New Hampshire Home May-June 2017

An Edible Landscape • Budding Gardeners • Yummy Strawberry Recipes

NEW HAMPSHIRE HOME

G l o r i o u s G ar d e n s

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contents

66 28

42

58

34

48

features

departments

48 A Garden Where Old England Meets New England

24 Favorite Finds

74 HOMEWORK

Gordon and Mary Hayward’s magical landscape is being documented for the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens.

28 HOME COOKING

By Debbie Kane

By Robin Sweetser | Photography by Gordon Hayward

34 Garden R x

58 An Artist’s Oasis

More than half a century after Stephen Parrish created Northcote, the painter’s detailed journals have helped facilitate his gardens’ revival.

For the Garden

In the Strawberry Patch

By Mary Ann Esposito

By Andi Axman | Photography by John W. Hession

66 A Farm Carries On

Four Winds Farm in Peterborough is a multi-use property that pays fitting tribute to its owners’ legacy.

By Jenny Donelan | Photography by Nancy Belluscio

On the cover: Spring flowering bulbs get the party started in Gordon

and Mary Hayward’s garden, and then the crab apples put on their show.

Just over the Connecticut River in Westminster, Vermont, the garden is being submitted to the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens, with sponsorship from the Garden Club of Dublin, New Hampshire.

Photography by Gordon Hayward

Creativity in Bloom

82 INSPIRATION

A Jewel of a Kitchen

By Carrie Sherman

Planting Seeds for Children

96 At Home in New Hampshire

By Robin Sweetser

By Sy Montgomery Illustration by Carolyn Vibbert

42 MASTER OF Her CRAFT

Robins’ Alter Ego

An Edible Landscape

By Barbara Coles

in every issue 18 From the Editor 20 Letters From our Readers 22 On the Town

87 SPECIAL ADVERTISING

SECTION: landscape showcase

91 Home Resources 96 Mark Your Calendar!

Visit us online at www.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 2017 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

12 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Rob Karosis Photography

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contributors

may/j u n e 2017 | Vol . 11 , No. 3

www.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 Zevos King photo Assistant Morgan Karanasios

PR ESI DENT/PU B LISH ER

Nancy Belluscio is a photographer specializing in architectural and environmental images. Originally from the White Mountains, she and her family now live and work in the Monadnock Region. She may be reached at nancy@photography-on-site.com.

Barbara Coles has long reported on life in New Hampshire, first at Nashua radio station WOTW, then at New Hampshire Public Television and most recently at New Hampshire Magazine. She’s now a contributing editor for the magazine and editor of its Bride issues as well as a freelance writer for various publications. She can be reached at barbaracoles@comcast.net.

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-seventh season, and the author of twelve cookbooks, including her most recent, Ciao Italia Family Classics. She lives in New Hampshire.

Visit her website at www.ciaoitalia.com.

EDITOR

senior desi g ners

Jodie Hall, Wendy Wood contributors

Nancy Belluscio, Barbara Coles, Jenny Donelan, Mary Ann Esposito, Gordon Hayward, Debbie Kane, Sy Montgomery, Carrie Sherman, Robin Sweetser, Carolyn Vibbert, Wendy Wood 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

Gordon Hayward has been designing gardens professionally from his home in southern Vermont since 1985. He is also a nationally recognized garden writer and lecturer as well as the author of eleven books on garden design, two of which have won national awards. See more of his work at www.haywardgardens.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 www.debbiekanewriter.com.

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

Rose Zevos King is New Hampshire Home’s editorial assistant. She recently received her master’s degree in history of art from the University of Glasgow. She will pursue a PhD later this year, specializing in Venetian Renaissance art.

Sy Montgomery has searched for snow leopards in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia’s Gobi and tracked tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea’s cloud forest to research her articles, films and twenty books for adults and children.

For the story on page 96, she watched robins on the Hancock lawn she shares with her husband, writer Howard Mansfield, eight laying hens and a border collie named Thurber.

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.

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 www.fredascottcreative.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.

16 | New Hampshire Home

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 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

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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 2017

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from the editor

The Greatest Show on Earth

T

here is something so centering, so powerful about being in a garden. Surrounded by flowers and plants, I drink in the array of splendid horticultural vignettes before me. What a feast for the senses—a rainbow of colors for the eyes, sweet scents for

the nose, even music for the ears when I listen closely for honeybees buzzing from one flower to the next and birds chirping contentedly in trees. The spring garden holds a special place in my heart—the freshness of new blooms, the lush green of young leaves and the joy that we’re once again beholding Mother Nature’s greatest show on Earth in Northern New England.

One garden I’ll never get my fill of is the one Gordon and Mary Hayward designed for themselves (cover and page 48). It is even more magical than the many gardens they’ve created for other homeowners, some of which we’ve featured in this magazine through the years. Located 2½ miles as the crow flies from the New Hampshire border in Westminster, Vermont, the Haywards transformed the property—along with the antique farmhouse on it—into a carefully cultivated, fabulously curated feast for the eyes. The

What a feast for

garden is so noteworthy, the Haywards have submitted it to the Smithsonian Archives of

spring garden holds

in Cornish (page 58). Designed by the artist Stephen Parrish (father of Maxfield) in the

the senses—the

a special place in my heart.

American Gardens.

Gardens take a lot of work and TLC, and one that got a big dose of both is Northcote early 1900s, the garden became overgrown after Stephen’s death in 1938. But thanks to the efforts of garden designers Bill Noble and Susan Howard, Northcote has been lovingly brought back to life.

Architects Rick and Duffy Monahon’s Peterborough homestead, called Four Winds Farm (page 66), is enjoying the transition that began before their tragic deaths in 2013.

Today, the Monahon family is working with another family to preserve the buildings and convert the property to a working farm.

In addition to appreciating a garden’s beauty, we relish its bounty. Dedicated and hard-working volunteers from the Derry Garden Club have generously given their time and expertise to the Greater Derry Boys & Girls Club to create the Derry Youth Garden (page 34). As a result, area children now know the value of working in the garden, growing their own food and enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of their own labors.

Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast (page 42) is on a similar mission when she heads to homes, libraries and businesses with a demonstration for adults about creating healthy and tasty meals that are not complicated. Many of the flowers, herbs and vegetables she uses are grown in the garden in front of her historic Hollis home.

As spring transitions to summer, one of the highlights is the arrival of local strawberries— see Mary Ann Esposito’s tasty recipes for the sweet treats on page 28.

Drink in the beauty of this season!

Editor

18 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

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Floral Design Horticulture, Photography Conservation 20 | New Hampshire Home

Wow, a great article [A Studio of One’s Own, March/April 2017]. A hardy thank you to writer William Morgan. Combined with John W. Hession’s photos, how could you go wrong? But you went above and beyond. I even had to look up some words.

It is almost scary to have someone see my intent so and expose things I was not aware of. What secrets do I have left?

I especially appreciated the recognitions of the efforts at “associations it evokes” and the “whimsical seriousness.”

And I loved the “predestined to rust” line.

A winning evening

The New Hampshire Home Design Awards event in January was absolutely amazing.

You did such a wonderful job from start to finish, and it was an honor to be a sponsor.

—Diane Dubberly, owner of Artistic Tile, LLC in Nashua

Great night at the Design Awards. Still on cloud nine.

—Lisa DeStefano, of DeStefano Architects in Portsmouth

Editor’s note: DeStefano Architects in Portsmouth won an unprecedented three awards at the New Hampshire Home Design Awards in January: Excellence in Historic —Daniel Scully, of Daniel V. Scully Architects Renovation, Excellence in Renovation and in Keene Remodeling, and 2017 Home of the Year.

