New Hampshire Home May/June 2018

Cooking with Fresh Herbs • Bouquets in Glass • Droves of Daffodils NEW HAMPSHIRE HOME m ay/ j u n e 2 0 18

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E xq u i s i t e ly C o m p o s e d G a r d e n s N H H ome M a g a z ine . c om

may/June 2018

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contents

52

70 features 60 A Garden’s Journey

Sometimes gardens lead the way, as Nettie and Mark Rynearson have discovered on North Uncanoonuc Mountain.

By Carrie Sherman | Photography by Joseph Valentine

70 A Symphony of Flowers

A lifelong gardener and music lover composes a well-orchestrated landscape surrounding her historic Epsom home.

44

By Robin Sweetser | Photography by John W. Hession

86

departments 18 From the Editor 20 Letters From

80 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

24 On the Town 26 Favorite Finds

86 TRANSFORMATION

our Readers

For the Garden

30 HOME COOKING Palate Power

By Mary Ann Esposito

36 Garden r x

Droves of Daffodils

By Robin Sweetser

44 MASTER OF HER CRAFT Bouquets in Glass

By Jenny Donelan

60

52

inspiration

Profiles of Landscape Designers

A New American Garden

By Debbie Kane

92 ARCHITECTURAL ICON A Georgian Gem

By Debbie Kane

99 Home Resources 100 Mark Your Calendar!

103 Index of Advertisers 104 At Home in New Hampshire Wilderness Treasures

By Katherine Towler Illustration by Carolyn Vibbert

Smitten with Follies

By Andi Axman

On the cover and page 60: Summer perennials harmonize perfectly in color palette and bloom time in Nettie Rynearson’s expertly arranged Goffstown garden. Photography by Joseph Valentine

Visit us online at nhhomeMagazine.com to read our digital edition, learn about events and use our resource guide.

As part of our ongoing effort to support sound environmental practices and preserve our forests for future generations, New Hampshire Home is printed locally by Cummings Printing, a Forest Stewardship Council printer.

USPS permit number 008-980. New Hampshire Home is published bimonthly by McLean Communications, Inc.; 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101; (603) 624-1442. © Copyright 2018 by McLean Communications, Inc. Periodical postage paid at Manchester 03103-9651. Postmaster, send address changes to: McLean Communications; PO Box 433273; Palm Coast, FL 32143

10 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

r e si d ential co mmer c ia l int e r i o r d esig n

Rob Karosis Photography

advertisement

N I N A’ S T I P S FOR REMODELING YOUR KITCHEN

Tip 1 Maximizing your storage is essential to having a great kitchen. I have seen many kitchens that have no place to put the frying pans, no real pantry and no counter space on either side of the cook top. These are not functioning kitchens. I maintain that all cabinets less than 12 inches wide are useless.

What can you store in them? Not much. If you are going to spend the money to remodel your kitchen, let a designer help you maximize the storage space so you really can use it. No more trips to the basement to get that pan or roll of paper towels. At Dream Kitchens, I guarantee we will give you at least 30 percent more storage.

Tip 2 Lifestyle. The kitchen is the center of our lives. We cook, our children study, and we entertain in the kitchen. This makes the layout essential. How many times have you asked your child to “stop standing there so I can get to the fridge?”

We should be able to easily chat with guests, put chips and dip out on a buffet, and watch TV. We want guests welcome in the kitchen, but on the fringes where they add to the fun but don’t get in the way.

Tip 3 Show your personality. There are endless ways to personalize in all styles and tastes, including backsplash,

stained glass, contrasting stains or paint colors and moldings. Normally I visit a client’s home, view the colors and the styles throughout, and bring that into the kitchen. I can make your new space reflect a calm, playful, practical, elegant, or subtle style. The kitchen is where you spend your time and it should be a showcase for the rest of your home.

Tip 4 Get rid of the clutter. Most people’s countertops are just full of things. You are lucky to have 12 inches of countertop that does not have something on it. This makes it almost impossible to prepare food. In addition, when we entertain in our kitchen it makes us look messy. I will clear off your countertops - and even get rid of that ugly drying rack next to the sink. To entertain in the kitchen, it should look beautiful, clean and tidy.

Tip 5 No Exercise in the kitchen. There are many places we should get exercise, but the kitchen is not one of them.

All items should be close at hand so you can change a pan without taking a step or bending your knees. Most kitchens have pots and pans stored too far away. Good cooking is about timing and everything should be at your fingertips.

Nina Hackel, President | Dream Kitchens | 139 Daniel Webster Highway Nashua NH | www.adreamkitchen.com | 603-891-2916

contributors

May/j u n e 2018 | Vol . 12 , No. 3

nhhomemagazine.com

Sharron R. McCarthy Andi Axman Art D irector John R. Goodwin Photo E ditor John W. Hession Asso c iate E ditor Kara Steere editorial Assistant Rose Z. King photo g rapher Morgan Karanasios

PR ESI DENT/PU B LISH ER

Jenny Donelan is an editor and writer with a wide variety of interests, and has covered areas that include computer technology, best business practices, pets, skiing and home design. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and numerous other publications.

Mary Ann Esposito is the host of the public television series Ciao Italia, now in its twenty-eighth season, and the author of twelve cookbooks, including her most recent, Ciao Italia Family Classics. She lives in New Hampshire. Visit her website at ciaoitalia.com.

Debbie Kane is a writer and editor based on the New Hampshire Seacoast. She writes about home, design, food, spirits and a variety of other subjects for regional publications and clients across New England. She may be reached at debbiekanewriter.com.

Morgan Karanasios is New Hampshire Home’s photographer. While she was a student in Dijon, France, she took photographs throughout Europe and continues to develop her passion for photography.

EDITOR

senior desi g ners

Jodie Hall, Wendy Wood contributors

Jenny Donelan, Mary Ann Esposito, Debbie Kane, Carrie Sherman, Robin Sweetser, Katherine Towler, Wendy Wood, Joseph Valentine, Carolyn Vibbert regional sales m anag er

Jessica Schooley: (603) 413-5143 jschooley@mcleancommunications.com seacoast sales m anager

Tal Hauch: (617) 921-7033; (603) 413-5145 thauch@mcleancommunications.com Brook Holmberg Sherin Pierce BUSI N ESS M ANAGER Mista McDonnell Event & Mar keting m anager Erica Baglieri Business & Sales Coordinator Heather Rood D i gital Media S pe c ialist Morgen Connor VP/consumer m ar keting

Rose Z. King is New Hampshire Home’s editorial assistant. She received her master’s degree in history of art from the University of Glasgow and is pursuing a PhD specializing in Venetian Renaissance art.

Carrie Sherman works as a freelance writer/editor. She also writes fiction, and her short stories have been published in the Saint Katherine Review and Yankee magazine. She lives in Kittery Point, Maine, with her husband, Terry, and their dog. She can be reached at carrie.sherman7@gmail.com.

Robin Sweetser writes a gardening column for the Sunday Concord Monitor and is a contributor to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, among other publications. A former Seacoast resident, she now lives and gardens in Hillsborough.

Katherine Towler is author of the memoir The Penny Poet of Portsmouth as well as the novels Snow Island, Evening Ferry and Island Light; she is the co-editor of A God in the House: Poets Talk About Faith. She teaches in the master of fine arts program in writing at Southern New Hampshire University and lives in Portsmouth.

VP/retail SALES

e d i to r i a l Co r r e s p o n d e n c e

Andi Axman, editor

New Hampshire Home 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 736-8056; editor@nhhomemagazine.com Subscriptions

Subscriptions, New Hampshire Home PO Box 433273; Palm Coast, FL 32143 or call (877) 494-2036 or subscribe online at nhhomemagazine.com or email NHHome@emailcustomerservice.com

Wendy Wood is a senior graphic designer and photographer at McLean Communications.

Her work appears in New Hampshire Home, New Hampshire Magazine, New Hampshire Business Review and other regional publications. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and Maine coon cat. In her spare time, she designs jewelry and creates mixed-media paintings.

Joesph Valentine specializes in garden photography, and his work has been published in this country and abroad. When he’s not photographing or writing about other gardens, he’s tending his own at Juniper Hill in Francestown. Visit his website at josephvalentine.com.

Carolyn Vibbert is a Portsmouth illustrator whose work also appears on packaging for food and wine brands such as Barbara’s, Stone Cellars and Williams Sonoma. She is represented by Freda Scott, and you can see more of her work at fredascottcreative.com.

14 | New Hampshire Home

© 2018 M c L ean C ommunications , I nc .

New Hampshire Home is published bimonthly by McLean Communications, Inc.; 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101; (603) 624-1442. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the publisher’s written permission is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any mistakes in advertisements or editorial. Statements and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect or represent those of this publication or its officers.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, McLean Communications, Inc.: New Hampshire Home disclaims all responsibility for omissions and errors. may/june 2018

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may/june 2018

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from the editor

In Praise of Gardeners

I

have visited some extraordinary gardens in New Hampshire and am always in awe of them. Ours is not an easy state in which to garden. The soil is full of rocks (no wonder we’re known as the Granite State); the black flies are unbearable at planting time;

the weather can surprise us, as it did in 2010 when a late-May snow blanketed our lilac blossoms. It takes a dedicated and determined person to create and nurture a garden— someone with talent, passion, vision and lots of energy. We’d like to introduce you to some New Hampshire gardeners who fit that bill.

Annette “Nettie” Rynearson has been gardening in Goffstown for almost forty years— her nursery called Uncanoonuc Mountain Perennials is now The Gardens at Uncanoonuc Mountain, a venue for weddings and special events. The beautiful display gardens developed by Nettie and her husband Mark (page 60) combine structure and color, like the hot-color garden seen on the cover.

Now that she’s retired, Kyle Landt gardens at her eighteenth-century home in Epsom

It takes a dedicated and determined person to create and nurture a garden— someone with talent, passion, vision and lots of energy.

(page 70) called Wells’ Corner. Her landscape is filled with colorful perennials, vines, flowering shrubs, annuals, lush tropical, herbs and even boasts a koi pond—and it’s so extraordinary that it will be open to the public as part of the Garden Conservancy Open Day Tours on Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15.

Joseph Valentine, whose gorgeous Francestown garden was featured in this magazine in May/June 2015 [Creating a Plant Lover’s Paradise], didn’t stop with plantings. He also built all the garden’s fencing and small buildings, including two follies (page 52) inspired by similar structures in the Cotswalds.

Donna Dunn has done a remarkable job in Dunbarton, where droves of daffodils glow every May (page 36). It started as a fundraiser in 2004, when the town began selling bulbs for its upcoming 250th anniversary. Today, there are more than one hundred thousand daffodil bulbs planted in Dunbarton!

Cheryl Bourassa is a longtime community garden volunteer and former manager of the Sycamore Community Garden at the New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI) in Concord (page 86). Thanks to her and others’ efforts, new Americans from ten countries— including Nepal, Bhutan, Iraq, Burundi, Nigeria and Somalia—now have an opportunity to help feed their families by growing familiar fruits and vegetables in the organic plots.

Although Melissa Ayotte’s flowers aren’t from a garden, they are certainly exquisite (page 44)—her glass paperweights are filled with them and can be seen at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester as well as at a show in England in June.

Bring on spring!

Editor

18 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

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photography by john w. hession

photography courtesy of john w. hession

letters from our readers

Joselle Presby and her son Dane prepare a meal in their Franconia home that was once two barns.

Two barns become one home

—Joselle Presby in Franconia

20 | New Hampshire Home

On the town

I just got the March/April 2018 issue, and wanted to send a huge thank you for including us in the calendar and On the Town sections. Your support means so much—thanks again for attending and writing about the gallery events!

—Karina Kelley of Kelley Stelling Contemporary in Manchester

A childhood home reborn

The article about the Lee/Yen house [Old Neighborhood, New House, January/ February 2018] is wonderful, and we appreciate your support of our work!

We are so excited to have Rob Karosis’s photos out in the world. Jenny Donelan did a really nice job with the story, and we are thrilled to have our photo shown so prominently on your website. John W. Hession is a master with portraits!

—Pi Smith, principal of Smith & Vansant Architects PC in White River Junction, Vermont

Award-winning architecture

Thank you for recognizing Bonin Architects in your eleventh anniversary issue [The Winners’ Circle, March/April 2018].

Our firm was honored to receive three awards at the New Hampshire Home Design Awards ceremony in January. Thank you for organizing such an enjoyable and entertaining event every year.

In all instances, the design process with our clients is an interactive and team effort within our firm. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful clients, and would like to thank them, our in-house design team, engineers, contractors and interior designers who work closely with us on every project.

Also, we would like to recognize John W. Hession for his talents in capturing the essence of our homes with his outstanding photography.

—Jeremy Bonin of Bonin Architects in New London and Meredith

photography courtesy of rob karosis

What a beautiful, jam-packed issue the March/April 2018 New Hampshire Home is!

The article about our home [Two Barns Become One Home] is fantastic and beyond any of our expectations. We (and the magazine) have received hundreds of compliments, as one of my friends posted a link to the story on Facebook. And we are truly humbled to see our kitchen, the very heart of our home, on the cover. Thank you for everything. It was such a pleasure working with you. John W. Hession’s talents as a photographer are amazing, and I love how he captured components of our home and moments of our lives that are dear to our family. Carrie Sherman did her homework on the history of New England barns and their structure, and the story she wove together is a joy to read.

We’d also love to give a shout out to Crown Point Cabinetry—we have never regretted our decision to go with them.

Thank you again for this terrific testament to my husband’s vision and hard work, and to the skills and talents of his employees and local craftsmen and subcontractors.

Oh, and I plan to make Mary Ann Esposito’s flourless chocolate cake for Easter. It’s perfect as my mom is gluten-free!

In January, New Hampshire Home awarded Jeremy Bonin’s project, Pinecliff, honorable mention in architectural design.

The dining room is connected to the main living space in the Hanover home designed by Smith & Vansant Architects PC.

We love hearing your thoughts about the stories we’ve published, and we’re always on the lookout for homes and gardens that might interest our readers. Write to us at Editor; New Hampshire Home; 150 Dow Street; Manchester, NH 03101; or e-mail editor@nhhomemagazine.com. We look forward to hearing from you! may/june 2018

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on the town Celebrating art

The Love, Lust and Desire show, held every year at McGowan Fine Art in Concord, featured affordable works for Valentine’s Day by more than sixty artists, including, from second to the left in the back row, Bethany Cole Rymes, Maggie Green, Connie Lowell and Mark Johnson. Gallery owner Sarah Chaffee is on the left. In the front row are Aisling Petipas, Julie Hamel and Michelle Johnson.

