AM

      Thanks Danielle! I can't wait to hear all the ooos and ahhss when people see your gardens on the Open Days in a couple weeks!

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