Partners on a mission

Our association with New Hampshire Home is so important, really bedrock, for the exposure you bring to New Hampshire’s architects and the support you lend to our awards program. It wouldn’t be the same without your presence. My many thanks to you!

Energy efficient—and beautiful

Nancy and I want to express our appreciation for the care writer Jenny Donelan, photographer John W. Hession and photo assistant Morgan Karanasios put into creating the piece on our home in Lancaster [A House That Gives More Than It Takes, March/April 2017]. Your making an extra —Bonnie Kastel, executive director of effort to learn about what we built and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Hampshire chapter in Portsmouth how we live resulted in your vision of the home matching our own quite accurately.

Not an easy task!

Who’s who Editor’s note: For contact information for the design team that worked on the renovation of Tamworth Distilling & Mercantile, the subject of Spirit Quest in March/April 2017, please visit www. nhhomemagazine.com/March-April2017/A-Quest-for-Local-Spirits.

—Tom Southworth in Lancaster

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 2017

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on the town

q

w

e

Planning for the future

q Architects, builders and others—including Mark Goldstein from Milestone Engineering and Construction in Concord (left), New Hampshire Home Editor Andi Axman (center) and American Institute of Architects New Hampshire (AIANH) Executive Director Bonnie Kastel—gathered at the New Hampshire State Library in Concord for the March AIANH chapter meeting. w AIANH board President Sheldon Pennoyer (right) moderated a panel discussion on pending legislation affecting architects with state Senator Jay Kahn from Keene (left) along with state Representatives Carol McGuire from Epsom (second from left) and Ivy Vann from Peterborough. e Head librarian Michael York (far right) led tours of the historic building. Photography by John W. Hession

A capital idea

InTown Concord—which helps promote the city as well as enhance its business environment, cultural activities and the appearance of its historic downtown—celebrated its annual achievements in March at Phenix Hall. The historic building is owned by Mark Ciborowski (center), who was joined by Concord-based artist Melissa Miller (left) and InTown Concord Executive Director Michelle Motuzas Johnson.

Photography by John W. Hession

Contemporary artists’ new works

Among those attending the February opening of two new contemporary exhibitions at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester were Jonathan Gourlay (left), communications manager of the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, and New Hampshire Home contributor Jenny Donelan. Deep Cuts: Contemporary Paper Cutting is on view until May 21, while New Hampshire artist Soo Sunny Park’s BioLath, featuring sculptural forms that have transformed the architectural space of the Putnam Gallery—can be seen through August 6. Photography by John W. Hession 22 | New Hampshire Home

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New Hampshire Home | 23

favorite finds

for the garden

Attract bees and butterflies to your perennial garden with Echinacea ’Salsa Red’ coneflowers. Churchill’s Garden Center in Exeter • (603) 772-2685

www.churchillsgardens.com

Water your potted plants in traditional European style with this galvanized oval watering can.

Terrain • www.shopterrain.com

Serve orioles, catbirds, tanagers, woodpeckers and other birds their favorite fruit with this double-sided orange feeder.

Duncraft in Concord • (888) 879-5095 • www.duncraft.com

Gaze at the stars or admire the view with this bronze telescope— an elegant work of art with twenty-first-century optics that also functions as a sundial.

Work the soil in borders or pots with this hand-crafted, lightweight Royal Dutch hand hoe.

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

Add a stylish touch of color to your containers with Ball Seed’s Petunia ‘Night Sky’.

Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford (603) 743-4919 www.wentworthgreenhouses.com

24 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Photography courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

Telescopes of Vermont in Norwich, Vermont • (617) 292-5155 www.gardentelescopes.com

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favorite finds

for the garden

Protect your face from the sun’s harmful rays with this fully lined paisley cotton sun hat.

Womanswork • www.womanswork.com

Treat yourself—or your favorite gardener— to a Green Thumb Gardener’s Organic Gift Set.

Badger Balm in Gilsum • (603) 357-2958 • www.badgerbalm.com Grow a productive garden in a small space with a VegTrug™ Patio Garden. Gardener’s Supply Company in

Burlington, Vermont • (800) 876-5520 • www.gardeners.com

Bedford Fields in Bedford • (603) 472-8880 www.bedfordfields.com

Add eye-catching color and texture to your garden, terrarium or container with succulents such as these hens and chicks. Edgewater Farm in Plainfield

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

Watch the star-shaped, periwinkle-blue flowers of Amsonia ’Storm Cloud’ blossom atop this wide, mounding perennial that’s new in garden centers this year.

Rolling Green Nursery in Greenland • (603) 436-2732 • www.rollinggreennursery.com

(603) 298-5764 • www.edgewaterfarm.com 26 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Photography courtesy of Proven Winners

Grace your home’s spring landscape with a Bower and Branch pink flowering dogwood, an heirloom tree native to the eastern United States.

Learn about the strangerthan-fiction science of the plant world in How Plants Work by Linda Chalker-Scott.

Residential Commercial Landscape

Meredith, NH New London, NH 603.526.6200 boninarchitects.com •

•

B AA &

Home cooking with

mary ann esposito

In the Strawberry Patch Strawberries aren’t just naturally sweet and juicy— they’re high in nutrients and one of the best foods you can eat.

S

trawberries are, without a doubt, one of the most beloved and versatile of all berry fruits. For me,

one of the heights of the short season is

tromping through lush strawberry fields with basket in hand, looking for that “undiscovered patch,” then crouching down on bended knees to pluck that first perfectly ripe berry and pop it into my mouth. A long awaited and sheer pleasure!

I look for berries that are the deepest shade of red with no white tips (which is an indication that they are not the most flavorful). And I make sure to pick the berries with their stems so that juice is not lost.

While I am judiciously gathering the berries, my mind is conjuring up old and new ways to use them: strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry tart, strawberry jam—those are popular and familiar. But what about using strawberries for main dishes, such as a delicate sauce for grilled fish or a surprise ingredient for a creamy risotto?

Although strawberries from afar are available all year long, for my money, it is worth the wait for local strawberry farms to open—usually mid-June in New England but so often dependent

already picked baskets of berries for you

compotes, cobblers and pies. But one of

on the weather. Roadside signs invite us

to take home.

the best options? Fill a bowl of strawber-

to come “pick your own.” This is a great

Strawberries are very perishable. Once

ries and enjoy the fruit of your labor.

Dr. William Butler, a seventeenth-

family activity and teaches children a

picked, they should be rinsed, dried, and

valuable lesson about where our foods

consumed or used in recipes immedi-

century English writer said it best when

come from. Choosing to get our foods

ately. Refrigerating them for more than a

it comes to my fondness for strawber-

as close to home as possible says we care

day is not good because a cold environ-

ries: “Doubtless God could have made

about clean, sustainable and local food.

ment affects the flavor. If you are freez-

a better berry, but doubtless God never

ing them, they will be good for sauces,

did.”

Farmers’ markets also burst with

NHH

Text and food styling Mary Ann Esposito | Photography by John W. Hession 28 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Summer Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

Ser v es 4

Refreshing is the only word for this dramatic salmon dish with a strawberry salsa that has summer eating written all over it.

Who knew strawberries lent a delicious complement to fish?

1 cup diced strawberries 1 red plum, diced 1 peach, diced ½ cup diced mango Juice and zest of 2 limes 1 tablespoon maple syrup ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil 4 six-ounce pieces salmon fillet Pepper Olive oil 1. Mix the fruit, citrus, maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and basil in a bowl.

Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before using.

2. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over high heat; add a film of olive oil; reduce heat to medium high. Cook the fillets skin-side up for 3–4 minutes, depending on thickness. Carefully turn over and cook skin-side down for 1 minute.

3. Transfer each fillet to a dinner plate and top with some of the salsa.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Strawberry Ice Cream Neapolitan Style

M a k es 2 q ua r t s

Cool and intense-tasting strawberry ice cream with a velvety feel is a perfect treat!

2 cups water 1½ cups sugar 2 pints strawberries, washed and hulled 1 teaspoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups heavy cream

1. Pour water into a 1-quart saucepan; stir in sugar and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and cool the syrup.

2. M ash the strawberries, press them through a sieve and add them to the syrup with the lemon juice and vanilla. Blend in the cream.

Pour into a bowl or baking pan, and freeze.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 29

Home cooking

with mary ann esposito

Glazed Strawberry Tart

M a k es o n e 9 - o r 1 0 - i n ch ta r t

If there is one dessert that defines strawberry season, this is it. A delicious play of a crisp-sugar-cookie tart crust and juicy glazed strawberries makes this a winner every strawberry season.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, cream together 1/3 cup of sugar and butter until light. Beat in flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and half-and-half until mixture is moist.

2. Press the dough into a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure to also press the dough up the sides. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until crust is golden. Cool to room temperature.

3. When ready to fill, carefully remove the bottom of the tart shell and place the tart with its base on a serving dish. Line the tart shell with whole, stemmed and dry strawberries, keeping them upright and choosing the same size berries. Slice 8–10 strawberries in half horizontally and fill in the gaps between the whole berries, keeping them upright.

Set aside.

4. Chop 1 cup of the remaining whole strawberries and place in a small pan; add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and press on the strawberries to release their juice. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the pulp to extract the juice. Discard the pulp. You should have about 1 cup of strawberry liquid. Pour the liquid back into the pan.

5. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/3 cup of sugar.

6. Off the heat, add the cornstarch and sugar mixture to the strawberry liquid. Return to the heat and bring to boil while stirring. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the color changes from light red to deep wine red and the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in a pinch of salt and the almond extract.

7. Using a silicon pastry brush, dab the glaze over the strawberries in the tart, allowing the glaze to fall in between the strawberries. Refrigerate for several hours.

1 cup sugar, divided ½ cup butter, room temperature 11/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch 2 tablespoons half-and-half At least 3 quarts of whole, stemmed strawberries

Stuffed Strawberries

1 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus 1 teaspoon ¼ teaspoon almond extract 1 cup whipping cream ½ cup coarsely chopped strawberries

8. Mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water together until smooth. Add the cream and 1/3 cup of sugar, and whip until thick. Whip in the chopped strawberries.

9. When ready to serve, serve the strawberry cream with the tart.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Ser v es 6

I like to use the largest strawberries I can find to make these elegant stuffed strawberries. Serve them on a silver tray!

12 colossal strawberries with their stems 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 2 ounces white chocolate ½ cup mascarpone cheese, softened 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Wash and dry the berries, but do not stem them.

2. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls and keep warm.

3. Cut 1/8 inch off the stem end of each strawberry and reserve. With a small spoon, hollow out the pulp from the stem end of each strawberry and place the pulp in a bowl.

4. To the pulp, add the mascarpone cheese and sugar, and beat the mixture until smooth.

5. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture and pipe some into the cavity of each strawberry.

Replace the stems and place the strawberries on a serving tray.

6. Use a small fork to drizzle some of the semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate over the strawberries.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

30 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

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Home cooking

with mary ann esposito

Risotto con Fragole (Strawberry Risotto)

Ser v es 4

Fruit-flavored risotto is made in some parts of Italy in alta cucina (gourmet cooking) restaurants. When I made my mother strawberry risotto, her skepticism turned to raves. Wild strawberries work best, but local, in-season berries are fine, too. I have also made this with blueberries.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1/4 cup finely chopped leeks 1½ cup Arborio rice 2/3 cup dry white wine 4 cups hot chicken broth, divided 1 cup chopped strawberries or blueberries, plus several whole berries for garnish 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 1. Over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the leeks and cook until they are soft and translucent. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the butter.

2. Add the wine a little at a time and stir continually until it is absorbed. Once you have used all the wine, add ½ cup of broth, stirring until it is absorbed. Continue adding the broth ½ cup at a time. Stir continuously for about 20–25 minutes or until the rice is cooked but remains slightly firm.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the berries.

Add the remaining butter and cheese. Garnish with whole berries and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Picking Your Own Strawberries In June, Mary Ann Esposito heads to Butternut Farm in Farmington to pick her own strawberries. “Not only do I enjoy the freshest and most delicious strawberries I can find,” Esposito says, “I also love supporting the local farmers who grow them.”

Butternut Farm, named for the tall tree behind the farmstand, is owned and operated by Giff Burnap and his wife, Mae. Since acquiring the former dairy farm in 2005, they have almost doubled its size, and offer an extensive list of produce that includes blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, apples and pumpkins.

There are more than twenty other pickyour-own farms that grow strawberries throughout the state. To find one near you, go to the New Hampshire Farms Network’s website. Be sure to check the farm’s website first or give a call to confirm that picking is happening that day.

Butternut Farm (603) 335-4705 www.butternutfarm.net

New Hampshire Farm Network www.newhampshirefarms.net 32 | New Hampshire Home

Above: Giff Burnap (second from right), owner of Butternut Farm in Farmington, and Debbie Leach (right), wait on customers.

Left: Morgan Karanasios, who is New Hampshire Home’s photography assistant, picks some strawberries at Butternut Farm to enjoy after the shoot. may/june 2017

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New Hampshire Home | 33

garden rx

Planting Seeds for Children Members of the Derry Garden Club share their expertise and enthusiasm for growing food with young people.

O

ne in three American children is overweight or obese. According to the American Heart Associa-

tion, a wide range of health problems

that usually aren’t seen until adulthood

are being seen in children with obesity; psychological effects include low self-esteem, negative body image and depression.

In response, Arthur McLean, director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry, worked with the Derry Garden Club to apply for a grant from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation in 2008. The team envisioned encouraging healthy eating by developing an on-site vegetable garden.

The plan was successful and Blanche Garone, of the Derry Garden Club, has been spearheading the project since 2009. She developed a garden guide covering basic garden tasks; the idea was for garden club volunteers to use the guide and keep the project going. “The purpose of our program is to introduce the children to gardening, encourage tasting, show them where food comes from, teach them how to use it and get them outside,” Garone says.

Jackie Dempsey, garden club member and co-chair of the Youth Projects Committee with Garone, is responsible for delivering mini-horticulture lessons.

“They are really just some fun facts about the different vegetables and fruits that we are growing,” Dempsey says.

“Both the adults and kids have learned some pretty interesting tidbits about various plants.”

Bayley Clifford proudly holds one of the cabbages she helped to grow in the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry Youth Garden.

By Robin Sweetser | Photography by Wendy Wood 34 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Top: A well-organized shed is essential. Everyone is responsible for taking care of his or her own tools. Above right: Gardens are full of surprises, especially when a ten-foot-tall sunflower grows from a small seed! Above left: Keira Masella and Tyler Krajcik show off the eggplants they harvested with Derry Garden Club member Carroll McCartin. Lower left: Pumpkins and squash are enthusiastic growers, producing huge rewards at the end of the season.