Photography by John W. Hession

Also in February, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester hosted an opening reception for The Sculpture of Augustus Saint Gaudens, which featured masterpieces by the artist who worked in Cornish for more than twenty years. A “living statue” (left photo) by Ten31 Productions in Rhode Island greeted guests, who included, from the left, Dorothea Jensen, David Jensen and M. Christine Dwyer, sponsors of the exhibit; Andrew Spahr, the Currier’s director of collections and exhibitions; Henry Duffy, curator of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish; Samantha Cataldo, the Currier’s assistant curator; Judith Gibson; Patrick Duffy; and Elizabeth Haff and Michelle Lamunière of Skinner, Inc., a sponsor of the exhibition. Photography by John W. Hession

Kelley Stelling Contemporary Gallery in Manchester held a special pop-up furniture show featuring new work by the New Hampshire Furniture Masters including, from the left, Donald Driere, Terry Moore, Jeffrey Cooper, Owain Harris, Ted Blachly and Tim Coleman. Photography by John W. Hession

Noteworthy architecture

The American Institute of Architects New Hampshire (AIANH) chapter’s March meeting at Southern New Hampshire University featured tours of the award-winning Gustafson Welcome Center and Wolak Library. Project architect Todd Shafer of Perry Dean Rogers Architects in Boston (second from the left) was welcomed by AIANH board members, from the left, Bart Sapeta, professor of architecture at Keene State College; Alyssa Murphy of Manypenny Murphy Architecture in Portsmouth; Jon Allard of Bruce Hamilton Architects in New Ipswich; and Susan PhillipsHungerford of Susan Phillips-Hungerford Architect in Peterborough.

Photography by John W. Hession

24 | New Hampshire Home

Fans of old houses

Presented by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance (NHPA) every two years in March, the Old House and Barn Expo in Manchester drew attendees from throughout New England and beyond to enjoy exhibitors, lectures, workshops and demonstrations. One of the ongoing presentations was by members of the Timber Framers Guild, some of whom are shown with Beverly Thomas of the NHPA (front row, center left) and Kayla Schweitzer of the N.H. State Council on the Arts (center right). The timber frame built by the guild during the expo was raffled off to a lucky winner. Photography courtesy of Richard Kipphut may/june 2018

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favorite finds

for the garden

Make a statement in your planter with the silvery, velvety leaves of Senecio candicans Angel Wings. Cole Gardens

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Give your plants and soil a boost with Bower and Branch’s Elements organic fertilizer.

Wentworth Greenhouses in Dover • (603) 743-4919 wentworthgreenhouses.com

Store garden tools and pots in this charming, all-weather, teak garden shed. Frontgate • frontgate.com Let your plants water themselves in planters

by Viva. Gardener’s Supply • gardeners.com

Learn a designer’s secrets with Color Me Floral: Stunning Monochromatic Arrangements for Every Season by Karen Underwood.

Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord (603) 224-0562 gibsonsbookstore.com

Water your plants with a colorful Haws watering can, made from recycled plastic.

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Imagine you’re at a Paris café with Fermob’s bistro folding chairs and table, available in a variety of colors. Rolling Green Nursery in Greenland • (603) 436-2732 • rollinggreennursery.com 26 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

favorite finds

for the garden

Have all your tools at hand by using a mobile, toolstorage caddy.

Gardener’s Supply Company gardeners.com

Shine the light on your plantings with handcrafted garden lights made from copper, bronze and opal glass. Frontgate • frontgate.com Maintain your container plantings with Sneeboer’s greenhouse tools, handcrafted from stainless steel with cherry handles. Cole Gardens

in Concord • (603) 229-0655 • colegardens.com

Protect your hands with all-leather work gloves, made in the United States. Womanswork

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Elevate your plantings to new levels of artistry with a galvanized, hanging, triple planter, perfect for ferns, succulents and herbs.

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Add an artistic touch to your garden with this ombre zinc peacock finished in a blue hue. Frontgate • frontgate.com 28 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

LF_NHHOME FP_7x10.qxp_Layout 1 3/23/18 7:00 PM Page 1

Design

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97 Dow Road • Bow, NH 03304 603.228.2858 • Fax 603.228.2859 Peter Schiess ASLA • landformsltd@aol.com www.landformsltd.com

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 29

Home cooking with

mary ann esposito

Palate Power Fresh herbs have been revered for their healing properties and culinary flavors since ancient times.

I

started my herb garden years ago outside my kitchen door. There, I surrounded myself with garden

tools of the trade and a wheelbarrow

full of tiny three-inch pots of rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage and parsley. As I put them in the ground and carefully sealed their tender roots with dirt, I thought about how long a wait it was going to be to see them thrive and mature. I had plans for those herbs; they would go into so many dishes from savory to sweet, besides providing a beautiful garden display that attracted bees, butterflies and the occasional photography courtesy of Paul Lally

frenetic hummingbird.

I depended on these plants to do their thing and willed them to grow into lush, bush-like shapes. The first year was slow, but then, after the root systems were established, my herbs started to reward me as mature plants with delicate flowers and distinctive flavors. Just rubbing the leaves with my hands released volatile

and use them that day, if possible. Bring

oils that stayed with me all day, and I

the cuttings indoors and trim the stem

peppermint and lemon verbena are a

was ready to respond with a cook’s zeal.

ends before placing them in a glass of

delicious surprise in scones, cookies

Most herbs are perennial plants, but

cold water to prevent the leaves from

and cakes.

For baking, snippets of herbs such as

they are also tender and need to be

wilting. Do not wet the leaves; wipe

treated with care. Most like well-drained,

them with a damp paper towel. (Basil is

to adding flavor to your favorite dish.

sandy soil and a sunny location. Many

especially prone to unsightly dark water-

They are a healthy alternative to using

herbs—such as basil, oregano and

marks on the leaves.)

salt. Gather herbs up to make a bouquet

parsley—benefit from frequent pruning, allowing the plants to bush out.

When cooking with herbs, add them

Herbs have so many uses in addition

of fresh scent for your home. Dry them

to foods such as soups and egg dishes to-

to use in floral arrangements. Make

ward the end of the cooking cycle; heat

potpourri sachet. Infuse them in your

vil—can tolerate damp conditions. Of

destroys their oils. For stews or braises,

cup of tea.

course, herbs can be container plants

make a bouquet garni of herbs such as

as well.

sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley, and

as oregano, mint, sage and thyme—

add it to the pot halfway through the

are gifts that reward you year after

cooking process.

year.

Some herbs—such as mint and cher-

To get the best flavor, gather herbs in the morning, before the heat of the day,

Herbs that are perennials—such

NHH

Text and food styling by Mary Ann Esposito | Photography by John W. Hession 30 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Stuffed Cucumber Boats

Ser v es 4

Light and refreshing stuffed cucumber boats are a welcome change from more traditional heavier salads.

Thyme and tarragon add just the right flavor to perk up this healthy salad.

1 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil, flaked 1 cup canned chickpeas, well drained 1 small red onion, minced 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts 2 tablespoons minced thyme

Recipe courtesy of ciaoitalia.com nhhomemagazine.com

1 tablespoon minced tarragon Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper, to taste 2 large cucumbers, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out with a small spoon Fresh thyme, for garnish

1. In a bowl, combine the tuna with its oil, chickpeas, onion, pine nuts, minced thyme, tarragon and lemon juice, and mix well. Add salt and pepper.

2. D ivide the mixture and fill the cavities of the cucumbers. Cover and allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

3. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Note: You can also make the boats ahead of time and refrigerate several hours. Bring to room temperature at least 1 hour before serving.

New Hampshire Home | 31

Home cooking

with mary ann esposito

Herb Pizza

M a k es o n e 12- o r 1 4 - i n ch p iz z a

Need something in a hurry for a party? How about an herbal pizza? The winning combination of fresh garden herbs and ready-made pizza dough will make this a go-to favorite.

1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, minced 2 large cloves garlic, peeled 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 package pizza dough, whole wheat or plain 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

32 | New Hampshire Home

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place all the herbs (except the rosemary) and the garlic in a pile on a cutting board and finely mince them. Place the mixture in a small bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix well. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan and add the rosemary leaves. Allow them to steep in the oil while you roll out the dough.

3. Lightly grease a large round pizza pan (12 to 14 inches). Roll or pat the dough out to fit the pizza pan, and brush with rosemary-scented olive oil. Spread the herb mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the cheese.

4. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

may/june 2018

Pasta with Parsley Walnut Sauce Ser v es 4

Parsley’s flavor is distinctive in this classic nut sauce from southern Italy. Use it on short cuts of pasta, such as fusilli or butterfly.

20 whole walnuts 1/3 cup pine nuts 1 small clove garlic 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley 1 cup light cream Salt and pepper, to taste ½ pound fusilli or butterfly pasta, cooked al dente 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1. Mince the nuts, garlic and parsley together.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Slowly stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Drain the cooked pasta and return the pasta to the cooking pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta slowly and reheat. Add the cheese and butter, and mix well.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

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New Hampshire Home | 33

Home cooking

with mary ann esposito

Spicy Chicken Thighs with Mixed Herbs Ser v es 4 Chicken thighs are tender, juicy and easy to cook; they become something special when rubbed with a mixture of fresh herbs and grainy mustard.

8 boneless chicken thighs 2 tablespoons minced parsley 2 tablespoons minced rosemary 2 tablespoons minced sage 2 tablespoons lemon zest 2 teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ cup spicy, grainy mustard 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Fresh rosemary and grated lemon zest, to garnish 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except the garnish. Add the chicken pieces and toss them well in the mixture.

3. Place the chicken in an oiled 9-inch-by-12-inch baking dish in a single layer. Bake for 35 minutes or until the chicken registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

4. Garnish with chopped fresh rosemary and grated lemon zest.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Spring Sage Pie

Ser v es 4

Creamy, crustless and with a hint of the forest, this delightful baked and rich-tasting sage pie is the perfect lunch with a tossed salad.

6 large eggs 1 tablespoon flour 6 sage leaves, finely minced 2 tablespoons milk or cream ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup grated Swiss cheese 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a 9-inch pie plate in the oven.

2. In a bowl, beat the eggs and flour with a whisk. Mix in the sage leaves, milk, salt and cheese.

3. Swirl the butter in the heated pie plate until melted. Pour the egg mixture into the plate, and bake until the eggs are set but still soft in the center.

Cut into wedges to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

34 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

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New Hampshire Home | 35

garden rx

Dr. Herbert Allen picks daffodils at his home, the Molly Stark House in Dunbarton. His wife, Laraine, is a descendent of John Stark, and the Allens are pleased to have the house back in the family again.

Droves of Daffodils In early May, the town of Dunbarton

nearly glows

from displays

of these sunny flowers.

T

hose driving the main streets and back

bring in a steady source of revenue and sup-

roads of Dunbarton in the spring can’t

port the upcoming 250th anniversary of the

help but notice the cheery displays and

town,” says club member Donna Dunn. The

drifts of daffodils growing for miles. They may

club was working on a long-range plan be-

appear natural but, as any gardener knows,

cause the anniversary would not be celebrat-

these flowers did not just appear on their own.

ed until 2015, and the work needed to satisfy

A lot of work and the concerted efforts of a di-

the club’s mission statement of beautifying

verse group of people went into bringing these

the town and working with schoolchildren.

gardens to town.

It all started in 2004 when the Dunbarton

Dunn suggested selling bulbs. “I already had five thousand daffodils planted in my

Garden Club was looking for a fundraiser.

yard, and people always remarked on how

“We needed something long term that would

beautiful they looked,” she says.

By Robin Sweetser | Photography by John W. Hession 36 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

At first, club members thought of

club to install a drop box at the Town

obvious ones who spring to mind are

buying bulbs locally, but they found a

Office and use it as a mailing address.

General John Stark, his wife Molly, and

wholesale company in the Netherlands

The Board of Selectmen participated in

son Caleb, but there are many more.

that would export fresh bulbs directly

press releases, allowed the club to use

to Dunbarton. “The bulbs were so huge

town facilities to advertise and sell, and

they looked like grapefruits!” Dunn

even let the garden club set up a small

remembers, “We knew we had a really

kiosk at the Town Office. Most impor-

good product.”

tant, the Board of Selectmen created

Dunn and club President Judy Pe-

a line item in the town accounts and

tersen went to the Board of Selectmen

accepted monies for the first year until

in 2005 with their proposal, asking

the garden club obtained their own

the board to sanction the project and

nonprofit status. “We couldn’t have

approve the logo “Daffodils for Dun-

proceeded without the town’s help,”

barton.” In exchange, the garden club

Dunn says.

agreed this would be the kickoff to the

For example: • Poet Robert Lowell was a Stark descendent and spent summers in Dunbarton at his grandfather’s home.

He even wrote a poem about it, so “Lowell’s Lyrics” became the name for an antique poeticus variety.

• Professor Caleb Mills left Dunbarton to settle in Indiana where he established a school that later became

town’s 250th celebration in 2015, that

All because of daffodils

the garden club would complete the

To tie the bulbs in with town history,

of good public education in Indiana,

full ten years selling bulbs, Dunbarton’s

the garden club thought of naming the

Mills encouraged legislation to insti-

history would be tied into the project

different varieties of bulbs after local

tute a statewide school system and is

and the monies raised would benefit

historic figures. They joined forces

called the “father of public education

Dunbarton.

with the Dunbarton Historical Aware-

in Indiana.” Now he has a white daf-

ness Committee to research prominent

fodil with melon-orange cup named

people from the past. Of course, the

for him.

The selectmen threw in their wholehearted support, allowing the garden

Wabash College. Appalled at the lack

photography courtesy of Adam Nickerson

A little spring shower doesn’t thwart the members of the Dunbarton Garden Club and two teenage volunteers as they spruce up the town common for the upcoming season.

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 37

garden rx

• Carroll Wright was a senator, college president, supervisor of the U.S. census and the first U.S. labor commissioner. His daffodil is buttercup yellow with a scarlet-orange cup.

• Louisa Whipple was a nationally known abolitionist who helped form the Dunbarton Female Anti-Slavery Society. A group of daffodils with pink, rose and apricot cups was named “The Sister Society” in honor of that group.

• Mark Bailey was a professor of elocution at Yale and became Abraham Lincoln’s voice coach. His daffodil has coppery-yellow petals with a crimson cup.

• Marianne Parker Dascomb was the first female college president in the United States at Oberlin College in Ohio. She oversaw the education of Amistad captive Sara Margru Kinson and was a supporter of the Underground Rail-

photography courtesy of Kelly Halldorson

road. In honor of her two hundredth

Dunn Cottage, where Donna Dunn has about five thousand daffodils growing, sparked the idea for planting the bulbs town-wide in Dunbarton.

Kelly Halldorson’s tiny canine companion, Copper, poses willingly among the daffodils, most of which are taller than he is!

38 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

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New Hampshire Home | 39

garden rx

The Molly Stark House was built in 1759 by her father Captain Caleb Page. She moved there as a young woman and lived there after her marriage to John Stark. The house was used as Dunbarton’s first post office in 1834.

birthday, the students at the Dun-

child received a package that included

barton Elementary School sent two

a bulb, fertilizer as well as instructions

planting bulbs along the roadways

hundred daffodils called “Dascomb’s

with a ruler and planting stick to take

where the flowers would be visible; but

Devotion” to Oberlin where they were

home and plant with an adult.

some proved to be a little too tempting

planted in front of Dascomb Hall.

