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COUNTRY GARDENS // FA LL 2019
combinations of plants.” Thin-bladed grasses weave among paddle-leaved plants,
and wine red foliage contrasts with vivid chartreuse under Michael’s practiced
eye. Another flight of steps lands in the woodland garden, a wilder, sloping space
shaded beneath towering trees.
But always the clipped greenery remains, the hedges and boxwood balls
providing structure during the snowy New England winters and playing a
supporting role in spring and summer, when lavish mixed borders of flowering
annuals, fragrant perennials, and textural foliage add their rich beauty. Early fall
is Michael’s favorite season, with annuals going strong up to the first frost. “I’ve
always felt like the best time to be in New Hampshire is in September,” he says.
“The weather is nice. There are no bugs. The light is beautiful. And at the end
of the gardening season there’s no weeding. It’s just enjoying.”
“A HILL LENDS
ITSELF TO
FORMALITY
AND AXES,
HOW YOU GET
FROM
POINT A TO
POINT B.”
— MICHAEL GORDON
BELOW LEFT A cobalt blue vase displays the garden’s late-summer bounty in hues of
purple, velvety red-and-orange, and bright green. A stem of purple-flowered monkshood
lies on the table. BELOW RIGHT A grassy path slopes from the far end of the lower garden
down to the woodland garden. The stone pillar is visible from the lower garden’s archway.