Dempsey features a different veg-

Club members also talk to the kids

pollination and why our pollinators are

etable each week; talks about where in

about nutrition; teach how to plant

so important,” Dempsey says. “The kids

the world it was first grown, what type

seeds and nurture the growing plants;

seem to comprehend and remember

of vegetable it is, how it is planted, and

and show how to harvest the produce.

much of what is discussed—maybe it's

a little about how it is cooked and used;

“Sometimes, I throw in some simple

the fresh air or that they are witnessing

and, if appropriate, offers samples for

science—like what phototropism is and

the principles of nature in the garden.”

tasting.

how and why it works, or principles of

www.nhhomemagazine.com

Garden club members help the New Hampshire Home | 35

garden rx

Many hands are needed to get the garden started.

Volunteers work closely with the children, letting them have fun and get dirty while teaching what a successful garden needs.

children learn about good and bad bugs in the garden, where only organic methods are used. “The children find this fun,” says Susan Davis, a volunteer and garden club past president. “We teach them how to pick off the bad bugs. They get especially excited about hunting for the tomato hornworm—a huge green thing that either fascinates or repels them. The worm is the same color as the tomato leaves, and their young eyes are sharper than ours!”

Cultivating young minds The gardening program is open to any child enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry. In the summer, three hundred children can be in attendance so participation in the garden may be limited by the desired ratio of between three and five children to each adult, depending on the chore for that day.

Often the children are invited to help in the garden by age group. Sometimes the experienced older kids act as guides for the younger ones. “The kids are usually in the garden weekly,” Garone says. “Although during planting season, Derry Garden Club members—from the left, Blanche Garone, Corinne Safron, Wanda Desaulniers, Edith Nunn and Jackie Dempsey—put in many volunteer hours at the Derry Youth Garden. Even though it is hard work, they all say they get a lot of joy out of it. photography courtesy of deede loffler 36 | New Hampshire Home

it might be more often and weather is always a factor.”

It takes many willing volunteers to may/june 2017

Derry Garden Club member and co-chair of the garden project Blanche Garone is at the garden almost every day. Here, she explains the finer points of planting to some budding gardeners.

keep things running smoothly. Derry Garden Club members are notified by email about the day, time and activity planned. During the school year, the time is set for late afternoon after

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homework is done. In the summer, work begins at 9 a.m. before it gets too hot. Club members also try to take advantage of early release days and school vacations.

“Blanche and I are at the garden doing something just about every other day,” Dempsey says. “A thirty-footby-sixty-foot garden is a big garden to maintain. Fortunately, we don't do it alone. We have a core group of Derry Garden Club volunteers who help out every week with the kids in the garden. On some occasions, we have had more than thirty kids working in

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the garden at one time.”

It takes a village At the start of the project, the Derry Rotary Club helped the garden club members clear the site, which is located in front of the Boys & Girls Club, and Rotary Club members continue to provide assistance as needed. Husbands of the garden club members—along with Derry police www.nhhomemagazine.com

Commercial | Industrial | Residential 603-525-3794 | OurTownLandscaping.com New Hampshire Home | 37

garden rx

and Derry firefighters—have helped with particularly tough tasks.

The Derry Garden Club, which is also a member of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs as well as the New England Region and National Garden Clubs, Inc., donates money to the program. “We develop a wish list in late winter and want to grow what our gardeners will eat,” Garone says. Local growers give the garden club members a discount, and one of the members has donated seeds and plants he started. Manure for the garden is also donated. When more funding is needed, the Boys & Girls Club may apply for a grant; the garden club has received a grant in the past from the New Hampshire Master Gardeners Association.

Healthy habits take root Garden-based nutrition-intervention programs have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Garone frequently whips up some tasty treats made from produce harvested from the garden.

“Because our garden is pesticide free,” Dempsey says, “we cut up samples of many of the vegetables just picked from the garden and allow the kids to munch as they pick. For some of our young gardeners, it might be the first time they have tasted an orange cherry tomato or raw green beans or snap peas. Zucchini brownies and strawberry sorbet are favorites every summer.”

There are two peach trees near the side entrance; some blueberry bushes were planted behind the garden shed. The garden is home to flowers as well as fruits and veggies. Once the produce is picked, it is placed inside the entry for parents to take home. At the end of the growing season, the club does a tasting meal showcasing the food they have grown.

Top: The lush growth in this well-tended plot is proof that the gardening lessons learned by the children are taking root.

Above: Produce is picked, washed and made ready for distribution to the families. For some kids, this is the first time they have tasted some of these fresh vegetables.

38 | New Hampshire Home

A garden of hope “I feel like our program is very successful,” Garone says. “The young gardeners enjoy themselves and gardening, and the may/june 2017

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New Hampshire Home | 39

garden rx

Angelina Martinez (left) and Skyla Theriault picked some tomatoes to share at lunch. This is the kind of “fast food” the project is hoping to encourage children to eat.

volunteers also get joy from working

struggle to involve the older youth,”

sharing their enthusiasm for gardening,

with the children.”

Garone says. “It seems as they get older,

Derry Garden Club members are plant-

gardening isn’t so cool anymore. They

ing seeds that could blossom into a

the children in the garden. Regardless

do remember working in the garden,

lifelong love of gardening and nature in

of their age, they do accomplish a great

as they have mentioned to me and the

children who might otherwise not have

deal. Most are very willing and eager

other volunteers. With that in mind, we

been exposed to these ideas.

to learn and help,” says club member

hope that eventually they will become

Kaye Nugent.

gardeners again.”

“It is very rewarding working with

Derry Garden Club President Suzanne

McLean has seen the positive effects

“Our hope is that we are creating a positive, memorable gardening experience for our kids,” Dempsey says, “that

Dustin gets a kick out of volunteering

in kids who have worked with the Der-

they will appreciate the importance and

at the garden. “I am a senior citizen,

ry Garden Club. “The kids love working

value of growing food, and that they

and I love going to the Boys & Girls

outside in the garden, and they develop

will become responsible future stewards

Club and teaching the children about

great relationships with the volun-

of the earth.”

gardening. They get so excited about

teers,” he says. “Many of these kids live

planting a seed and then picking

in apartments, and are not exposed to

what they have grown!” she says.

gardens or fresh vegetables. It is amaz-

“The children are very proud that

ing to watch them interacting with and

they can bring the veggies home to

learning from the Derry Garden Club

their families.”

volunteers.”

Some kids have been involved every

Experience is the best teacher, and

year, while others move on to differ-

program participants are able to learn

ent activities as they get older. “We still

where food comes from first hand. By

40 | New Hampshire Home

NHH

Resources

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Derry (603) 434-6695 www.derrybgclub.org Derry Garden Club www.derrygardenclub.org Derry Rotary Club www.derryrotaryclub.com New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs www.nhfgc.org New Hampshire Master Gardeners Association https://extension.unh.edu/Master-GardenerVolunteers/NHMGA may/june 2017

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New Hampshire Home | 41

Master of Her Craft

The garden in front of Liz Barbour’s Hollis home is part of what she calls her “edible landscape”—vegetables and herbs mostly, but the flowers are edible, too.

Barbour uses them all in her culinary arts business, The Creative Feast.

An Edible Landscape Liz Barbour

creates beautiful— and delicious—

dishes with what she grows.

A

tulip in your salad? Pansies in your

healthy, tasty meals without too much fuss.

crêpes? Sure, says Liz Barbour, you

Although Barbour—with a background

can do that and more. “The possibili-

in catering and work in the restaurant

ties for using flowers in food are endless. They

industry—offers a number of different programs,

add wonderful color and flavor to a dish, and

it is the garden-themed ones she most loves.

make meals much more interesting.”