“We discovered more about our town history than we ever dreamed,” Dunn says. “This is all because of daffodils.

Nobody knew any of this until we researched names for the bulbs.”

Promotion

One hundred thousand bulbs

The club members began by hand-

and got picked. “We asked homeowners if we could plant on their property

The garden club didn’t set an official

where the flowers would still be seen

goal for the first few years. “Eventually,

from the road but would have some-

I came up with one hundred thousand

one to watch over them,” Dunn says.

based on the number of bulbs we were

Dozens agreed to become “daffodil

actually getting into Dunbarton soil,”

parents.”

Dunn says.

Not only are more than one hundred

More power!

To get the word out about the daffodil

thousand bulbs planted in Dunbar-

For the first few years, club members

project, the club had to get creative.

ton, the garden club estimates it sold

planted using only hand tools—a tough

“We had a great graphics gal in the

between another fifty thousand and

and strenuous job in rocky New Hamp-

club who helped design our color

seventy-five thousand to people in

shire. Eventually, the club added some

brochures,” Dunn says. Since the group

other towns.

men to their ranks who brought in

could not afford mass mailings, mem-

“Everything was on a spreadsheet,

power equipment. “Armed with drills,

bers resorted to hand-delivering the

and each year, I extracted just what was

augers, generators, bags of fresh dirt

brochures to every house in town.

planted here either by the club itself or

and fertilizer, our teams easily planted

residents, so we’d know how hard to

ten thousand bulbs before lunch,”

bulbs at the elementary school with

push during the last few years,” Dunn

remembers Tom Cusano, past club

the students, and for several years, each

explains.

president.

Members of the garden club planted

40 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

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New Hampshire Home | 41

photography on this page courtesy of Adam Nickerson

garden rx

This lovely daffodil on the left is named “Hadley Heritage” in honor of Alice Hadley, a local author who wrote the book Dunbarton, New Hampshire: Where the Winds Blow Free.

Be sure to take a drive through Dunbarton this spring and enjoy the sight of one hundred thousand daffodils in bloom, like these on the right.

“It completely changed the dynamics

have been involved in growing them.

Atkinson—the Dunbarton Garden Club

of the group,” Dunn says. “We could

In the fall, they prepare a harvest meal

generously shared its resources. “I sent

never have done it otherwise.”

from the produce they have grown in

them spreadsheets and order forms so

The Dunbarton Garden Club

the school gardens. Mother Nature is

they would not have to reinvent the

the best teacher!”

wheel,” Dunn says.

achieved its goal in November 2014 when the one hundred thousandth bulb was planted.

Giving back As part of its mission statement, the

The garden club is a major contributor to the program and has helped

Plan a road trip

purchase a garden shed, tools, T-shirts

When you are out and about this

and equipment.

spring, make sure to take a drive down the Route 13 stretch of the General

garden club seeks to create an interest

A growing idea

in gardening, beautify the town, and

Dunbarton’s daffodil project has

ton and enjoy the show! Dunn says

educate schoolchildren about garden-

inspired neighboring towns to do the

between the last two weeks of April and

ing and nature.

same thing.

first two weeks in May will likely be the

Money from the sale of bulbs has

Goffstown, Weare and New Boston—

John Stark Scenic Byway in Dunbar-

best time to see the daffodils, and sug-

gone toward planting flowers at the

also located along the General John

gests checking the Dunbarton Garden

town common every year and funding

Stark Scenic Byway—have been plant-

Club’s Facebook page.

the Roots Garden Club at Dunbarton

ing daffodils in their towns, too.

Elementary School. “Roots is an after-

When the Atkinson Garden Club

school program that exposes kids in

contacted Dunn about doing a similar

grades one through six to gardening

fundraiser and plantings along the

in fun ways,” Dunn says. “They learn

Robert Frost/Old Stagecoach Scenic

where their food comes from and are

Byway—which runs through Derry,

more willing to try new things if they

Hampstead, Chester, Auburn and

42 | New Hampshire Home

NHH

Resources

Dunbarton Garden Club dunbartongardenclub.org

Dunbarton Historical Awareness Committee dunbartonnh.org Van Engelen, Inc. (860) 567-8734 vanengelen.com

may/june 2018

photography by Northpeak DesigN

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New Hampshire Home | 43

Master of Her Craft

It takes serious tools and know-how to create the delicate floral paperweights that are the trademarks of Melissa Ayotte’s studio.

Bouquets in Glass Melissa Ayotte makes

fine-art paperweights

based on themes from nature in her New Boston studio.

M

elissa Ayotte, daughter of

years—are kilns, worktables and cubbies

renowned glass artist Rick

upon cubbies full of glass rods in sizes

Ayotte, was born and raised in

from thick to thin, and in every avail-

New Hampshire. Her signature work, like

able color. In this space, she creates tiny,

her father’s, is paperweights of exception-

exquisite floral arrangements from glass

al beauty inspired by nature. A love of the

and encases them in clear crystal to make

outdoors has always informed Melissa’s

traditional-style paperweights. She is also

work, and she imagines her particular

continually challenging the traditional

affection for flowers may be due in part to

paperweight form—creating new shapes,

their all-too-brief appearance during New

sizes and textures.

Hampshire’s short growing season.

In her roomy New Boston studio in a

Melissa’s art will be featured in a show in England in June 2018. Locally, her

barn near her home—where she and her

paperweights can be seen at the Currier

father have worked for the last thirteen

Museum of Art in Manchester.

By Jenny Donelan | Process photography by John W. Hession Product photography by Morgan Karanasios 44 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

New Hampshire Home [NHH]: What made

you decide on paperweights as your artistic focus?

Melissa Ayotte (MA): As a second-generation

glass artist, I was inspired by my father’s passion and talent. That is where I started, and where I eventually landed, working at his side for many years. As a

Melissa Ayotte imagines her particular affection

for flowers may be due in part to their all-too-brief appearance during New Hampshire’s short growing season.

medium, it is very challenging to take a three-inch, round glass dome and encase your life’s work inside of it.

NHH: Paperweights have had sort of

a renaissance, haven’t they?

MA: Yes, in the 1960s and 1970s, a

number of artists started to look at antique paperweights from Europe.

From there, they expanded upon—and to some extent, created—a new genre.

Some emulated the antique form, while others stepped out, challenging themselves with the interior content.

My father was part of that renaissance period.

NHH: And you grew up with all that

glass work going on around you?

MA: Yes, but as it is going on, you don’t

think much about it. Your father is over there doing his thing in the fire. I was slowly drawn to the flame.

NHH: What got you interested in

working with glass?

MA: It started as a part-time job while

I was in graduate school, working in the psychology field and needing to earn a little extra money. Assisting my father just seemed natural, and the torch and glass were a nice way to be centered and process material from my life’s experiences.

NHH: And that’s when you became

hooked?

MA: Yes. As soon as I sat down with the

torch, it was like: “I’ve got to do this.”

The thing about glass is that you have to be present, working very much in the moment. Handling 2000°F molten nhhomemagazine.com

Melissa’s more recent work plays with traditional forms of the paperweight, like this example from her Circulus series, which features a mid-century-modern-inspired rim encircling multi-colored roses.

New Hampshire Home | 45

Master of Her Craft

In the flame-work stage of the paperweight-making process, Melissa Ayotte creates the pieces of the floral assemblies (such as the tiny blueberry shown above) that she will eventually encase in molten glass (see finished piece on the facing page, lower right).

glass forces you to be hyper-aware and

so many things. It has its own perfect

focused. I think that is one of its most

grace, but not a grace without dying.

alluring features. If something’s not

The idea in my work is to distill what is

going the way you want it to, you have

perfect about the flower—the color and

to figure out what to do about it. So

the form—and bring it into focus so

create small-scale sculptures—leaves or

much happens. Some of it you control,

people can enjoy it.

petals or berries. Typically, there are two

and some of it you don’t—you have to

or three different colors of glass rods NHH: The flowers in your paperweights

used to create just one petal or leaf.

look real. In fact, when I first saw

Then each petal or leaf is assembled to

NHH: Flowers are obviously very

pictures of them, I thought they were

create the flower, and the flower is as-

important to your work. What is it

real. Does anyone ever encase real

sembled into a larger piece.

that attracts you to them?

objects in paperweights?

MA: Flowers for me are the perfect

MA: Not in glass. We pour a molten

ers into a larger design while keeping

language. There’s such precision in

crystal, which can be anywhere from

everything hot—or else it cracks. That’s

the flower, such grace. Almost every

1550°F to 2000°F, over the piece.

the key. Glass is a super-cooled liquid,

element of nature can be found in the

There’s not a lot that would survive

so when you work with glass, you are

flower. There’s a fragility and also a

the process.

bringing it back to a liquid state, or

be flexible.

resilience. You know what spring is like

The next step is to assemble the flow-

close to a liquid state.

in New Hampshire! I’m always amazed

NHH: Can you walk us through that

to see crocuses bloom, and then it

process of making a paperweight?

soft glass, and it’s difficult to work

snows again and the crocuses struggle

MA: There are a number of steps. First

with—it’s not like Pyrex. You have to

to survive.

there is the flame work, which is also

heat it slowly, or it will crack. As you

called lamp work. I use the torch to

assemble the piece, bit by bit, you take

To me, the flower is emblematic of 46 | New Hampshire Home

What we use in the studio is called

may/june 2018

Melissa Ayotte’s first step in making a paperweight is to plan the project.

The leaves, petals, stems and other elements of the planned piece are collected before being assembled.

Using an iron rod called a punty, Melissa heats a gob of optic-quality crystal glass, which will be used to encase the floral assembly, in the oven (called the glory hole).

Using a torch and another piece of glass, Melissa peels off impurities picked up by the glass during encasement. nhhomemagazine.com

She pulls the punty from the top part of the encasement, which she will then begin to shape using a carbon cup.

Melissa carefully assembles the floral arrangement that will appear in the interior of the paperweight.

The encasement rests on rollers in the flame of a Bunsen burner.

After spending some time in the kiln, an exquisite paperweight comes to life. Included is the blueberry seen on the previous page.

New Hampshire Home | 47

Master of Her Craft

it in and out of the kiln, moving the piece back and forth while keeping it hot and adding to it, until it’s built up.

Then the whole piece goes into the kiln to stabilize.

Next I encase the design. I heat up the glory hole, which is what you are used to seeing with glass blowing— for example, at Simon Pearce, a glass maker in Quechee, Vermont, where the glass blowers are constantly reheating their pieces in the fire. I pick up a glass gob on my punty [an iron rod to hold and shape soft glass] out of a kiln where I have pre-heated it, and heat the glass further in the glory hole. The gob of glass for the encasing is one of the things that make paperweights so expensive. We use optic-quality crystal, which is very, very refined, expensive, and difficult to get, as few companies are making it any longer. When the gob is the right consistency, almost This piece from the Circulus series features an exterior designed to look like a ring, with deliberate, triangular cuts that add texture and light to both interior and exterior. The form brings focus to the bouquet of lime-green dahlias, purple lilacs, cornflowers and bloodroot.

like honey, I drop it over the design— boom!—to encase it.

Then while the piece is still hot, I clean the piece and start shaping it, using carbon forms.

The final step is the annealing process, when the paperweight goes into the kiln to cool for two days.

NHH: It seems like a lot could go wrong.

What’s the most treacherous part of the process?

MA: Perhaps not “treacherous,” but

challenging. Glass does not give up its secrets easily. There are many variables that can and do impact the success or survival of each piece—the temperature, the compatibility of different glasses being used, the size of the piece, the amount of annealing. Sometimes you open up the kiln, and … ugh … a crack. You’re starting over.

NHH: How long does it take you

to make a paperweight?

Melissa Ayotte has also recently created a series of Native American basket-inspired pieces. This one incorporates thistles, sunflowers and blue prairie flowers as well as a bumble bee.

48 | New Hampshire Home

MA: Everyone asks that, and it’s a

difficult question to answer. There’s may/june 2018

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Master of Her Craft

designing the piece. There’s figuring out which glass will and won’t work together. There’s achieving whatever it is in your mind you want to create— the technical research and development if you will, and then there’s making it.

Once you get everything figured out, you could do a piece in a week, but more challenging pieces need more time.

This is such an involved art form.

There is so much to the process, from conception to actualization. Often it involves a lot of trial and error, and heartbreak. Then, once the piece is realized, replicating the process can be equally as difficult. To achieve the colors in our paperweights, we mix glass like a painter mixes paints to achieve a certain hue. The glass comes from all over the world: Italian glass, Czech glass, German glass. All these glass rods react differently when mixed together.

My father’s body of knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work together has helped me avoid a lot of the trial and error.

NHH: Whereas if somebody like me

wanted to make glass paperweights, I would be starting out on my own, learning in school and on the internet.

MA: Yes, years ago there was maybe one

glass catalog. Now you have something like eight distributors of glass, and many schools and studios offer instruction. So there’s more knowledge of glass in general. That has changed, but you still have to sit down and do the work, and it’s not easy. It’s also expensive, with the gas, oxygen and raw materials.

NHH: You’ve been working with some

new variations on the paperweights,

Another Circulus piece showcases red dahlias, purple mums and blue bloodroot in a blue rim. In the background are cubbies of glass rods in an array of colors and sizes that will eventually find their way into Melissa Ayotte’s work.

such as your Native American baskets.

been moving away from the traditional

seen earlier came to mind, and soon

Can you describe those?

paperweight form with my stone series,

my sketch pad was filled with them.

MA: My inspiration usually comes from

the pods, the wall hangings and the

nature, but during a visit to a collector’s

multifaceted exteriors. One morn-

work can be as much an expression

home, I fell in love with her collec-

ing while sketching a different idea,

of art as the interior. I have made

tion of native baskets. I had already

thoughts of the native baskets I had

paperweights with an urchin-like

50 | New Hampshire Home

The glass orb containing the flame

may/june 2018

exterior, or a mid-century modern rim with holes. I long for that more tactile experience, and I think that

Imagine a kitchen...

has guided my deviations from the traditional form. Currently, I am working on what I call the Circulus series. Some are double-sided, with a bouquet on each side of the glass displayed upright in stands. This is really challenging. I’m also doing

Imagine a kitchen...

wall pieces now. The pieces have backings and hang on the wall in groups. It’s another way of displaying paperweights, instead of having them stacked in a case. Plenty of people have these wonderful collections at home, and they’re beautifully displayed in cabinets or on shelves, but to have the pieces where people can see them at eye level when they walk into a room is different.

NHH: What are you planning next?

MA: I was going through one of my

journals recently, and I discovered that back in 2003, I had sketched a piece that I finally made last year. So

Vintage Kitchens

I’m several years behind. That is one of my constant struggles: Will I have enough time? Will I get to it? I don’t think there’s an end to my desire to challenge the form. That urge feels very much a part of my second-

W

hether you live in an old house with original features, or plan to create something entirely new, the goal is the same: a consistent aesthetic theme and a kitchen that works — beautifully.

