SPECIAL FOCUS - Katherine Field and Associates, Inc.

SPECIAL FOCUS: LANDSCAPE DESIGN
From bucolic beauty to mountain drama to
urban oasis, six distinctive properties put
the talents of New England’s landscape
architects on display.
Reprinted from the March/April 2013
issue of New England Home
Special Focus:
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
From bucolic beauty
to mountain drama to
urban oasis, six distinctive
properties put the
talents of New England’s
landscape architects on
display. Text by Paula M. Bodah
Country Comfort on the Farm
Simplicity defines this rural property outside Boston. The classic farmhouse and barn,
though new, look like they’ve been here for centuries. Landscape architect Clara Couric
Batchelor’s lawn, gardens, stone walls and split-rail fences complement the structures
beautifully by adopting the same age-old look. Low plantings, including lily of the valley
groundcover, enhance the stone facade of the house. A stone wall separates the lawn
from the more natural fields that surround the barn, while sugar maples and ginkgo trees
add to the property’s woodland feel. “What was important was the relationship between
the house and the barn and how the land connects the two,” Batchelor says. “It just
seems meant to be.” Landscape architecture: CBA Landscape Architects, Cambridge, Mass. /
Architecture: Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects, Boston / Photography by Robert Benson
RESOURCES For more information about these projects, turn to page 170.
116 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2013
MARCH–APRIL 2013 NEW ENGLAND HOME 117
Special Focus:
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
A Gem in the Heart of the City
Matthew Cunningham won a gold award from the Association of
Professional Landscape Designers for this petite courtyard garden in
Boston’s South End. No wonder, given the clever way he used traditional
and industrial materials to create a tranquil oasis in an urban setting. A
wall of steel and whitewashed fir traces the eastern edge of the courtyard to
create a sense of privacy. On the opposite side, a wooden structure houses
firewood, utilities, the grill and a recycling station. A salvaged granite
pier forms the pedestal for the dining table that stands as the garden’s
centerpiece, and terraced beds above a floor of stone and moss cascade
with lush, highly textured, shade-loving hakonechloa grass and heuchera.
Landscape architecture: Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design, Melrose, Mass. /
Photography courtesy of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design
118 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2013
MARCH–APRIL 2013 NEW ENGLAND HOME 119
Special Focus:
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
King of the Mountain
The inherent drama of this mountainside property in Vermont—with its three ponds, stunning
views and rocky ledges—called for landscaping that expands on, rather than competes with,
what nature provided. Landscape architect Keith Wagner obliged by bringing in plenty of
mature native trees. The newly built lodge sits among the sugar maples, oaks and birches,
looking as though it’s been welcoming family for generations. Irregular slabs of stone and
boulders quarried from the site form a terrace with built-in fireplace that harmonizes with the
guest house. Ornamental grasses mix with flowering perennials on the border along a pond’s
bank. And just for fun, a huge stone slab cantilevers out over the pond—anyone for a diving
contest? Landscape architecture: H. Keith Wagner Partnership Landscape Architects, Burlington, Vt. /
Architecture: Shope Reno Wharton, South Norwalk, Conn./ Photography by Jim Westphalen
120 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2013
MARCH–APRIL 2013 NEW ENGLAND HOME 121
Special Focus:
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Not Just Garden Variety
Landscape architect Michael Blier took advantage of the natural rock
outcroppings and many microclimates of this expansive property in Weston,
Massachusetts, to create a series of outdoor spaces for a family’s every wish,
from swimming, playing and exploring to entertaining or just relaxing. A
collection of stone slabs creates a focal point at the head of the pool and
serves as a transition from the beautiful hardscaping of the pool area to the
lawn and gardens that surround it. The planting scheme balances open lawn,
shade trees and colorful perennials, including fragrant drought-tolerant
species that Blier tucked into the crevices of stone outcroppings. Landscape
architecture: Landworks Studio, Boston / Photography courtesy of Landworks Studio
122 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2013
MARCH–APRIL 2013 NEW ENGLAND HOME 123
Special Focus:
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
A Sense of History
When the third-generation owner of this land on Farm Pond in Sherborn, Massachusetts, was
planning a new house, landscape architect Thomas Wirth suggested she keep the house her
grandmother had built in the 1960s. Today, a series of stone steps, walls and terraces designed by
Wirth leads down the sloping land from the handsome new house to a family gathering place at the
pond’s edge that incorporates much of the original old home. Post-construction, Wirth brought in
mature white pines and mountain laurel bushes to make the property look as untouched as possible.
Climbing hydrangeas, Carolina rhododendron and lots of native perennials and groundcovers
round out the landscaping and help to achieve Wirth’s goal of keeping the land natural-looking and
self-sustainable. Landscape architecture: Thomas Wirth Associates, Sherborn, Mass. / Architecture: David
Bielman, Bielman Architecture, Bridgewater, Vt. / Photography courtesy of Thomas Wirth Associates
124 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2013
MARCH–APRIL 2013 NEW ENGLAND HOME 125
Special Focus:
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Spotlight on Drama
Katherine Field believes a landscape should look equally beautiful day or night.
For this suburban Boston home, she devised a dramatic plan that includes
a wall carved out of a solid slab of granite. On ledges of varying heights, tea
lights cast a glow behind the water that cascades down the wall. The granite
and the stone walls that flank it pay homage to the ledge Field had to blast
from the site to make room for landscaping that includes a swimming pool
and spa, carved stone benches, wood-burning fireplace and a dining terrace.
A variety of plantings soften the stonework, including wisteria, hydrangea,
verbena and sedum, while boxwood, dogwood trees and a perennial border
bring more formal definition to the dining area. Landscape architecture:
Katherine Field and Associates, Newport, R.I. / Photography by Richard Mandelkorn
126 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2013
MARCH–APRIL 2013 NEW ENGLAND HOME 127