It is a message that Barbour carries to

In the program, she uses slides to show what’s possible. There are begonias (“a

cooks in the community—both aspiring

lovely, lemony flavor”), daylilies (“sweet and

and experienced—as part of her business,

savory”), tulips (“a very fruity taste”), Rosa

The Creative Feast. She packs up her butane

rugosa (“on the sweet side”), peonies (“pretty,

burners and the ingredients for the recipe of

but not much flavor”), lavender (“wonder-

the day, and heads to homes, libraries and

ful in gin”) and dandelion greens (“good for

businesses to demonstrate how to create

you”). And that’s just to name a few.

By Barbara Coles | Photography by John W. Hession 42 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Edible landscape

the property and zoning restrictions,

All that would be taken out to allow for

Many of the flowers—as well the herbs

the two-thousand-square-foot house

the kitchen expansion.

and vegetables she uses—are grown in

couldn’t be expanded. But there was

a garden Barbour created in front of her

space between the kitchen and the

the design. At Vintage Kitchens in

antique Cape in the historic district of

back of the house taken up by a powder

Concord, she found owner/designer

Hollis. The garden is in front because

room and small TV room with an oddly

Sue Booth, who had experience work-

the property is small, just one-third of

placed shower sitting to one side of it.

ing with older houses. “She under-

Barbour knew she needed help with

an acre, and the back is shadowed by tall pine trees.

Plus, Barbour says, the road is quite close to the house and, with two young children, she hoped the beauty of the garden would slow the traffic down. “It worked,” she says. To keep it working, Barbour offers a fresh view each spring by changing her window boxes and the content of the garden.

In the back of the house, what Barbour calls her “edible landscape” is extended with a raised patio that holds washtubs with cherry tomatoes, baby greens and more.

When she brings the bounty from her garden into the kitchen, she lays it on a white towel and allows her version of pest control to happen—“the bugs just crawl off,” she says. No need for chemicals of any sort. She uses only organic fertilizer, which is especially important when you’re growing flowers to eat.

Making their house work Her kitchen is just what you would imagine for a sophisticated cook— beautifully designed and decorated with an upscale stove as well as lots of room for preparation and storage. But it wasn’t always so.

When Barbour and her family moved into the house, which was built in 1744, the kitchen was small: twelve feet by five feet. “I couldn’t even open the door of the refrigerator all the way,” she says. “Also, the cabinets were built by someone who was not a cook. There was no storage space whatever.”

To accommodate her business—and her family’s meals—the kitchen had to be bigger. Because of the constraints of www.nhhomemagazine.com

Liz Barbour offers cooking programs in homes, libraries and businesses for both aspiring and experienced cooks.

Her goal is to help people create meals that are both tasty and healthy.

New Hampshire Home | 43

Master of Her Craft

A Creative Feast from Liz Barbour

Gremolata Potatoes Ser v es 6

Gremolata is a traditional Italian herb paste that is a simple combination of five ingredients: parsley, garlic, lemon, Parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil. With its bright, citrusy flavor, gremolata transforms ho-hum recipes into amazing dishes! Here I’ve combined gremolata with thinly sliced potatoes and roasted them to create a tasty side dish. It’s simple, delicious and gorgeous! ½ cup loosely packed, chopped, flat-leaf parsley Zest of 1 lemon 2 small minced garlic cloves ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon Kosher salt 1 pinch pepper, freshly ground 8–10 Yukon Gold potatoes 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray 12 standard muffin cups generously with nonstick cooking spray.

This lamb dish is one of many inspired by Liz Barbour’s garden. It’s featured in her newly released cookbook, Beautifully Delicious: Cooking with Herbs & Edible Flowers (see photo below).

Lamb with Mint Sauce

Ser v es 4

Lamb and mint sauce are the perfect pairing of flavors for a spring dinner. Harvest plenty of mint from your garden to create this bright green sauce that has no resemblance to the traditional sweet mint jelly. The fresh flavor of the mint sauce complements the richness of the lamb beautifully. I love this sauce so much that I drizzle it on chicken, fish as well as steamed, raw or roasted vegetables.

I know you’ll love it, too.

2 (8 rib) lamb racks (about 1½ pounds each) Kosher salt Pepper, freshly ground ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar ½ cup loosely packed, chopped, fresh spearmint ½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the lamb racks dry with a paper towel and cut each rack in half.

You can leave the racks as they are or you can create “Frenched” rack of lamb by trimming the fat and meat from between the ribs. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large, ovenproof sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of oil until hot, but not smoking. Place the lamb racks in the pan with the rib side up. Sear the meat for 3 minutes or until browned. Turn the racks over and place the pan into the oven. Cook for 15 minutes for rare or 20 minutes for medium rare. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest, tented with a piece of aluminum foil, for 10 minutes.

3. To prepare the sauce, combine the remaining oil, vinegar and sugar in a blender with the chopped herbs and pulse until puréed.

Recipes courtesy of Liz Barbour 44 | New Hampshire Home

4. Cut to separate the chops and serve with mint sauce drizzled on top. Serve extra sauce on the side.

2. Combine the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan cheese, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, and set aside.

3. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly (about 1/8 of an inch) using a sharp knife or mandolin. Add the potato slices to the gremolata and toss to coat. I use my hands to be sure to coat the potatoes evenly.

4. Stack the potatoes to fill each muffin cup over the rim by about ½ inch. Press the stacked potatoes down firmly. Bake until the tops and edges of the potatoes are browned, and the centers are tender when pierced with a fork—about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven.

5. Cut around each stack with a sharp knife and remove it with a spoon. Serve hot.

Note: These can be made one to two days in advance and reheated, covered, in a 300°F oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

The cookbook companion for Barbour’s programs, Beautifully Delicious: Cooking with Herbs & Edible Flowers, is available at www.thecreative feast.com.

may/june 2017

P ORTSMOUTH ATH C OMPAN P ORTSMOUTH B B ATH C OMPANY

stands their appeal,” Barbour says.

“And I felt she knew how to add to

the history of the house, rather than erase it.”

S

A

Part of adding to the history was

to make sure the kitchen wasn’t, as Booth puts it, “discordant.” Booth

didn’t want it to “overpower the scale

L

of the old house.” She didn’t want it

“too modern or too fake-y old.” Booth

S

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www.PortsmouthBathCo.com

www.PortsmouthBathCo.com

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wanted it “current, but compatible.”

Barbour agreed.

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Colorful windowboxes adorn Liz Barbour’s Hollis home.

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removed.

The space where the powder room had been became a full-size pantry, with shelving that Barbour says is “one-can-deep so I don’t lose things in the back of the cabinet.”

Almost all the storage in the kitchen is in the lower cabinets and antique wooden center island, a

Bath & Kitchen Product Specialists:

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Independent, Local Small Business:

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“found” piece with an added hinged table and stools that can be used for meals. Adjacent to the island is a primitive wooden cabinet that came www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 45

Master of her Craft

A “found” antique wooden cabinet acts as a center island in Liz Barbour’s kitchen, which was remodeled to accommodate her family and her business with help from Sue Booth of Vintage Kitchens in Concord. The hand-painted, wide-pine floor ties the kitchen to the keeping room/dining room.

from Barbour’s family, providing yet more storage. Above it is the beautiful

hood can handle all Barbour’s cooking.