Vintage Kitchens

generation role, if you will.

vintagekitchens.com

603.224.2854 24 South Street Concord, NH 03301

NHH: The eternal question: Why do

you do it?

MA: People say, “I look at that piece

and it makes me feel good.” That’s the joy of it. I try to make things that speak to me, that I would want to surround myself with.

W

hether you live in an old house with original features, or plan to create something entirely new, the goal is the same: a consistent aesthetic theme and a kitchen that works — beautifully.

vintagekitchens.com

603.224.2854 24 South Street Concord, NH 03301

That and the alchemy—making the different pieces work together and figuring out the processes.

NHH

Resources Ayotte Glass Studio (603) 487-5323 ayotteglassart.com Currier Museum of Art (603) 669-6144 • currier.org Simon Pearce simonpearce.com nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 51

inspiration

Smitten with Follies A Francestown plantsman falls for these ornamental garden buildings.

S

ometimes, you just have to bask in the beauty of something— admiring a great work of art in

a museum; oohing and ahhing at your loved one all dressed up for a special occasion; delighting in the first flowers of spring. Beauty certainly is in the eye of the beholder—especially for aficionados of garden follies.

These treasures are rare gems because they were constructed primarily for aesthetic reasons without concern for cost. Unlike other structures we see in landscapes today—garden sheds, pool houses, garages and so on—follies don’t necessarily have a purpose other than dressing up the landscape. Like runway models, follies are all about their good looks.

You can find follies in gardens throughout Europe. But as the website for The Folly Fellowship in England says, “Follies are perhaps the most resonantly British form of architecture— they embody our passion for stylish eccentricity in a way no Georgian or timbered Tudor beauty can.”

Follies have been a feature of great English gardens for hundreds of years, and typically took the form of Greek or Roman temples, ruined Gothic abbeys, Chinese pagodas, or Japanese bridges.

Today’s follies include gazeboes, small cottages and rotundas. “Follies excite strong emotions,” says British architectural historian Gwyn Headley, who co-authored Follies: A National Trust Guide. “They are buildings designed for pleasure and, for me, they retain this extraordinary ability to please.”

In 2009, Joseph Valentine built this folly to replace a shed that housed the pool filter.

By Andi Axman | Photography by Joseph Valentine 52 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

A New Hampshire gardener’s follies When it comes to homes and gardens, New England has deep roots to old England. Architecture in England inspired building styles here—Georgian,

Two great English gardens in the Cotswolds made a lasting impression on Joseph Valentine—the classic Hidcote Manor and the innovative Highgrove House Gardens.

Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, Stick, Queen Anne and Tudor. Many of the great New England gardeners also took cues from their English counterparts—from the more formal designs of Sissinghurst or the landscape gardens like Stourhead, to the less formal but no less beautiful cottage gardens of the Cotswolds.

Two great English gardens in Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds made a lasting impression on plantsman Joseph Valentine—the classic, Arts and Crafts style of Hidcote Manor, created in the early twentieth century by the American horticulturist Major Lawrence Johnston, and the innovative Highgrove House Gardens, which have been created by Prince Charles during the past thirty years according to organic and sustainable methods.

“What began as a retirement hobby quickly became a passion,” Valentine says about the gardens he began working on in 2004. Five years earlier, he and his wife, Paula Hunter, bought Juniper Hill, a thirty-acre property in Francestown. Back then, the landscape consisted of bare lawn, a pool and a small shed. Neither Valentine nor Hunter had gardened seriously—their area of expertise was in high tech.

But once he was bitten by the garden bug, Valentine began to learn everything he could about garden design and history. “The two most important things you can do—in addition to just getting out there and putting your hands in the soil—are to study gardens and visit as many gardens as you can,” he says.

The more he read, Valentine says the influence of English gardening style was nhhomemagazine.com

Valentine’s inspiration for his second folly, built in 2016, was the pair that look like Greek temples at Highgrove House Gardens in Gloucestershire, England.

New Hampshire Home | 53

inspiration

“inescapable.” He was drawn to the Arts and Crafts style that combines formal elements with more informal plantings; it also emphasizes the use of natural materials and incorporates a design that transitions from formal around the house to wilder meadow or woodland areas farther away.

“This year marks our fifth trip to England to visit gardens over the past seven years or so,” Valentine says. “We often return to some of our favorite gardens, just to see what’s new, but we also try to include a few gardens we haven’t yet seen.”

When he’s not visiting other gardens or tending his own, you can find Valentine with a camera in hand.

He’s become an accomplished garden photographer, documenting his own and others’ gardens, and his work has been published in the United States and abroad.

Juniper Hill today Today, Juniper Hill has two acres of gardens designed in a style Valentine calls “country formal” and separated into garden rooms with different themes.

The gardens are so extraordinary that

and herbs as well as a seating area

the path and behind the barn to see

they have been on numerous garden

where Hunter and Valentine like to

multiple garden rooms that lead to the

tours, including those sponsored by

have their morning coffee. Across the

pool garden.

the national Garden Conservancy

driveway—which curves around the

organization.

mid-nineteenth-century barn—is a

garden are where Valentine built two

formal lilac garden; next to it is a path

follies inspired by similar buildings—

Near the original, gambrel-roofed

In the pool garden and in the lower

house built in 1789 are a decorative

leading down stone stairs to a lower

one at Hidcote Manor and the other

garden with raised beds for greens

garden with a frog pond. Walk back up

at Highgrove House.

54 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

nhhomemagazine.com

Photography courtesy of GAP Photos/Highgrove, A. Butler

Joseph Valentine’s temple folly (above) took its design cue from the one at Highgrove House Gardens (inset, right), which was designed

by Isabel and Julian Bannerman for Prince Charles; the sculpture is by David Wynne. Valentine’s folly, made from rough-cut hemlock, looks out on the frog pond he built in 2012. Inside are two chairs and a small twig table, and a wooden sun (inset, left) hangs on the wall.

New Hampshire Home | 55

inspiration

Joseph Valentine’s design for his folly (right) was inspired by the one at Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire, England (left). Valentine’s folly is clad in clapboard with cedar shingles on the roof. Inside is a bench, small table, chair and chandelier.

Valentine’s follies were serious

The folly inspired by Hidcote Manor

up with the pool and its axis, marking

ventures that took time to plan and

Valentine built his first folly in 2009 to

the entry to this garden. There are cedar

build. They are not exact copies of the

replace the wooden shed that housed

shingles on the roof and a bluestone

buildings at Hidcote and Highgrove but

the pool filter. “A branch came down in

keystone that’s purely for decoration.

rather, as Valentine likes to describe

an ice storm and wrecked the building,”

Even the floors are made from blue-

them, “New England interpretations.”

Valentine says. A light bulb came on

stone. The finial has a bluestone cap,

And although the buildings are beauti-

for designing a replacement, as he had

and Grenier made a scallop pattern in

ful, they are not entirely ornamental

always loved the garden pavilions at

the lead piping on the four corners of

as both function as places to sit. “When

Hidcote. There two brick buildings face

the roof.

Paula and I bought Juniper Hill Farm, I

each other at the end of a red border;

knew I’d be doing things myself, like

on the roof are stone tiles.

building the small buildings and fences,”

Though Valentine did most of the

Inside is a bench along with a small table and chair—and a chandelier.

“Although this building is mainly for

Valentine says. “I’ve always enjoyed

construction himself, he says, “Some

decoration, you can go in there at night

working in my shop in the barn.”

things were beyond my pay grade.” So

and read,” Valentine says.

he turned to builder bor in Francestown,

The folly inspired by Highgrove House

to help him with the

Valentine visited Highgrove twice and

curved roof, which

was taken with its pair of unfinished

sticks out above a

oak follies that look like Greek tem-

curved hedge. “Eric

ples—they were designed by Isabel and

built a plywood

Julian Bannerman for Prince Charles. “I

model of the roof

love the look of Greek temples, which

to ensure we got it

were very popular in formal English

right,” Valentine

gardens,” Valentine says.

Eric Grenier, a neigh-

says.

The building is Plantsman, folly designer and builder Joseph Valentine.

56 | New Hampshire Home

Valentine’s main challenge was figuring out the dimensions and scale for

centered between

his temple. On his second visit to High-

two trees, and lines

grove, he took a tape measure and may/june 2018

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New Hampshire Home | 57

inspiration

Joseph Valentine’s building, inspired by the folly at Hidcote Manor, looks out to the pool and its surrounding gardens.

hoped the tour guide would let him

wanted a gold color that would stand

frog pond he built in 2012, and he and

take measurements for the building.

out or a raspberry color like the one at

Hunter like to sit inside. “The pond has

But he wasn’t able to and had to

Highgrove. He tried many colors on

a bubbler in the center, and we enjoy

resign himself to working from

the hemlock—“all of them looked ter-

listening to the frogs,” he says.

photographs.

rible,” he says—and figured out that the

When asked if he has other follies

When he began building in 2016,

yellow hue of the natural hemlock just

planned for his garden, Valentine

Valentine used rough-cut hemlock and

wasn’t working with many of his color

answers, “I’ve got to stop.” But admirers

cedar shingles on the temple’s roof.

choices. “I wound up using the same

of his gardens hope otherwise.

“The fresh-cut hemlock beams came

color that’s on my barn,” Valentine

from a local sawmill and were heavy,

says. “It’s not as bright as I’d wanted,

so I recruited my friend, Karl Smizer, to

but it works.”

help cut and lift them,” Valentine says.

At Highgrove, the temple’s pedi-

Resources

Follies: A National Trust Guide by Gwyn Headley and Wim Meulenkamp (Jonathan Cape, 1986; ISBN 0224021052)

Inside are two chairs and a small twig

ment is decorated with white roots the

table. “Prince Charles has an ornately

Bannermans found washed up on the

carved bench in his,” Valentine says

shores of a Scottish loch. For his pedi-

with a chuckle. Like the building at

ment, Valentine literally reached for the

Highgrove, Valentine’s interior is fin-

roots of his property’s namesake and

Joseph Valentine Photography josephvalentine.com

ished and painted above the chair rail.

gathered twisted, sun-bleached branch-

The Folly Fellowship follies.org.uk

A wooden sun hangs on the wall.

es from the junipers that had been

“Choosing the wall color was not easy,” Valentine says. He originally 58 | New Hampshire Home

growing at the edges of his field.

Valentine’s temple looks out on the

NHH

Hidcote Manor Garden nationaltrust.org.uk/hidcote Isabel and Julian Bannerman bannermandesign.com

The Garden Conservancy (845) 424-6500 gardenconservancy.org The Royal Gardens at Highgrove highgrovegardens.com may/june 2018

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New Hampshire Home | 59

a garden’s

Journey

A hot-colored border layers tiers of perennials and grasses, including ‘Zagreb’ coreopsis, ‘Banana Cream’ shasta daises, ‘Primal Scream’ day lilies and ‘Jacob Cline’ bee balm.

60 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Sometimes gardens lead the way, as Nettie and Mark Rynearson have discovered on North Uncanoonuc Mountain in southern New Hampshire.

By Carrie Sherman Photography by Joseph Valentine nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 61

T

Transformations are the norm for gardens.

The ones at what used to be Uncanoonuc Mountain Perennials are no exception.

Founded almost forty years ago, by Annette “Net-

tie” Rynearson, the nursery has now become The Gardens at Uncanoonuc Mountain, a venue for weddings and special events. These beautifully designed and cultivated gardens are a co-venture for Nettie with Alyssa Van Guilder, founder and creative direc-

tor of Apotheca Flowers in downtown Goffstown.

“When I first saw Alyssa’s work, I thought, ‘Oh, this is someone who knows how to arrange flowers,’” Nettie says. “I recognized her genius right away.”

And, with the management of the nursery behind

her, Nettie has returned to her first calling: “Now I get to garden again.”

However, her wealth of horticultural information

for gardeners in northern New England and beyond remains accessible online at uncanoonucmt.com.

Her plant guidelines and gardening tips are written in such a direct, practical and warm style that seasoned gardeners appreciate her clear authority while novice gardeners take heart.

Laying the groundwork To begin, Nettie came from a family of gardeners.

“They all grew food and flowers,” says Nettie, who was born in Maine and lived all over New England, before heading off to the University of Maine. While in college, she spent four summers gardening for families in South Harpswell, Maine. That’s when she realized that she’d found her calling. She transferred to Cornell University and there met her future hus-

62 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Above: ‘Taplow Blue’ globe thistle can reach up to five feet tall and requires well-drained soil.

Left: A path is bordered with daylilies, hosta and, to the right, Allegheny spurge, a native pachysandra. Underneath the ‘Floribunda’ crab apple, a groundcover of yellow bishops’ hat, an epimedium, flourishes.

The rocks, all imported to the site, emphasize the easy curve of a pleasantly wide walking path.

Below, from the left: Contrasting foliage can be subtle yet effective; ‘Montgomery’ blue spruce buds create a vigorous sculptural form; these bleeding hearts will soon give way to regal lilies; yellow lady slippers, planted more than a decade ago, continue to thrive.

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 63

Right: An ascending series of green and granite diagonals plays against the rounded shapes of plants. Trees, shrubs and flowers in shades of green, gold and creamy white frame a ‘Mandarin Lights’ azalea that has just begun to bloom.

Below: A gentle, stepped-stone structure for a waterfall brings sound, movement and refreshment to the garden.

band, Mark, in pomology class (the study of tree fruits). With degrees in hand—Mark’s in landscape architecture, and Nettie’s in horticulture—they headed to New Hampshire.

Soon, Nettie began shopping for a site to develop her nursery.

“I looked for about six months,” Nettie says. “We needed a field, and some water or the ability to have water. New Hampshire is heavily forested and finding a property was harder than you might think.”

The property on Mountain Road in Goffstown rests on the southern slope of North Uncanoonuc Mountain. Once a gravel pit, the property had a twoacre tillable field, an old sugar maple and a big pasture pine. There was a shallow well, and the fifteen-acre parcel was surrounded by Goffstown watershed land. Plus, there was an unfinished workshop, an empty thirty-foot-by-sixty-foot box.

“We moved right in and camped out,” Nettie says. “We just went right at it, and things didn’t stop. And that’s been the fun of it. We built the house and the gardens around it ourselves, and managed to stay married. We even raised two beautiful children who survived us and the chaos of construction.”

When Mark talks about how the display gardens developed, his approach is methodical and thoughtful. He sees in broad, structural patterns. His freehand sketches have an astonishing clarity and balance that seem to indicate all things can be possible. The stone wall he built in front of their house is an example of this kind of inspiration.

The wall, which is dry laid stone, anchors the whole place. “That wall is the most exquisite one on the property,” says Nettie.

Mark, who runs his own landscaping design/build firm, The Rynearson Company, Inc., placed all the granite for the gardens to create frameworks. Then Mark and Nettie added slow-growing evergreens: boxwoods, 64 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Above: A close up of a ‘Scintillation’ rhododendron.

