We built our home 26 years ago, partly because we love the style and partly to reduce lawn and garden maintenance. We had purchased a second home and often were away on weekends. Avid gardeners know how hard it is to both create gardens and keep things at a minimum. We had plans to minimize, but ended up with beautiful gardens that became larger and larger over the years.

We designed the landscaping and worked with Bill Stiles of Stiles Landscaping to install the walks, walls, and initial plantings. An overabundance of shade and Hollis Shale for soil made gardening a real challenge.

The love of anything oriental led us to create several areas with dry streams, lanterns, moss, and Japanese maples. Large moss areas have evolved somewhat on their own, but also by keeping them free of weeds and leaves. We are happy to have been able to succeed in nurturing this moss.

Since there is so much shade here, the gardens are filled with plants that have wonderful textures and shades of green rather than the bright colors found in sunnier locations. Ferns were plentiful on the property and we have moved them to spots throughout the gardens. Hostas of many varieties are favorites and found everywhere in these gardens. The four squares at the top of the front garden were originally filled with herbs; but, over the years, I enjoyed mixing perennials with the herbs.

Not only a gardener, I made the stone-like planters on the deck. They are constructed of Hyperturfa, a blend of cement, peat moss, pearlite, and sand. They are fun and easy to make.

I thank all my friends who helped make the gardens look their best today and especially Shirley Cohen for working with me throughout the year to help me keep things in order.


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Hollis, NH 03049