Next to the kitchen is a keeping

the cookbook clubs where she prepares something she’s never cooked before.

stained-glass window that had been

room/dining room with an open hearth

It’s all part of her aim to “demystify

above the sink in the original kitchen;

fireplace (yes, Barbour has cooked

the cooking process” so people feel

the other side of it can be seen in the

there), but the two rooms needed a

comfortable enough in their kitchen

entryway.

better connection. “You want the con-

to cook there often and to cook healthy.

The only cabinet above the Carrara

nection,” says Booth, “but without

marble countertops is an antique wood-

seeing the whole kitchen from the

en one that holds Barbour’s glassware.

dining room.” This was accomplished

“I didn’t want to have upper cabinets

by running the counter to a struc-

that would take away the light and the

tural post between the rooms, leaving

airiness of the room,” Barbour says.

the space above the counter open. A

The focal point of the kitchen, ap-

backsplash was created for more visual

propriately enough, is the stove, which

separation and to keep any kitchen

combines a classic look with contem-

mess out of view.

porary features. The forty-three-inch

The two rooms are also connected by

Aga Legacy six-burner gas stove has

the patterned painted floor, done by Rich

three electric ovens, each with separate

Addonizio of Old World Finishes in Mason.

controls. Barbour says, “That way I can

A light-hued paint was used to make the

cook things at different times and at

rooms seem bigger and brighter.

different temperatures.”

Behind the stove is the same marble

Fruit of the labor

as the countertops, but cut and arranged

Barbour continues to build her busi-

as subway tiles. The commercial-grade

ness, adding new programs, such as

46 | New Hampshire Home

NHH

Resources

Artistic Tile (603) 886-1920 www.theperfecttile.com

Baron’s Major Brands (800) 350-2499 www.baronsmajorbrands.com Beautifully Delicious: Cooking with Herbs & Edible Flowers By Liz Barbour www.thecreativefeast.com Capital Tile & Marble (603) 226-0233

James Williams Construction (603) 889-0413 www.jameswilliamsconstruction.com

Just Lights (603) 578-9482 • www.justlights.com Old World Finishes (978) 807-8564 Rumford Stone (603) 224-9876 www.rumfordstone.com

The Creative Feast (603) 321-5011 www.thecreativefeast.com Vintage Kitchens (603) 224-4763 www.vintagekitchens.com

may/june 2017

Building. Done. Right.

(603) 279-4045 www.haywardandcompany.com

Mike and Julie Hayward, owners of Hayward & Company

LindaCloutier 603-964-2959 Linda Clough–Cloutier, CKD www.nhhomemagazine.com

Kitchens &Baths

611 Breakfast Hill Road Greenland, New Hampshire www.lindacloutier.com New Hampshire Home | 47

A Garden Where

Old England Meets

New England

The post-and-beam gazebo is a visual magnet in Gordon and Mary Hayward’s garden. These two long borders were inspired by the gardens at Hidcote, near where Mary grew up in England.

48 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Gordon and Mary Hayward’s magical landscape near their late-eighteenth-century farmhouse is being documented for the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens.

By Robin Sweetser Photography by Gordon Hayward www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 49

G

Garden designers Mary and Gordon Hayward come

work to make it livable again, and it took Mary and Gordon

from two different worlds. She grew up in England in the North

more than a year to clean up the yard, removing truckloads of

Cotswold Hills on a 140-acre farm across from the famous Hid-

scrap metal, tearing down a rotting barn, burning brush and

cote Manor Gardens. He is from northwestern Connecticut and

dead trees, and hauling out junk cars. “There was an old Nash

grew up on a family farm with a 38-acre orchard and 100 acres

Metropolitan that had been sitting in one place so long, it had

of woodland.

a maple tree growing up through it,” Gordon remembers.

Although Mary and Gordon hail from opposite sides of the

While deep in the throes of clearing brambles and trash

Atlantic, as the children of farmers, they share a love of gar-

from the property, Gordon had a visit from his mentor, land-

dens, the natural world and hard work. Over the years, Mary

scape designer Howard Andros from nearby Walpole. Andros

and Gordon have designed many landscapes for others—all

pointed out the connection between the front door of the

the while developing and tending their own piece of ground

house and an old apple tree 250 feet away, saying simply,

located 2½ miles as the crow flies from the New Hampshire

“That’s an important line.”

border in Westminster, Vermont.

Setting the scene

The Haywards ran a string from the threshold of the door to the tree, marking out the sightline, and eventually built paths and gardens along that line. “Every subsequent straight

Mary and Gordon purchased their 1½ acre property—once

path in the entire garden runs parallel or perpendicular to that

part of a dairy farm—in 1983. The eight-room farmhouse with

stringline, providing coherence,” Gordon says.

attached barn was built in the 1790s and had been in the

When designing a garden, the Haywards start with the

Ranney family for generations until the Haywards bought it.

paths. “Paths furnish the internal structure of the garden and

Suffering from years of neglect, the house needed some major

draw us into rather than around the garden,” Gordon says.

50 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

The Haywards’ property is a labor of love. In 1983, they could see beyond the junk cars, brambles and neglected house (below) to a vision of what their property could become (left). Many years of hard work later, their home and gardens are shining examples of what two people who share a common goal can achieve.

Feast for the eyes When visiting this carefully laid out and cultivated space, you

buffering the view of the road, and off to left, in the distance,

are immediately drawn in to a journey of discovery. There are

you can just catch a glimpse of a gazebo.

so many interesting plant combinations, striking architectural

Down the steps and across the lawn is the crab-apple

features, enticing paths, beautiful views and welcoming gar-

orchard, a nod to Gordon’s background. Two beds with six

den rooms that the space seems much larger than 1½ acres.

trees each are cut into the lawn and underplanted with hardy

Two clumps of Japanese whitespire birches at either end

geraniums—an idea borrowed from a garden the Haywards

of a yew hedge pay homage to the two stumps of old sugar

visited in England. The crabs blossom first—white ‘Prairie

maples that were cut down long before the Haywards moved

Fire’, pink ‘Sugar Tyme’ and dark pink ‘Adams’—followed by

in. This entry garden has peonies, ligularia, ‘Firewitch’ pinks,

the geraniums in blues and pinks. The trees hold onto their

Hakonechloa grass, alliums and a ‘Red Sentinel’ Japanese maple

bright red fruits, adding color to the winter garden until cedar

for color. A deciduous weeping European larch now grows out

waxwings come to gobble them up. Spring bulbs along with

of one of the old maple stumps, and hens and chicks nestle in

other perennials—including ajuga, epimediums, hellebores

the other one.

and viola—add to the show.

A break in the yew hedge opens onto wide stone steps with

The brick path beckons, leading to a circular center where

pots of annuals on each side, leaving no doubt this is the place

a tall pedestal is topped with a sculpture bearing the face of

to begin the garden tour. From the top step, you can take in

the Argonaut, Jason. Upright black locust poles outline the

the crab-apple orchard and your eyes are drawn to the gar-

circle and mark the bisecting paths that divide the garden into

den beyond, marked by upright yew pillars and a brick walk.

four quadrants. The tall posts form a colonnade, or topless

To the right is a garden that runs the length of the property,

pergola, further defining this space from a distance and fram-

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 51

Right: There are four seasons of interest in the Haywards’ garden. Spring flowering bulbs get the party started, along with early blooming perennials that include hellebores and epimediums. Then the crab apples in the mini-orchard put on their show.

ing views into other parts of the garden and back toward the house.

Vines—including gray-leaved moonvine (Lonicera reticulata), orange-red honeysuckle ‘Major Wheeler’, pink Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangeiodes ‘Roseum’) and white wisteria ‘Aunt Dee’—coil around the poles, adding fragrance to the air and color to the dark bark.