Left: One of a pair of tall, robust tuteurs in a soft shade of gray brings a dramatic presence to the garden. It’s a wonderful foil for the ‘Jeanne LaJoie’ climbing rose.

Below: A flowing line of ‘Yaku Prince’ rhododendrons, a compact variety, adds weight to an island garden.

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 65

Right: Linear plantings lead the eye back to a ‘Boule de Neige’ rhododendron.

Below: A sculpture by John K. Lee creates mystery amid the lush greenery of the garden. Lee teaches at Dartmouth College.

Facing page: This understory planting features striking contrasts with ‘Blue Moon’ woodland phlox and ‘Scintillation’ rhododendron.

hollies, yews and Japanese pines in various sizes and shapes.

“We wanted to show people the possibilities of various gardens,” Mark says. “And we especially wanted people to go into it. The display gardens have aspects of a Japanese stroll garden.

You are drawn into it, can’t see too far ahead and there are places to sit. Once the format was set, then Nettie filled in with color and perennials.”

With this two-layered organizational approach, combining both structure and color, the various display gardens evolved: the entrance garden with the yellow magnolia; the main display garden with the big crabapple tree that expanded to include the weeping cherry tree, which is big enough for a whole family to sit under; the pink and gray garden; the purple, white and yellow garden; and the hot-color garden. At the end of the field, tucked under the forest canopy, is the

66 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 67

Above: The ‘Country Dancer’ rose was developed by the late Griffith Buck, an American rose breeder.

Right: ‘Lady of Shalott’, a David Austin English rose, is paired with ‘Sweet Summer Love’ clematis.

Below left: A dry laid stone wall built by Mark Rynearson anchors the garden.

Below right: A study in green and gold is enhanced by gray granite and white ‘Purity Candytuft’.

68 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Mark and Nettie Rynearson.

woodland garden. There’s a small home orchard

pretty much the same maintenance you do the

with peach, cherry and apple trees as well as a

rest of the garden. Then prepare to be delighted.”

highbush blueberry planting. Then there are the

As for winter protection, she concedes, yes,

nursery beds, which have begun to be reimagined.

some roses do need it: “Early summer would seem

Roses

strangely empty without the luscious blooms of our David Austin roses. We don’t mind tucking

For years, roses were a challenge in northern New

them in during the late fall and relish uncovering

England, but now with new varieties and wise cul-

in early spring. We call it gardening.”

tivation, that has changed. Nettie’s rose garden is a showcase for what a gardener can do in zone 5.

Garden wisdom

The sixty-foot-by-eighty-foot formal garden

Nettie’s office is, no surprise, well organized with

is enclosed by an elegant, wooden, white picket

a long desk against one wall and shelves of books

fence. It feels like its own little world. The en-

above it. Opposite is a big window; a Victorian-

trance arbor features an eyebrow-arched top and

style hooked rose-patterned rug complements

is planted on either side with the classic ‘New

a comfy maroon couch. The walls are painted

Dawn’ climbing rose. The garden’s lush plant-

a warm petal pink, and a gallery wall features

ings feature red roses in each corner, blending

photographs, some sepia-toned, of relatives and

to roses that shade into apricots, pinks, whites

friends—all of them mentors. They look like peo-

and yellows. Defining parts of the pathways are

ple who would tell you exactly what they think.

hedges of ‘Hidcote’ lavender along with compan-

Just as Nettie does when she muses about grow-

ion plantings of pinks and lady’s mantle. Rounded

ing say, bunchberry, a sometimes cranky native

boxwoods in the central beds and upright yews

groundcover, and the only herbaceous dogwood:

in Lunaform planters offer structure and con-

“Getting plants established, especially in the be-

trast. Here and there, a clematis—such as ‘Sweet

ginning is crucial. Once they’ve gotten through

Summer Love’—clambers up and over the fence,

their first year, they’re much more resilient. It’s all

adding softness and even more color. The far side

about getting them going.”

of the garden is constructed of lattice to support climbing roses and two espaliered pear trees. It is

Given the spirit of these gardens, those who Flowercelebrate here will be off to a good start.

NHH

centered by another arbor that shelters a swing.

“There was always going to be a swing. That was never a question,” Nettie says.

Nettie’s online resource provides extensive information on growing roses of all types, including her favorite floribundas, modern shrub roses and David Austin’s English varieties. The list is long. Nettie writes: “Remember, roses don’t know they’re special: they’re plants. Choose carefully, satisfy their basic site requirements and give them nhhomemagazine.com

Resources

Apotheca Flowers (603) 497-4940 • apothecaflowershoppe.com John K. Lee (603) 646-1554 • john.k.lee@dartmouth.edu Lunaform, LLC (207) 422-0923, (207) 422-3306 • lunaform.com Seacoast Soils Compost Products, Inc. (603) 396-4108 • seacoastsoils.com The Gardens at Uncanoonuc Mountain (603) 340-1518 • gardensatuncanoonuc.com The Rynearson Company, Inc. (603) 497-2661 rynearsondesign.com New Hampshire Home | 69

Waves of color abound in Kyle Landt’s twenty-firstcentury cottage garden.

Bright orange nasturtiums, marigolds, calendula and daylilies brighten the side of the barn, while the opposite bed offers calming shades of blue salvia and deinanthe ‘Blue Blush’ with soft yellow daylilies and kirengeshoma.

70 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Flowers A Symphony of

A lifelong gardener and music lover composes a well-orchestrated landscape surrounding her historic Epsom home.

By Robin Sweetser | Photography by John W. Hession

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 71

A

A well-orchestrated garden

An exuberant mix of plants welcomes

“There are all sorts of things that I

visitors to the gardens at Wells’ Corner,

haven’t tried yet, so every year, I add new

Music played an important role in

an eighteenth-century home in Epsom

varieties,” she says. “The garden is my

Landt’s life when she was growing up.

where familiar perennials, vines and

playpen. It is so rich with possibilities

“Gardens and music have a lot in com-

flowering shrubs are so artfully interwoven

that I never plant the same way twice.”

mon,” she says. “The timing, the rhythm,

with fresh-faced annuals, lush tropicals

In keeping with the style of Landt’s

the feeling of being lulled and lured,

and herbs that the gardens will once again

center chimney Colonial house and

the sense of surprise and resolution.”

be open to the public as part of the Garden

barn, there are no formal boxwood

Her gardens flow like a musical com-

Conservancy Open Day Tours (see page 77

hedges outlining garden rooms. “This

position, starting with the front flower

for more information).

was a yeoman’s farm, not a grand es-

borders. “This is the prelude,” Landt

Every spring for thirty years, home-

tate,” she says. “I knew I wanted the gar-

says. It sets the tone for what is to come.

owner Kyle Landt and her helpers plant

dens to be appropriate to the surround-

The former front lawn has become

250 flats of annuals among the estab-

ings.” To do this, Landt uses sight lines

more of a path, making way for mirror-

lished plantings. In designing the beds,

to define the different sections of the

ing beds—one framing the front of the

Landt starts with texture and shape be-

property, creating a natural flow that

house and the other along the two roads

fore color.

draws visitors through the landscape.

that form Wells’ Corner.

72 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Far left: Homeowner and gardener Kyle Landt replaced a large section of lawn with a raised octagonal potager where she grows vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Left, above: Raised beds keep asparagus, early bearing ‘Taylor’ raspberries and ‘Fall Red’ raspberries from escaping into the surrounding lawn, make them easy to harvest and keep weed-free.

Left, below: Leeks, lettuce and marigolds grow in one section of the potager. Landt mixes flowers and vegetables to take advantage of companion plants that aid each other’s growth and ward off insect attacks.

Landt hired Robert Potter of Gilman-

accented with silver, while an intensely

‘Angel’s Blush’ and pale blue salvia har-

ton Iron Works to build a low, dry-laid

fragrant tree lilac grows at the far corner.

monize with peonies, irises and peach

stone wall along the outside edges of

Many of the plants in the roadside

daylilies. Dianthus ‘Neon Cherry’ at-

the 4-foot-deep bed. At 134-feet long,

bed are repeated across the front of the

tracts swallowtail butterflies, while lark-

this border runs along the corner’s two

house, along with others of a similar

spur and lavatera in shades of pink and

roads. The border is filled with tall pop-

color, form or texture, providing an

white are complemented by the dark fo-

pies, yellow daylilies, roses, blue bach-

engaging rhythm to the view from the

liage and clear white blossoms of ‘Twyn-

elor buttons, white cosmos, fringed di-

street. The far end of the bed is shaded

ing’s After 8’ dahlias.

anthus ‘Rainbow Loveliness’ and phlox,

by a 150-year-old horse chestnut tree.

There are many more plants that

and is edged with alyssum and verbena.

More than sixty-five-feet tall and with a

Landt calls her “good animals,” includ-

For an additional staccato note, Landt

crown that is more than fifty feet wide,

ing zinnias, cleome, geum, aconitum

lets the seed-heads of tall alliums stand

the tree is the largest in Merrimack

and astrantia, to name just a few. “They

long after the blossoms have faded. In

County.

have strong, clear colors, good structure

one corner of the garden next to the

On this side of the house the tempo

and are robust growers. I couldn’t garden

house, dark-leaved cannas stand out

builds. Clematis scramble up five tall

without them,” she says. They provide a

amid plants with gray foliage and others

pillars. Pink and white cleome, lychnis

unifying refrain throughout the gardens.

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 73

Atop a small rise behind the barn, a waterfall from the naturalistic upper pond feeds the larger fifteen-foot-by-thirty five-foot koi pond below.

74 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Left: These bronze koi may be fish out of water embellishing the pondside rocks but they represent their living counterparts swimming in the pond.

Below: Weathered Adirondack chairs positioned near the pond are one of Kyle Landt’s favorite spots to relax.

Bottom: Water falls from the upper pond into the antique, stone horse trough and overflows into the 3 1/2-foot-deep pond where the koi overwinter.

In the shady corner of the ell, the

Landt grows peppers, parsley and leeks;

skirts the edge of the property behind a

pace slows where a magnolia and Solo-

bok choi, carrots and beets; eggplant,

seventy-five-foot-long and twenty-foot

mon’s seal flank the stone steps. Large

onions and artichokes; lettuce inter-

wide sunny bed where Landt grows a

leaves of hostas and rogersia are under-

planted with marigolds; tall pole beans

medley of verbascums; white snapdrag-

planted with New Guinea impatiens,

supported on a center tripod and pots of

ons; blue, pink and white salvias; pop-

salvia, monarda ‘Bergamo’ and verbena.

heirloom tomatoes with basil.

pies; tall ageratum ‘Blue Planet’; flower-

On the other side of the ell, the ca-

Growing along the side of the barn

ing balsam; blue cerinthe; fuzzy-leaved

dence switches as the full length of the

next to the potager are a climbing hy-

silver sage; ammi; and lupines. There

property comes into view, and fragrance

drangea, lime green nicotiana, deep pur-

are cardoons and potted artichokes for

and flavor beckon. Raised beds contain-

ple heliotrope, rhododendrons, cosmos

flowers and foliage; tall, single yellow

ing asparagus and raspberries are bor-

‘Psyche White’ and Rose of Sharon.

hollyhocks; and a tree peony.

dered by a lilac hedge, and a raised oc-

Beyond the potager, a woodland

The soothing sound of water draws

tagonal potager takes center stage. Here

walk brimming with shade-loving plants

back to the beds behind the barn where

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 75

bees are buzzing along in the up-

pots of scented geraniums leading to

turned blue bells of dwarf echium.

the open porch. The dooryard gar-

Highbush blueberries, magnolia and

dens combine the pitch-perfect fra-

smokebush keep the fifteen-foot-by-

grances of climbing roses, peonies,

thirty-five-foot koi pond from view

self-seeded dill, rue and actea with

until we reach the opposite side of

the floral harmony of zinnias, cos-

the barn. “I wanted it to look like an

mos ‘Cupcake’, gaura, nigella, pul-

old spring was feeding a stone horse

monaria and pansies. “I like to have

trough,” Landt says. The water cas-

fragrant plants wherever I sit,” says

cades from a small, upper pool into

Landt, but she doesn’t sit for long. In

the trough and overflows into the

a garden of this size, there is always

pond. It appears so natural that it

something that needs to be done.

attracts a wide variety of wildlife— some welcome and some not. Frogs,

Dedication and effort

turtles, birds, snakes, wild turkeys

Landt’s gardens do have a magi-

and ducks make good use of the pool,

cal quality about them. But they

while marauding raccoons, mink

didn’t appear like a magic trick

and herons come to poach the koi.

where you snap your fingers and

Welcoming Adirondack chairs pro-

voila! In 1988, when she moved

vide a restful place to sit and listen to

to Wells’ Corner—which is named

the water music, watch the fish, and

after the family who lived there from

enjoy the antics of birds and frogs.

1794 into the 1960s—there was very

Containers with double-flowered,

little landscaping, just a narrow bed

yellow calibrachoa, cardoon and he-

of vinca near the porch, an old grape

licrysum ‘Silver Mist’ are placed at

arbor and some tawny daylilies.

water’s edge where ladies’ mantle,

The first garden she attempted

coleus, epimedium, ferns, primroses,

was a free-standing border across the

black colocasia and eucomis grow.

driveway from the house. Here she

“Gardens need worthy destinations,”

encountered the soil that has been

Landt says, and this is one of many on

her toughest challenge for three de-

her property.

cades. “It is just yellow sand over

A winding, grass path leads back

hard pan clay. There is very little top

to the house past a deep bed filled

soil,” she says. “The most ambitious

with white veronicastrum, red zin-

part of the project was driving that

nias, delphiniums, red and yellow

first shovel into the ground. Once

celosias, chartreuse nicotiana, white

you start, then you know you have a

cosmos, pink astilbe, variegated hos-

tiger by the tail,” she says. “My moth-

ta and yellow ligularia. Pale purple

er always said that first you have to

clematis and honeysuckle grow on

get your soil right. I have been work-

tall tuteurs, and softwoods, maples

ing at that for thirty years.”

and magnolias provide a dark green backdrop.

Every spring, she has fifty yards of surf ’n turf compost, made mainly

Beside the barn, the colors rise

from cow manure and lobster shells,

to a crescendo with orange zinnias,

delivered from Benson Farm in Gor-

marigolds, calendula, nasturtiums,

ham, Maine. “To have a successful

the striped leaves of ‘Tropicana’ can-

garden, you need the three M’s,”

nas and tithonia. “I call this Victo-

Landt explains, “money, muscle and

rian vulgar,” she says. “Anything

manure.”

interesting has a touch of vulgarity.”

She started with that one narrow

Across the driveway Landt has

border and the garden evolved from

created a brick-paved path lined with

there. “I just kept adding borders

76 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Left: A brick path leads to the side porch entrance of the house. Tall white actea, self-seeded dill and pots of scented geraniums lend their fragrances to this welcoming dooryard garden.

Below A photo captures a moment in time but gardens change with the seasons—and over the years. A large maple that once stood in front of Kyle Landt’s house is gone now, turning a shady garden into a sunny spot.

