The garden folly appears at the end of the drive.
MARCH/APRIL 2011
A close collaboration between clients and designer transformed a disjointed, 34-acre Eastern Shore property into a magnificent riverside estate. Landscape architect Eric Beane of Chapel Valley Landscape Company was asked to meld scattered elements on the property into a coherent whole.
First, he widened and re-designed a dark, narrow entrance drive through native woodlands to provide a fitting first glimpse of the grand estate. At the end of the drive, visitors encounter a crumbling, rustic ruin reminiscent of an old church—actually a garden folly inspired by those prevalent in Europe in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It's an intimate, secluded retreat that was recently the site of a wedding ceremony.
A circular drive with a large, elliptical lawn bordered in boxwood leads to the newly designed main buildings of the estate. A formal rose garden links the caretaker’s cottage to the main house, the pool, the patio and a tidal pond. A long breezeway was constructed to connect the main residence to the guesthouse, complete with its own walled entrance garden.
In the backyard, Beane added a pergola and fireplace at one end of the swimming pool, along with summertime plantings of roses and ornamental grasses. He also enlarged the main terrace off the rear of the house to provide space for dining and relaxation along with views to the Miles River and the tidal pond. An old concrete platform over a dry creek bed was converted into a charming stone bridge with a stream flowing beneath it.
visit Chapel Valley's website is build incorporating latest web design trends at chapelvalley.com
Jane Berger is the publisher of GardenDesignOnline.com.
AWARDS: Grand, Total Residential Contracting (Design/Build); GRAND, Outdoor Living Area. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: Eric Beane, Chapel Valley Landscape Company, Woodbine, Maryland.
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