Each quadrant has an evergreen shrub along with deciduous shrubs with colorful foliage, such as Tiger-eye sumac, purple smokebush, yellow-leaved locust and Japanese maple ‘Bloodgood’ for contrast. “Plants choose their neighbors,” Gordon says. The perennials in each bed—including astilbe, actea, goatsbeard, globe thistle, pulmonaria, valerian,

trained over bent steel rods leads to the ga-

balloon flower, phlox and daylilies—provide

zebo. “The peastone path underneath the

even more contrasting colors and textures.

tunnel emphasizes the transition from one

Exiting the brick walk garden, we come

area of the garden to another,” Gordon says.

to the old Macintosh apple tree Andros had

Located near the southeastern corner of the

pointed to. On the right, granite posts mark

property, the ten-foot-by-ten-foot gazebo

the beginning of a path into the woodland

provides a destination and a resting place. It

garden. The Haywards unearthed a dozen of

is built from oak and hemlock beams with a

these posts when clearing the property, and

cedar shake roof, allowing it to blend in with

like to use them to mark transition points in

the woodland garden behind it. Views of the

the garden and honor the past of this farm.

gardens and over the fields are framed by

Dappled shade with occasional pools of

its timbers.

sunlight, this area is full of shade-tolerant

To the east, a mown path leads from

shrubs, including hydrangeas, viburnums,

the gardens three hundred feet through the

daphne, rhododendrons and witch hazel. Dry

meadow to three pin oaks. The Haywards

shade under the limbed-up maples is planted

planted them in honor of three oaks that are

with tiarella, Phlox stolonifera and divaricata,

growing in the center of the village of Ebring-

sedums, and ajuga. Moister sections are home

ton where Mary grew up.

to hosta, astilbe, bleeding hearts, cinnamon

Looking north from the gazebo, there is a wide grass path with ninety-foot-long bor-

ferns and double white trilliums.

A stone wall marking the boundary line

ders on each side that were inspired by the

runs along the south side of this garden,

gardens at Hidcote where Mary once worked.

but the Haywards have since purchased the

“An English garden can be defined as an in-

10-acre meadow on the other side.

formally planted garden within a firm linear structure,” Mary says.

Views from the gazebo

Waves of perennials and shrubs—many

Back to the apple tree, a tunnel made from

with dark red flowers or foliage to echo the

purple-leaved

color of their front door—flow down the bor-

beech

52 | New Hampshire Home

saplings

that

were

may/june 2017

Left: The summer garden segues into daylilies, daisies, asters, Joe Pye weed, bee balm, phlox and ligularia in the long border, along with many other plants that provide layers of texture and color.

Below, right: In autumn, colorful Korean and Japanese maples as well as ‘Wildfire’ tupelo contrast with underplanted shrubs—such as fothergilla and dwarf evergreens— to light up the garden.

Below, left: Winter is the longest season in the garden, so the Haywards paid close attention to vertical elements such as fences, evergreens, clipped hedges, and trees with unusual bark or that hold their fruit until spring.

Structure is exposed in winter, and this garden is all about structure.

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 53

Right: Rather than fight their site by trying to plant a garden over the shallow, matted roots of these trees, the Haywards paved the area with bluestone and created a shady spot for outdoor dining.

Facing page, top: The Haywards set a Haddonstone sculpture of John Tradescant—the first royal gardener to come to the New World in the early 1600s—against the sixteen-foot-high arborvitae hedge that creates the east wall of the herb garden.

ders with shorn boxwood, marking the corners.

In the left border, two steps up lead to a bluestone paved nook with comfortable seating sheltered by a curving beech hedge and three English hedge maples. These are shorn to keep them in shape and add a formal touch to the area.

“Throughout the garden, we enjoy the pleasing contrast of shorn trees and hedges next to exuberant natural forms,” Mary says.

The rock garden In clearing the property, the Haywards found a mound of stones forming a ramp three feet high, fifteen feet wide, and thirty feet long. As part of the old farm’s sugaring operation, the ramp enabled horses to pull a wooden vat of sap up, where gravity fed the sap into an evaporator for making maple syrup. Gordon and Mary found the crumpled metal evaporating pan nearby.

Instead of trying to remove the rocks, the Haywards honored the past by leaving the rocks and creating a shady rock garden over them. By adding boulders to the sides, Gordon and Mary made terraces, filled them with soil, and planted dwarf evergreens, a Korean maple, spireas, white heather, lamium, clematis, sedums, ferns, hosta and heucherella.

The herb garden A set of steps leads down from the rock garden to a classic New England four-quadrant herb garden, which was built in relation to the twelvefoot-by-eighteen-foot

former

tobacco-drying

shed that now serves as a garden shed.

Each of the four beds is edged in Korean boxwood. An English armillary stands on a pedestal in the center, and the paths between the plantfilled beds are paved with peastone.

More herbs are grown in terra-cotta, long tom pots. Gordon and Mary added a grape arbor to the east side of the shed and paved underneath it with fieldstones, providing a spot for a bench.

54 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Above: Mary Hayward recently drew this plan of the garden as part of its submission to the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens.

Left: Homeowners and garden designers Mary and Gordon Hayward have an office in the hayloft of their attached barn. Gordon designs gardens for others, gives lectures on gardening, wrote for Horticulture magazine for twenty-five years and is the author of eleven books. The couple also lead garden tours in the United States and England. www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 55

Right: In the pool garden, green and white kuma bamboo grass provides an appropriate background for a statue of Buddha.

The pond was created on the base of an abandoned silo.

The moss-covered center stone is a two-hundred-year-old marble wellhead.

Facing page: A bas-relief of Vappa—the Roman goddess who told growers when it was the perfect time to harvest their grapes to make the best wine—hangs on the garden shed under the grape arbor.

Below: Gerry Prozzo, a friend of the Haywards who has since passed away, carved this image of the Green Man—who symbolizes the place where plants and people meet—into the eight-foot stump of a dead butternut tree.

Grapes and clematis grow up the posts, while a climbing hydrangea clings to the shed wall and sprawls over the roof. A viburnum hedge blocks the view of the house and barn, adding to the sense of enclosure; metal gates mark the points of entry.

Leaving the herb garden, swing right along a free-form lawn and through a gate where mature trees shade the twelve-footby-twenty-four-foot dining area. A teak table and chairs are set up on the bluestone-paved terrace. The rock garden makes up one side of this spot, its lower retaining wall doubling as a useful sideboard. A black ceramic bust of Hero by English sculptor Patricia Volk overlooks the dining area from the rock garden.

Recirculating water bubbles into and over the sides of a cast concrete bowl, adding the peaceful sound of water.

More to see An antique English staddle stone—similar to ones Mary’s father once used to support ricks of drying grain harvested from his fields—stands at the entrance to the spring garden.

Originally a shady garden planted under wild plum trees, this area is now in full sun since the plums were broken by heavy wet snow in 2012 and had to be removed. This meant extensive replanting in 2013. A stepping-stone path leads to a wooden bridge over a low spot that is planted with spring bloomers—including daffodils, primrose, bleeding heart, trollius and rhododendrons. But other plantings—including yarrow, hollyhocks, asclepias, foxglove and asters—have made this more of a garden for all seasons. The path winds around under a ‘Donald Wyman’ crab apple back to the central lawn path.