Gardens Worth Seeing Wells’ Corner is one of many great New Hampshire gardens open to the public during this summer’s Garden Conservancy Open Garden Days. No reservations are required, and the gardens will be open rain or shine. Admission is $7 per garden; children age twelve and younger are admitted free of charge.

On Saturday, June 16, five homeowners in the Monadnock region welcome visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Highlights include a large koi pond, a terraced vegetable garden, a bog garden, a formal peony/clematis garden, formal boxwood gardens and beehives.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15, two private gardens in the Merrimack Valley region are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; a third (Wells’ Corner in Epsom) closes at 5 p.m. Highlights include groves of Japanese maples and birches, an idealized woodland with hundreds of mature rhododendrons, an ornamental potager and deep mixed borders.

For more information, see opendaysprogram.org or call the Garden Conservancy weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (888) 842-2442.

Saturday, June 16, Monadnock Region Gardens Robertson Garden at 162 Gerry Road in Dublin Thoron Gardens at 139 Harkness Road in Jaffrey Briggs Garden at 86 King’s Highway in Hancock Elliott Gardens at 191 Depot Road in Hancock Gordon Garden at 14 High Street in Peterborough Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15, Merrimack Valley Region Gardens Evergreen Garden at 42 Summer Street in Goffstown Oak Hill Garden at 51 Langan Drive in Goffstown Wells’ Corner Garden at 5 Wing Road in Epsom nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 77

From the left (top): Yellow ligularia ‘The Rocket’ contrasts with blue delphinium in the background; an heirloom pink poppy is one of 10 types found in the garden; tall ageratum ‘Blue Planet’ provides a backdrop for white ‘Rocket’ snapdragons.

Above: An avid gardener, Kyle Landt says she’d like her trowel to be buried with her when she dies— just in case.

From the left (bottom): Landt grows six varieties of cleome—three short and three tall; yellow daylily ‘Sunday Gloves’ is surrounded by airy nigella ‘Miss Jekyll’s Blue’, which Landt grows for its interesting seedpods; calendula ‘Neon’ lights up an otherwise sedate bed.

78 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

and adding borders,” she explains.

fearless with color, and her garden

“It began modestly, but grew over

had a sumptuous, Arabian Nights

time and soon got out of con-

feel to it. She grew everything from

trol.” She finally realized that she

castor beans to begonias.”

needed to call in reinforcements.

Stumbling across a copy of

In 1998, landscaper Mark

Christopher Lloyd’s book The

Rynearson— of The Rynearson

Adventurous Gardener in a used

Company, Inc. in Goffstown

book store was an epiphany for

(see page 60 for the story on his

Landt. “It was like stepping off into

garden)—arrived with the heavy

a swiftly moving stream,” she says,

equipment necessary to dig through

“He wrote about everything I was

the clay and debris. Rynearson’s

raised with.”

crew even found an old drywell that had to be removed.

That experience prompted her to visit Lloyd’s gardens at Great

The borders on the south side

Dixter in England, and she be-

of the barn were extended, and the

came friends with “Christo” and

pond was installed by the late Jeff

his head gardener Fergus Garrett.

Crary. Holly Suojanen brought her

“Christo was so generous with his

backhoe and has helped immense-

time and ideas, and he made you

ly over the years, constructing and

raise your game,” Landt says. She

planting many of the other beds on

has attended many of their sympo-

the property.

siums and goes back every year to

Now retired from her practice of medicine, Landt used to work

work in the garden.

long hours and did a lot of garden-

A learning experience

ing at night. “I would come home

What advice does Landt have for

from work and use the car head-

other gardeners? “Have fun with it!

lights to light up the garden while

You have to play and tweak things.

I weeded,” she says.

Don’t be afraid to edit. There are no

There was no watering system

green or brown thumbs,” she says.

in place in the early years, so she

“You have to be willing to accept

would set her alarm clock and go

failure and replant.”

out to the garden every two hours

When asked about thirty years

to move sprinklers around. “I

of gardening in one place, she says,

found the garden to be a beautiful

“Well, I’ve made a good start!”

NHH

place at night, especially under a full moon,” she says.

Inspiration Landt she says she has never left someone else’s garden without learning something, and over the years, she has had many garden mentors. Her mother was an interior designer with an excellent sense of color, and her grandmother had only a postage-stampsize lawn, but grew a deep flower border down the length of her property. “It was about thirty-five feet long,” Landt says. “She was nhhomemagazine.com

Resources

Benson Farm (207) 892-6446 bensonfarm.com Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours (888) 842-2442 • opendaysprogram.org Great Dixter greatdixter.co.uk Johnny’s Selected Seeds (877) 564-6697 johnnyseeds.com Robert L. Potter and Sons (603) 435-8738 quicktransportationsolutions.com Seedaholic seedaholic.com Select Seeds (800) 684-0395 selectseeds.com The Adventurous Gardener by Christoper Lloyd (Frances Lincoln, 2011; ISBN 071123244x) The Rynearson Company (603) 497-2661 rynearsondesign.com New Hampshire Home | 79

A showcase of Landscape designers

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photography by wendy wood

Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces New Hampshire Home | 80

Landscape Design Showcase

Belknap Landscape Company

We turn Dreamscapes into landscapes

L

ots of companies can provide landscape design services that mirror the latest trends—but very few walk you through the experience the way Belknap Landscape Company does.

With Belknap Landscape Company, your project doesn’t end when the last tree is pruned or the final lawn chair is put out. Our dozens of experienced professionals will see you through every phase of your landscape needs, from the design and build, through the first year of maintenance. With a Belknap design, not only will the look of your space be unparalleled but the service you receive will be as well.

Our full-service landscape company has been serving the New Hampshire Lakes Region since 1989 and we pride ourselves on using materials that are “naturally native” to the state. Whether those are granite pavers to match your Granite State home or stones that complement the look of your backyard, we will ensure that everything in your project has the local touch.

Our team has the expertise to effortlessly create a trendy or timeless look for your property. Fire pits are a growing trend—have you seen one you liked at a home remodeling show? We can make that dream come true— we have installed nearly fifty in the last year.

If you can dream it, we can make it a reality.

When you choose Belknap Landscape Company for your landscape project, you can SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

25 Country Club Road, Village West, Unit 101 Gilford, NH 03246 (603) 528-2798 • belknaplandscape.com rest assured that you’ve gained a partner for every step of the way.

Our team will help you design the exact patio, outdoor kitchen or backyard space you want, and we’ll stay in close contact as we bring the design to life. Once your project is installed, our team provides a full year of maintenance and communication to sustain the Belknap experience long after you’ve held your first garden party.

We provide naturalistic solutions to our clients’ landscape needs—and the personal touch to make your experience unforgettable.

New Hampshire Home | 81

Landscape Design Showcase

DB Landscaping

creating innovative and engaging landscapes

3 Alpine Court., Suite. #1; Sunapee, NH 03782 (603) 763-6423 • dblandscaping.com

W

simply to sit back and enjoy your new space.

hen you choose a New Hampshire vacation home, a certain caliber of automatic landscaping comes standard.

Whether your property boasts leafy woodlands, sweeping vistas, or a waterfront locale, Mother Nature’s landscapes are guaranteed to impress—and db Landscaping can help you bring that same natural wow factor to your man-made landscapes.

Some companies opt for concrete and other industrial materials for their landscaping installations. Not so with db. The team at db works with you to select natural materials that blend in with your home’s surroundings. Gorgeous stone steps can complement the rocky shores behind your beach home, and the welcoming hearth of an outdoor fire pit can continue the woodsy feel of your lake house. Local materials also feature heavily in db’s work, so every element of your landscape design can reflect the natural resources of the Granite State.

In addition to designing the outdoor living space of your dreams, db Landscaping will keep the details of permitting and regulations from turning your 82 | New Hampshire Home

project into a nightmare. The team—led by trained landscape architect Dan Bruzga —has more than ten years of experience navigating the legal side of landscaping, from environmental regulations to zoning and historic preservation guidelines. With db Landscaping, you can leave the legal details to the professionals. Your role is

Whether you need landscape design at your new vacation home, help overhauling shoddy or outdated work from a previous landscaper, or even a fresh take on the landscaping at your full-time residence, db Landscaping is here to help.

may/june 2018

Landscape Design Showcase

LANDSHAPES

LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION

A

beautiful landscape begins with a great design. Whether it’s new construction or a renovation of an existing landscape, Landshapes’ designers work with clients throughout New England to develop plans that are unique and tailored to a client’s wishes. Our residential projects range from total property transformations to working on specific areas and features. Landshapes can help homeowners create a backyard patio for entertaining; a new front walkway; and gardens with plantings to welcome guests. We also collaborate with architects and home builders on full site development.

In New England, micro-climates determine which plants will thrive. Our formally educated designers have years of experience and are knowledgeable horticulturalists. We select plants that are both beautiful and will flourish in each environment.

Our design styles range from the native plants and organic forms of a naturalized landscape; the structure and symmetry of a formal garden; an English cottage garden’s blend of flowers; to the clean lines of modern design. Landshapes’ designers work with each client to determine which style best fits the home’s architecture, the site characteristics, the natural surroundings and the client’s personal style. We create timeless designs with the thoughtful selection of plants, hardscape materials like fieldstone and decorative pavers, garden accessories and structures. Our attention to details—like lighting, which allows the landscape to be seen and enjoyed any time of day or night—is part of what makes our landscape designs stand out.

We have the skills to bring even the most complex landscape plan to life. With more than twenty-five years of experience, Landshapes is a full-service design-build firm and can install an

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88 Rogers Lane; Richmond, VT 05477 (802) 434-3500 • landshapes.net extensive selection of landscape features including swimming pools, natural swimming ponds, water features, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, stone walls, patios, walkways, driveways, plantings and less common features like living roofs and rain gardens. We work closely with each client to provide personal service throughout the design and installation process. Our goal is to create a visually beautiful and functional landscape that enhances the property and the homeowner’s outdoor living experience.

New Hampshire Home | 83

Landscape Design Showcase

Simpson landscape company

welcome to the world of finE landscaping

L

andscaping is more than property maintenance—it’s an art form. And Chuck Simpson, owner of Simpson Landscape Company in Dublin, has been perfecting that art for decades.

“A plant growing in nature is like a wild animal,” Simpson says. “It takes care of itself. When we adopt those plants and begin taking care of them, they become pets and we must treat them so. We need to supply water, food and proper care. It’s a commitment. No one likes to see wild looking, feral animals mulling about a house.”

Simpson Landscape has created award winning landscapes and parks in Keene, Spofford, Amherst, Bedford and the entire Monadnock region. The team specializes in walkways, stonework, irrigation, lawns, perennial gardens, water features, soil preparation, grading and drainage and trees and shrubs.

It’s a combination of a studied eye, an artist’s hand and in Simpson’s case, years of experience in the industry that can make the difference.

“Quality landscaping is when a building melds into its landscape,” Simpson says. “It appears to have always been on its site. It could be as rigid as a proper English garden or as subtle as a nature representation landscape. Each is proper so long as there is an integration of building and gardens. While walkways, patios, perennial gardens, trees and shrubs, water features, arbors and fencing, grading, and soil preparation are all the parts, we supply the whole. Our job is to be good landscape ‘fitters.’”

84 | New Hampshire Home

Dublin, NH (603) 563-8229 • simpsonlandscapeco.com It can all begin with a simple consultation. Ideas are shared, the Simpson team brings its decades of experience to the plan and then the design phase begins.

“A designer meets with our client for an hour or two to discuss the wishes and dreams concerning their landscape,” Simpson says. “We talk about budget numbers so that we can incorporate that budget into the plan. There is the presentation of the plan and menu to the client and a final concept. Starting time frames are discussed. From there, we look at the whole season and devise a game plan.”

Transforming a loved, but unremarkable environment into an award-winning showcase starts with a call.

may/june 2018

Landscape Design Showcase

Stephens Landscaping Professionals, LLC

Stephens Landscaping professionals Lakes region landscaping services

W

ith the right attention this spring, your landscape can be restored so it looks its best. Let Stephens Landscaping become your valued partner. Led by owners and brothers John and Mark Stephens, Stephens Landscaping, now in its tenth year, can see a project through from inspiration to installation. One of the few certified landscape professionals in the region, company president John Stephens oversees the installation, design and permitting operations, allowing you to pursue your vision without the administrative challenges. Leave the paperwork and legal navigation in the capable hands of this University of New Hampshire horticulture and business graduate, and enjoy watching your dream space take shape.

As certified landscape professionals, staff members are required to undertake extra training and take part in continuing education to maintain the designation that sets them apart from other landscapers.

Stephens Landscaping’s maintenance programs offer seasonal

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62 Moultonborough Neck Road Moultonborough, NH 03254 (603) 707-0630 • stephenslandscaping.com

services throughout the year, including cleanups, lawn mowing, mulch installation, irrigation and snow removal. If a little inspiration is needed, visit the garden center in Moultonborough for a diverse selection of high quality plants, decorations and gardening supplies, as well as bulk materials including mulches, sand, loam, compost and crushed stone.

While Stephens Landscaping can do it all, the team specializes in residential waterfront properties. By taking an ecological approach they help homeowners create comfortable sanctuaries that are as beautiful as they are functional and welcoming. From lighting and color, to softscapes, patios and outdoor kitchens, Stephens Landscaping has a long history of excellence, renowned for its skill and years of creating proven, breathtaking results.

Call to schedule a site visit to discuss your thoughts. Transforming your home’s landscape into a stunning showplace is as easy as taking the first step.

New Hampshire Home | 85

transformation

A New American Garden Gardeners from ten nations cultivate connections to their homelands and more in Concord.

O

n a warm summer day, the Sycamore Community Garden, tucked in a grassy field at the

New Hampshire Technical Institute

(NHTI) in Concord, teems with activity.

There’s the hum of several languages be-

ing spoken by women and men in colorful clothing as they tend to their individual garden plots. Children run back and forth, playing hide and seek among the ten-foot-tall African corn stalks. Elders watch from the garden’s edge, warming themselves in the sun and taking it all in.

Research has long shown that gardening is a form of escape, a calming way to connect to the natural world around us. The Sycamore Community Garden offers something else: a familiar sense of place in a strange world for recently arrived immigrants and refugees (often called “New Americans”).

Sycamore’s gardeners hail from ten countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, Iraq, Burundi, Nigeria and Somalia. The organic garden connects these New Americans to their homelands, and gives them an opportunity to help feed their families by growing familiar fruits and vegetables. The garden combines recreation, exercise and socialization with an opportunity for self-reliance and community development.

“It’s truly what makes them feel at home,” says longtime community garden volunteer and former garden manager Cheryl Bourassa. “One of the gardeners, a woman from Somalia, told me: ‘(Since coming here) I live surrounded by concrete, and I thought I

Gardeners line up to receive plants at the Sycamore Community Garden at the New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI) in Concord.

By Debbie Kane | Photography by Wendy Wood 86 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Top: Upendra Dhungel walks away with flourishing plants for his garden on a plant giveaway day.

