We moved into our house 3-1/2 years ago. The quarter-acre property was professionally landscaped at one time; but, with changing owners, the garden had been abandoned. The soil was depleted, the bushes had overgrown, and many perennials were buried by weeds and overgrown shrubs. We had fun walking around the garden that first spring, seeing what needed to be done to restore the work from years ago. So, with a new baby and lots of enthusiasm, my parents, Jim, and I set to work.

We capitalized on an abandoned horse manure pile and added it to the beds. We controlled myriads of day lilies that had popped up throughout the garden by transplanting them to the front roadside bed and driveway beds. We pruned the bushes, built rock borders to delineate the beds, and added new beds. We brought the roses back to life by fertilizing and pruning. It was such fun to discover little gems popping up all over and to see the effects of hard work on long forgotten plants.

We have since added a hydrangea bed in the back garden and a peony/hydrangea bed in the front near the road. We transformed an open deck into an enclosed eating area with many climbing opportunities for roses, clematis, honeysuckle, and trumpet vine. The former herb garden on the East side of the house is now a breakfast spot with a water garden.

The garden is a work in progress and does not claim a specific style. We avoid invasive species as much as possible and, aside from the roses, we tend the gardens organically. We have made several roosting, nesting, and feeding spots for the birds, which add a wonderful flavor to the garden.


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Hollis, NH 03049