Above left: Sycamore Community Garden board member Ruth Heath (left, in white) looks on as Lang Tamang (center) chooses plants with the help of garden liaison Jacqueline Manirambona.

Above right: Former NHTI President and current Sycamore Community Garden board member Lynn Kilchenstein chats with Tika Khatiwada about his plants.

was going to die. Then, I found the gar-

Ralph Jimenez approached NHTI about

a nonprofit organization. Designed to

den and I knew I could survive here.’”

creating a garden that could accommo-

serve low-income families, the garden

date the area’s growing New American

is accessible via the local bus line, an

population. Representatives from the

important consideration for those who

The Sycamore Community Garden

school enthusiastically agreed to be in-

don’t have reliable transportation.

was established in 2009 after Concord

volved, providing land and expertise as

resident and community gardener

well as helping establish the garden as

Mutual beneficiaries

nhhomemagazine.com

The garden has 168 plots, serving 130 families; gardeners who qualify for the New Hampshire Home | 87

transformation

Right: Members of the Sycamore Community Garden tend their plots and build defensive borders against groundhogs in their gardens.

Center left: A mother and her son check the plants they received on plant giveaway day at the Sycamore Community Garden in Concord.

Center right: Nil Timsina receives tomato and other plants on plant giveaway day.

Below left: Bhagi Timsina hoes her garden.

88 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Mongali Gurung and Khina Gurung pose near the garden.

In the same way that an artist carves in stone or wood to create a unique form, the Carver table’s cross-rail and legs have been subtly sculpted, like pieces hewn from a solid block. Combine Carver with the Sway sling chair, with a cantilevered construction and a sling seat that is flexible enough to provide a soft landing!

community garden must register annually to retain their plots and unclaimed plots are distributed via lottery. NHTI students have small plots in the garden where they

Let our professionals help you design your own personal space: indoor or out. See and sit in over forty settings on display, or choose from thousands of styles, colors or patterns at our Design Center.

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perform soil testing, create projects to increase the pollinator population and more.

Plants for the garden are cultivated and grown by students at the University of New Hampshire’s Thompson School of Applied Science (Sycamore provides the seeds). Crops include African grinding corn, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers (“Hotter than many of us eat,” says Bourassa), potatoes, kale, daikon radishes, African eggplants and beans of all kinds. The gardeners haul their own water from two wells on the property.

Growing lessons The garden serves both as an escape and a community center for its gardeners. Many have spent years in refugee camps, with minimal control over their lives. “Most live in crowded conditions here, on severely limited incomes, because work for anyone— let alone for someone new to the nhhomemagazine.com

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Above: Representing ten nationalities, gardeners pose with the results of their bountiful harvest.

Below: Wheelbarrows stand at the ready for use by Sycamore gardeners.

language, culture and country—is very hard to get,” Bourassa says.

Many of the gardeners don’t speak English; some are illiterate. Ghana Shyama, a native of Bhutan, is the garden’s translator and sometimes peacemaker.

On any given day during the growing season, he’s at Sycamore, greeting gardeners, helping them share information with one another and smoothing over disagreements. “People can engage with each other, and if they’re in the garden, they’re completely happy,” he says.

“We share everything: produce, seeds, even cooking tips.”

Sycamore has done more than help New Americans: it inspires the numerous volunteers who help it flourish.

Jonathan Ebba, horticultural facilities manager at the Thompson School of Applied Science, works with UNH 90 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

GrowinG locally for over 50 years students to cultivate the garden’s seedlings, then deliver them to Sycamore via truck in June. “Our students meet people who’ve been completely uprooted, and learn how food and plant production can ground them,” he says. “Agriculture, on the most primitive level, is what ties us to place and the land. I really love that my

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When Sycamore’s current garden manager, Kym Ventola, moved to Concord from Arizona, Bourassa, a neighbor, introduced her to the

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With an umbrella protecting them from the summer sun, gardeners visit their plots.

garden. “She invited my ten-year-old son and me to volunteer at the garden, and we jumped at the opportunity,” Ventola says. “The day we were handing out seedlings to the gardeners was so great. I felt such a strong connection to the community.”

Shyama sums it up best. “Our plots are small, but there are big friends

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in the garden,” he says. “It’s the best place to be.”

NHH

Resources

Sycamore Community Garden sycamorecommunitygarden.org University of New Hampshire, Thompson School of Applied Science • colsa.unh.edu nhhomemagazine.com

Strawberybanke.org Strawberybanke.org 14 Hancock Street 14 Hancock Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 Portsmouth, NH 03801 603.433.1100 603.433.1100

New Hampshire Home | 91

architectural icon

Built in 1758, the John Paul Jones House—the showpiece of the Portsmouth Historical Society—has been a museum for one hundred years.

Peonies are abloom in the garden.

A Georgian Gem Built in 1758,

the John Paul Jones House

and its gardens

are Portsmouth

landmarks worth seeing.

J

American Revolution—is credited by his-

House was almost torn down in 1917, part of

torians as one of the founders of the U.S.

a tide of development in Portsmouth. “The

ohn Paul Jones—a famed hero of the

Despite its historic ties, the John Paul Jones

Navy. Also renowned is the grand Georgian

house was going to be demolished, possibly

house named for him: the John Paul Jones

to make way for a bank,” says curator Gerry

House, located on a busy street corner in

Ward. “It’s now been a museum for more than

downtown Portsmouth.

one hundred years.”

A National Historic Landmark, the 3½-story, yellow and white house is owned

The home’s beginnings

by the Portsmouth Historical Society, and

When it was built in 1758 by sea captain

offers a fascinating glimpse of eighteenth-

Gregory Purcell for his wife, Sarah Wentworth

and nineteenth-century Portsmouth and

(niece of New Hampshire’s first Colonial

the surrounding region, when the city was

governor, Benning Wentworth), the John Paul

a busy maritime port. Self-guided tours of

Jones House was one of Portsmouth’s first

the home also introduce visitors to John

grand homes. Hopestill Cheswell—a noted,

Paul Jones, arguably Portsmouth’s most

mixed-race housewright from nearby New-

famous resident.

market—is credited with building the home.

By Debbie Kane | Photography by Morgan Karanasios 92 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

Captain Purcell died suddenly in 1776, leaving Sarah in debt; she rented out rooms to help support herself and her five children. Jones boarded at the home twice. Originally from Scotland, he began his maritime career as a merchant ship owner in the slave trade, then found his way to America after a deadly argument with a crewman. Jones came to Portsmouth in 1777, selected

by Congress to appoint and man The Ranger, a ship built on Badger’s Island in the Piscataqua River. He returned as an American naval hero in 1781 and remained until 1782, while a second ship, America, was being outfitted in the area.

The Purcell/Wentworth home largely

Above: With its crown moldings, the grand central hallway is a distinctive feature of the home’s Georgian design. It’s also where many paintings from the museum’s extensive collection of local portraiture are displayed.

Left: John Paul Jones, shown in this reproduction of an oil painting by Charles Wilson Peale, is credited with being the founder of the U.S. Navy and lived in the house twice during the late eighteenth century.

remained intact for the next century.

Samuel Lord, a prominent local banker, purchased the home in 1852, renovating it and adding a barn and formal gardens.

By the time the house was put up for sale in 1917, it had had nine owners.

nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 93

architectural icon

At the time of the sale, Americans were fascinated by the Colonial Revival, embracing eighteenth-century history, architecture and artifacts. This included a renewed interest in John Paul Jones, whose body was exhumed in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, transported from its original gravesite in Paris, then re-interred in an elaborate tomb at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland (an upstairs gallery at the John Paul Jones House highlights his adventures as well as maritime life in Portsmouth and southeastern Maine). The house was purchased by the grandson of Woodbury Langdon—who bought the house from Sarah Purcell—and transferred to a group of citizens who formed the Portsmouth Historical Society in 1917 to turn the John Paul Jones House into a museum. It opened to the public in 1920.

The house today Today, the house showcases the Portsmouth Historical Society’s collections of local paintings, furniture, textiles, decorative arts and more, all donated by local residents

Top: Highlights of the dining room include chairs by Portsmouth furniture maker Langley Boardman, who worked in the late-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The fireplace tiles are late-eighteenth-century English Delftware.

Above: The table in the front parlor is set with pieces from the Portsmouth Historical Society’s extensive European and Asian export porcelain collection.

94 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

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Exclusive ownership of your own Face of New Hampshire title for example “the faces of award winning architecture” Professional photography session A digital version of your page hosted on our website NHHomeMagazine.com Faces of New Hampshire banner ad impressions on NHHomeMagazine.com (linked to online profiles) A Face of New Hampshire wall plaque 10 copies of the magazine 100 reprints of the piece professionally printed on high quality glossy stock Submissions will be edited for grammar, clarity, length, and in-house style guidelines.

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New Hampshire Home | 95

architectural icon

(a large collection of historic manuscripts and photographs is housed at the Portsmouth Athenaeum). The home’s interiors still contain the

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original Georgian molding, panels and carved woodwork. Two rooms on each floor open off the central hallway and staircase. One of the front parlors provides a good example

VISIT OUR EXHIBITION GALLERY, PERMANENT COLLECTION MUSEUM

of changes in architectural taste when the home was remodeled by Samuel

49 S. Main St, Suite 100 | Concord, NH

Lord. “It’s not furnished as a period

Exhibition Schedule at NHcrafts.org.

Gertrude Fiske: American Master Open through this fall at Discover Portsmouth,

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the gallery of the Portsmouth Historical Society,

Concord, Hanover, Hooksett, Littleton, Meredith, Nashua, North Conway, Center Sandwich (May-Oct)

is Gertrude Fiske: American Master, a major

retrospective of the work of artist Gertrude Fiske (1879–1961).

A student and peer of American impressionist painters—such as Frank Benson, Phillip Hale

Top-bottom: Basket by Sharon Dugan, Glass Vases by Alex Kalish, Clay Jar by David Orser

SAVE THE DATE

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by critics and peers for having a strong artistic individuality and vision. She maintained

lifelong friendships with “The Pine Hill Girls,” a group of female artists who lived and painted in Ogunquit, Maine, along Pine Hill Road.

The exhibit is complemented by Sisters of the Brush and Palette, an exhibition of works by

some of Fiske’s contemporaries, including Anne Carleton, Margaret J. Patterson and Susan Ricker Knox.

Also at Discover Portsmouth is Seacoast Masters Today, highlighting contemporary female Tile Dealers and Remodeling Services (603) 668-2033 87 Elm Street, Manchester, NH superior-tile.com Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri: 9-5; Thurs: 9-7; Sat: 9-4

artists; and, at the John Paul Jones House, Overlooked and Undervalued: 300 Years of Women’s Art from the Seacoast, highlighting women’s home crafts from the permanent collection.

Discover Portsmouth (603) 436-8433 portsmouthhistory.org

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Strollers is a 1925 oil on canvas by Gertrude Fiske.

Photography courtesy of Jay Willis

may/june 2018

2017 Winner of the new hampshire home Design Award for Excellence in Small Home Design

Hanging over the landing is one of the museum’s most recent acquisitions, Portrait of Mrs. Charles Taintor 1913, by noted American artist and New Castle resident Edmund Charles Tarbell. The portrait formerly belonged to the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts.

home,” Ward says. “We’re interpreting

ing the Samuel Badger and Dockum

Portsmouth history.”

families. One of the Portsmouth His-

The first floor includes a front parlor

torical Society’s most splendid—and

and dining room as well as a special

recent—acquisitions is a large painting

exhibition space (see sidebar) and an

by prominent early twentieth-century

ongoing exhibit about the 1905 Russo-

portraitist Edmund Charles Tarbell,

Japanese Peace Treaty, negotiated by

who spent summers in nearby New

President Theodore Roosevelt and

Castle. The Portrait of Mrs. Charles

signed in Portsmouth.

Taintor 1913 came to the historical

The home’s furnishings and collections evoke the stories of John Paul Jones, Portsmouth and its early

society from the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts.

During late spring and early sum-

residents. “Everything has been given

mer, the John Paul Jones House

to us by local families,” Ward says.

garden—designed in 1859 by Samuel

“We’re the only institution in Ports-

Lord—is resplendent with lacy peonies

mouth that focuses on Portsmouth

and thousands of bright tulips, and

history from beginning to end.”

fragrant with blooming lilacs. Crushed

Pieces from the Portsmouth

stone walkways guide visitors around

Historical Society’s large collection

the property and a small memorial

of Chinese export porcelain and

garden planted with several varieties

European ceramics are highlighted

of herbs.

throughout the house. Many excellent

It’s likely that John Paul Jones would

examples of Portsmouth furniture are

be proud of the grand home that now

also displayed, including a mahogany

bears his name. To learn more, visit

table original to the Purcell family, a

the John Paul Jones House, open daily

chest of drawers by local cabinetmaker

starting May 28, from 11 a.m. to

Samuel Dockum and a large mahogany

5 p.m.

are portraits of men and women who shaped the area’s history, includnhhomemagazine.com

Your Space.

Our Expertise.

Your Style.

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sideboard with inset glass details.

Lining the central hall and staircase

Photography courtesy of Lafayette Interior Fashions Allure Transitional Shades

Resource

John Paul Jones House (603) 436-8420 portsmouthhistory.org

603.929.2987

cynthiaclarkinteriors.com New Hampshire Home | 97

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New Hampshire Home | 99

mark your calendar!

Photography courtesy of Greg West

We Make House Calls!

And Office Visits too!

Take The Music Hall’s Kitchen Tour in Portsmouth on May 12 and see kitchens in turn-of-the-century homes that have been renovated in a variety of styles.

may M ay 4

Andrew Stevovich Solo Exhibition

outdoor living

A noted contemporary figurative painter, Stevovich spent time as a young child roaming the halls of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where he was drawn to the Renaissance paintings that would come to inform his work.

Stevovich’s images depict ordinary men and women in everyday situations and locations, but they convey a sense of mystery. Although Stevovich’s paintings are set in the contemporary world, their crisp design, brilliant color and meticulous surface finishes recall the Renaissance works he loved as a child. He works in oil and pastel, and is also an accomplished printmaker and etcher.

Stevovich holds degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Massachusetts College of Art. Opening reception 6–8 p.m.

Adelson Galleries Boston • 520 Harrison Avenue in Boston • (617) 832-0633 adelsongalleriesboston.com M ay 8

Preservation Achievement Awards

coming in July/August for advertising information call

JESSICA SCHOOLEY (603) 413-5143 TALMAN HAUCH seacoast (603) 413-5145 N ew H ampsHire H ome

is AvAilAble At newsstAnds Across the stAte. 100 | New Hampshire Home

At this celebration, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses in the categories of restoration and stewardship; rehabilitation and adaptive use; compatible new construction; public policy; as well as educational and planning initiatives.

Concord City Auditorium • 2 Prince Street in Concord • (603) 224-2281 • nhpreservation.org M ay 1 0

Landscape Lecture by Mary Margaret Jones In this annual series, internationally renowned designers present their recent work articulating landscape as a medium of design for the social, cultural and ecological life of the city. Mary Margaret Jones is president of Hargreaves Associates and Hargreaves Jones, overseeing offices in San

Francisco, Cambridge and New York. Jones is known for her leadership of many of the firm’s award-winning projects around the globe. She also serves on numerous juries, lectures widely, and is active in the public forum of design and development issues. 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors, $5 for students, and museum members and children age seventeen and under are admitted free of charge.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum 25 Evans Way in Boston • (617) 566-1401 gardnermuseum.org M ay 1 0

Spring and Summer Exhibit Opening Reception

This year’s exhibit brings several multi-talented artists.

Mike Howat is a recent graduate from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Debbie Kinson paints realistic oils on clay board, mostly using birds as her subject matter. Gretchen Hill Woodman does graphite on paper drawings. Patrick McCay is a well-known artist Sculpture by Michael Alfano with a distinguished exhibit record from England to the United States. Alice Spencer paints and does mono-prints inspired by her trips to Africa and the Far East. Michael Alfano does public and private commissions from realistic figures to abstractions. Opening reception, 5–7 p.m. Exhibit on view through September. Thursday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; appointments encouraged.

Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture • 236 Hopkinton Road in Concord • (603) 226-2046 themillbrookgallery.com

may/june 2018

M ay 12

Twenty-Seventh Annual Kitchen Tour

The Music Hall’s twenty-seventh annual Kitchen Tour is set in the heart of Portsmouth’s Little Harbor neighborhood. See how turn-of-the century houses have been renovated to showcase dream kitchens of all shapes and sizes. Be inspired by contemporary and classic styles created by the Seacoast’s top designers and builders.

Guidebooks feature detailed descriptions of the kitchens as well as information on the artisans, designers and architects responsible for layout and design. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tickets are $27 in advance; $25 in advance for Music Hall members; and $30 day-of.

The Music Hall Box Office • 28 Chestnut Street in Portsmouth • (603) 436-2400 • themusichall.org M ay 12

Spring Perennial Plant Sale

Welcome spring with hardy perennials divided from plants in the celebrated gardens at Hamilton House. The museum’s garden staff can assist with plant selection and answer questions.

The plant sale takes place at the brown garden cottage, and is a rain or shine event. Special early bird hour for Historic New England members only, 9 a.m. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Free.

Hamilton House • 40 Vaughan’s Lane in South Berwick, Maine • (207) 384-2454 historicnewengland.org

LEIGH STARER M ay 12

Plant Sale

Hosted by the Auburn Historical Association and Griffin Free Public Library, this plant sale features locally grown annuals, perennials, hanging baskets and herbs. Proceeds benefit both organizations. 9 a.m.–noon.

102 Hooksett Road in Auburn auburnhistorical.org M ay 15

Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit

Sculptures arrive from all over New England in many styles and a variety of mediums for this twenty-first annual exhibit. Opening reception, 2–4 p.m. Exhibit on view through October.

Thursday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; appointments encouraged.

Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture • 236 Hopkinton Road in Concord • (603) 226-2046 themillbrookgallery.com nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 101

mark your calendar!

M ay 15

Jun e 3

Campers explore Manchester’s history, with topics that include Native Americans, archaeology, inventions and the Industrial Revolution. Camp dates: August 6–10. manchesterhistoric.org/events/184-summer-camp

Voted the “Best Kitchen Tour in NH” by New Hampshire Magazine, this tour offers the chance to explore several of the finest kitchen designs in Bedford and Manchester. The tour begins at Granite State Cabinetry, where maps are available. O Steaks and Seafood is catering lunch; many homes will have treats on-site provided by local businesses.

The day ends with an after-party at LaBelle Winery, featuring wine tastings presented with paired appetizers. All proceeds benefit programs at the Palace Theatre. Tour runs 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tickets are $50.

Palace Theatre • 80 Hanover Street in Manchester (603) 668-5588 • palacetheatre.org

Early Registration for Time Travelers Summer Camp

M ay 16

Evening with Master Chef Jacques Pépin

Renowned PBS master French chef, cookbook author and artist Jacques Pépin arrives for a fourcourse dinner paired with award-winning LaBelle wine. All courses were selected from Chef Pépin’s cookbooks, and will be prepared by LaBelle’s Executive Chef Eddie Ceccherini and Executive Banquet Chef Justin Bernatchez. Each course is presented

by Jacques Pépin, followed by Amy LeBelle’s comments on the wine pairings. Proceeds benefit New Hampshire PBS. 6–9 p.m. Details and registration through New Hampshire PBS website.

LaBelle Winery • 345 Route 101in Amherst nhpbs.org/pepin M ay 19

Nashua Garden Club Annual Plant Sale

Early birds know to line up early in anticipation of getting the best selection from hundreds of beautiful perennials, annuals, bulbs, herbs and indoor plants. Members of the Nashua Garden Club, including several master gardeners, are available to help with selections. Proceeds of the raffle support the club’s educational and beautification projects.

The Nashua Historical Society will dedicate a tulip tree that day to Frank H. and Marvis J. Mellen for their enduring devotion to the mission of the Historical Society. The Society’s Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum will be open.

Nashua Historical Society • 5 Abbott Street in Nashua • nashuagardenclub.com nashuahistorical@comcast.net M ay 19

Rare Plant and Garden Antiques Sale

As many as sixty vendors bring their rare and unusual plants and garden antiques for sale.

8 a.m.–3 p.m.

LionRock Farm • 30 Hosier Road in Sharon, Connecticut • (860) 364-1080 • tradesecretsct.com M ay 23

Feasting from Literature

Liz Barbour shares her experiences as a working chef to demystify the cooking process for her students. She is a firm believer that any home cook can prepare fresh, flavorful meals with confidence if taught a few basic but important skills. Barbour built her cooking career in a variety of Boston’s catering and restaurant settings. 6–7:30 p.m.

Rye Public Library • 581 Washington Road in Rye (603) 321-5011 • thecreativefeast.com 102 | New Hampshire Home

Fourteenth Annual Palace Theatre Kitchen Tour

Landscapes by Frances Weston Hoyt are on view at The Fells through October 8.

M ay 26

Frances Weston Hoyt: Bringing Light to Life

Frances Weston Hoyt was a well-respected, classically trained landscape artist who spent the last thirty years of her life painting and teaching in New London. Hoyt attended the Art Students League of New York in the 1920s and ’30s where she studied under Frank Vincent DuMond, one of the country’s most influential painters and art teachers. A lover of nature, Hoyt practiced plein-air painting that involves setting up one’s easel and paints outside in nature to capture a view. An exhibit of her work will be on display in the secondfloor gallery while the main-floor gallery features an exhibit of nine landscape artists who were influenced by Hoyt. On view through October 8.

The Fells • 456 Route 103A in Newbury (603) 763-4789 • thefells.org

june Ju n e 1

A Life in Color: Two Cultural Makers, Centuries Apart

Co-presented by Historic New England and the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, the exhibition features bold, colorful work by Portsmouth artist Richard Haynes. Haynes’ paintings, inspired

by Jacqueline Tobin’s book Hidden in Plain View, tell the story of enslaved men and women making their escape via the Underground Railroad.

5:30–7:30 p.m. Free.

Governor John Langdon House • 143 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth • (603) 436-3205 historicnewengland.org Ju n e 1

Head to Toe: Hat and Shoe Fashions from Historic New England

This exhibit showcases forty-six hats and pairs of shoes worn in New England from the 1750s to the present. Stylish objects show New Englanders’ notions of glamorous dressing, including designer pillbox hats and custom-made boots, silk top hats and gold stiletto heels. Other exhibition highlights are boots worn during Boston’s Big Dig and a pair of Julia Child’s shoes. Head to Toe also explores the creation of these fashion accessories and their effect on New England’s economy, workforce and environment. Opening reception, 5–8 p.m. Admission is $15; free for Historic New England members.

On view through February 2019.

Eustis Estate • 1424 Canton Avenue in Milton, Massachusetts • (617) 994-6600 historicnewengland.org

See private gardens not usually open to the public on June 16.

Jun e 16

Garden Conservancy Open Days Garden Tours No reservations are required, and the gardens will be open rain or shine. Admission is $7 per garden; children age twelve and younger are admitted free of charge.

• Robertson Garden at 162 Gerry Road in Dublin • Thoron Gardens at 139 Harkness Road in Jaffrey • Briggs Garden at 86 King’s Highway in Hancock • Elliott Gardens at 191 Depot Road in Hancock • Gordon Garden at 14 High Street in Peterborough (888) 842-2442 • opendaysprogram.org Jun e 22 a n d 23

Pocket Gardens of Portsmouth

The annual event returns to the historic South End with the “Water Views” tour, focusing on gardens in sight of the South Mill Pond and the Portsmouth Harbor. Visitors will be treated to a walk through historic places and spaces, under ancient, spreading trees, rambling stone walkways, and, of course, beautiful private gardens. The Pocket Garden Tour began in 1990 as a way for South Church to raise funds to improve and maintain the gardens surrounding its historic, 1837 granite building.

Twenty-eight years later, the tour has raised more than $300,000 to benefit South Church and its humanitarian work in the community. Friday, 5–8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. southchurch-uu.org may/june 2018

Ju n e 23

Asian Art at Quincy House

Asian art and culture has long captured the Western imagination. Beginning with the China trade in the late-eighteenth century and continuing through the nineteenth-century Victorian fascination, the Quincy family amassed an impressive collection of Asian and Asian-inspired artwork and luxury goods. Part tour, part lecture, this event explores the recently reinstalled collection in context as well as reveals the challenges of working with materials and techniques like lacquer and japanning. 10 a.m.–noon and 1–3 p.m. Admission is $20, $10 for Historic New England members. Advance tickets required.

Quincy House • 20 Muirhead Street in Quincy, Massachusetts • (617) 994-5930 historicnewengland.org

ongoing

Transcending the Ordinary: Abstract, Assemblage & Collage Exhibit and Sale

This exhibit and sale features more than fifty works by artists Joseph Cornell, Varujan Boghosian and Louise Nevelson, as well as Monadnock-region contemporary artists Roz Park, Chris Myott, Jessie Pollock and Peter Sandback. The exhibit includes bold paintings, collage and other modern works forged from paper, paint, wood and metal. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Through June 30.

New Hampshire Antique Co-op • 323 Elm Street in Milford • (603) 673-8499 • nhantiquecoop.com

Ju n e 27

The Federal-Style Landscape of Rundlet-May

The gardens of Federal-style Rundlet-May House have preserved their layout and architecture for more than two hundred years. Learn about the history of these gardens and how Historic New England’s landscape staff maintains them to reflect their original purpose, style and beauty. 10:30 a.m.–noon. Admission is $20, $10 for Historic New England members. Advance tickets required.

Rundlet-May House • 364 Middle Street in Portsmouth • (617) 994-6690 historicnewengland.org

Sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens

The Currier features the sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) in the first major exhibition of his work in New England in more than thirty years. Saint-Gaudens was the most important American sculptor of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century, and his monuments have become an integral part of our country’s historic narrative. The exhibition presents many of his large-scale masterpieces, including Abraham Lincoln: The Man, the Adams Memorial and Diana.

Saint-Gaudens was a New Hampshire artist for much of his life, maintaining a studio in Cornish.

He was the founding artist of the Cornish Colony where he summered beginning in 1885, and lived there year-round from 1900 until his death in 1907. His home and studios are now managed by the National Park Service, and this exhibition is a collaboration with the Augustus Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. On view through May 20.

The Currier Museum of Art • 150 Ash Street in Manchester • (603) 669-6144 • currier.org

Submitting Events

Known for her abstract paintings, Roz Park’s oil on canvas is on exhibit at the New Hampshire Antique Co-op through June.

New Hampshire Home is always on the lookout for events that may interest our readers. If you have one to submit for consideration, send details to editor@nhhomemagazine.com two months prior to the publication date.

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New Hampshire Home | 103

at home in new hampshire

Wilderness Treasures On a spring day a few years ago, my husband and I went

ings and petty complaints, our acquisitive needs, bow before

walking the trails in a wildlife management area near our

the constancy of these living things.

town. The area is a bit overgrown, a place frequented by hunt-

Being close to the birds, in places where human impact is

ers in the fall. The meandering trails that skirt fields and ponds

momentarily erased, is an anchor and comfort for me more

and wind through thickets of birch are not mowed, and by

than ever now. I imagined when I was younger that reaching

mid-summer the grass is up

my fifties or sixties would

to our knees. We seldom

mean achieving some sort

meet anyone in this quiet

of status quo. I would have

refuge, a refuge for us—and

made it, whatever that

for the foxes and deer and

meant. I would have arrived

great blue herons who make

at a settled state, my under-

it their home.

standing of myself and the

We had been walking

world fixed by virtue of age

the trails for an hour and

and experience. Now that

were headed back to the car

I have reached an age I

when a hawk flew over us,

once thought unimagi-

in the open space between

nable, I know that the

the trees. The bird was low,

only fixed thing is change,

just above our heads. We

whether it comes as gal-

recognized this was not one

loping advances in tech-

of the common raptors we

nology, the unpredictable

would expect to find here,

shifts in jobs and routines,

like a red-tailed or cooper’s

or the unexpected deaths of

hawk. The bird’s powerful

friends and family. The one

body, pointed wings, and

constant, the one thing of

shape in flight suggested

which I can be sure, is that

something else. The light

I cannot be sure of much.

underside and gray back

The hawk soaring over-

confirmed it: a northern

head tells me that beauty

goshawk. My husband and

will exist with me or with-

I spend a lot of time bird-

out me, and this, paradoxi-

watching, and this hawk,

cally, is reassuring.

described as a “cruel beauty” in a bird guide, was one we had

My husband and I have returned to the wildlife area many

seen only a few times before. We watched in awestruck excite-

times without seeing a goshawk again, but we know the bird,

ment as the bird glided away, departing as silently as it had

or its descendant, may be there somewhere, hidden in the

arrived. If we hadn’t glanced up, we would have missed it.

trees. Startling and unexpected, the appearance of such a bird

When that hawk flew over, I was lifted out of human time

is like a bell sounding, asking us to pay attention to other ways

and reminded of another kind of time. Birds live by the sea-

of being and the deeper knowledge nature has to impart. As

sons—just as the perennials in our gardens and the bees who

the birds and pristine areas of wilderness we love come under

feed on the flowers live by the seasons. They are faithful to

increasing threats due to our human footprint, we are called

nature’s time, not human time. Being in their company puts

to treasure and protect them. But so often I feel it is the wilder-

us in touch with ancient rhythms of migration and return,

ness that protects me and teaches me to treasure what is best

cycles of rebirth that have existed for eons. Our human striv-

and most enduring in myself.

NHH

By K atherine Towler | Illustration by Carolyn Vibbert 104 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2018

CHRISTOPHER P. WILLIAMS ARCHITECTS, PLLC

O

PO Box 703 • Meredith, NH 03253 • 603-279-6513 • www.cpwarchitects.com

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