A path of large stones leads to a forty-foot-by-eighteen-foot oval of lawn called the Dell. From here, we reach gardens that were developed around the old barn foundations. Up a set of steps, marked with rusty milk cans, is the well-worn, eightfoot-by-twenty-five-foot concrete milking parlor floor where six stanchions once held the cows each morning and evening during milking. Now thyme, sedum, and hens and chicks grow from the cracks and grooves the Haywards filled in with compost.

To the east is the old calf pen area, located four feet below the parlor. A new path leads into this wet corner bounded by the foundation walls. Here the Haywards grow viburnums, willows, ‘White Swirl’ Siberian iris, daylilies and primroses.

56 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

have also purchased an 8-acre field across the road where they have their vegetable and soft fruit garden, very similar to the one Mary’s mother tended. All 18 acres of meadows are protected by the Vermont Land Trust.

An eye toward the future Now the Haywards are working to have their garden accepted by the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens. “Mary and I spent two months documenting the garden with maps and To the west, down a few steps from the parlor, is the pool

plans, photographs, a twenty-four-page plant list of around

garden. Kiwi vines grow on chains strung between locust posts

one thousand plants and one hundred pages of magazine

on the south side of the path and tall emerald green arborvi-

articles about the garden,” Gordon says. “The goal of the sub-

taes form a hedge on the northern boundary.

mission is to be so complete in your report that the garden

Beds filled with shade-loving plants—including fothergilla,

could be replicated any time in the future.”

astilbe, hostas and darmera—lead to a pool surrounded with

The Garden Club of Dublin, New Hampshire, is sponsoring

low perennials, such as ajuga, ladies mantle, European ginger

their submission. The purpose of the Smithsonian archive is to

and blue woodland phlox. The pool was built on the base of

document historic and contemporary gardens for researchers

an old silo that the Haywards uncovered while cleaning debris

and the public today and in the future.

from this area. They covered the sixteen-foot diameter con-

If you get a chance to visit this exquisite property, you are

crete bowl with sand and a pond liner, and ringed the edges

sure to come away with ideas for your own garden! This sum-

with stones that were soon moss-covered. A statue of Buddha

mer, the Haywards will hold an open garden tour on July 22

keeps watch as water bubbles up through the two-hundred-

and 23 to benefit Westminster Cares, a local group that works

year-old Danby marble wellhead in the center of the pool.

with seniors and disabled adults.

NHH

Arborvitae and a row of Fothergilla gardenii provide a background and screen this serene area from the road.

Shade for a seating area near the back of the barn is provided by large maple and ash trees, a Phellodendron amurense given to the Haywards by gardener Kristian Fenderson from Alstead, and a tree lilac Andros gave to them thirty years ago as a seedling.

The last stop on our tour is a stone wall–enclosed, grassy paddock area at the back of the house. In another nod to Mary’s past, the Haywards had three topiary sheep made to “graze” here, a reminder of her family’s flock. The Haywards www.nhhomemagazine.com

Resources

Bunker Farm (802) 387-2333 • www.thebunkerfarm.com

Garden Club of Dublin, New Hampshire • (603) 563-7762

Hayward Gardens (802) 387-4766 • www.haywardgardens.com

Inspired Gardener (603) 399-4354 • www.inspiredgardener.com

Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens www.gardens.si.edu Vermont Land Trust (802) 223-5234 • www.vlt.org

Walker Farm (802) 254-2051 • www.walkerfarm.com

Westminster Cares (802) 722-3607 • www.westminstercares.org New Hampshire Home | 57

Oasis An Artist’s

Photography courtesy of Dartmouth College Library

Stephen Parrish’s home and garden in 1906 (inset) show the lily pool on the left and the greenhouse to the right. The current owners removed the vinyl swimming pool that took the place of the lily pool and replaced that with lawn; they also converted the greenhouse to living space.

58 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Noted for their beauty, Stephen Parrish’s early twentieth-century gardens in Cornish have been revived—thanks, in part, to the painter’s detailed journals.

By Andi Axman | Photography by John W. Hession www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 59

T

The gardening bug has bitten many of us, and one of its

nish, both for its beautiful countryside as well as the artists

more noteworthy quarries was landscape painter and etcher

with homes and gardens there. This community included

Stephen Parrish. He fell in love with the pastoral beauty of Cor-

painters Thomas Dewing and Maria Oakey Dewing; sculptor

nish when he visited landscape architect Charles Platt, who was

August Saint-Gaudens; and landscape architect and painter

his student and had a summer house there [see The Evolution of

Charles Platt. Stephen’s more famous son Maxfield followed

a Notable Landscape in New Hampshire Home, May/June 2016]. In

his father a few years later, and built a house, studio and

1893, Stephen bought eighteen acres near the Platts and built a

walled gardens nearby.

Platt helped define the style of gardening in Cornish, rec-

house on the property he named Northcote.

Stephen spent the next ten years working on the gardens

ognized as one of this country’s most beautifully landscaped

that were “considered by many to be the most distinctive of

towns in the early part of the twentieth century. His style

all the gardens in an artists’ colony that was becoming known

blended Italian classicism with Colonial Revival-inspired pe-

for gardens,” says garden designer Bill Noble of Norwich, Ver-

rennial plantings. Houses were closely connected to gardens;

mont, who was hired in 1989 to bring Northcote’s gardens

indoor-outdoor areas framed the view; gardens were laid out on axes. As in Tuscany, the building sites in

back to life.

Cornish were challenging. “The genius of the

In the years after Stephen’s death in

Cornish gardenmakers was their under-

1938 at age ninety-two, what had been

standing of the landscape,” Noble says.

an open, sunny hillside had become a

“Their gardens were an outgrowth of

shaded woodland. The flowerbeds he had so lovingly nurtured were over-

the site, not only accommodating

grown with shrubs. Near Stephen’s

existing apple trees but also using

studio, the area he called The Bou-

the materials at hand, such as local

levard was “a tangle,” Noble says.

stone and native white pine.”

From 1893 to 1910, Stephen

In the late 1960s, after the Parrish family sold the property, a

kept a detailed garden journal. His

vinyl swimming pool had taken

notes include information about the weather, birds, each day’s ac-

the place of the sunken lily pool then, Noble wrote in a 1992 article on Northcote, “cascading annuals and clusters of blue Otaksa hydrangea reflected

Taken between 1880 and 1890, this photo shows Stephen Parrish in his late thirties or early forties, at the height of his etching career before he moved to New Hampshire.

plant lists (including what did well) as well as correspondence about gardening and clippings. Stephen also included notes about what he painted and who came to

on the surface of the lily pool and then up through the colorfully planted raised beds border-

tivities, purchases for the garden,

visit. His niece, Anne Bogardus Parrish, continued

ing the steps and out across a small orchard of apple trees on

to live at Northcote after her uncle’s death; when she died in

the lawn.”

1966, she left her uncle’s garden journals to Dartmouth Col-

Thanks to the current homeowners, Bob Gordon and Marjorie Mann, and the efforts of Noble and his colleague Susan

lege. “Northcote is the best documented of all the Cornish gardens,” Noble says.

Howard in East Thetford, Vermont, the grounds of Northcote

Noble says that one entry in Stephen’s journal, from July

have been brought back to life. “The work feels purposeful,”

2, 1903, is telling: “Painting in studio all day. Have taken it up

Howard says. “We are perpetuating Stephen Parrish’s vision

again after years of neglect.” That was because he’d spent the

through the loving stewardship of Bob and Marjorie. This

majority of his efforts during the preceding ten years creating

makes Northcote a fascinating place to work.”

his gardens. Not only did his garden garner local attention—it

The beginnings of Northcote

was photographed and written about in House and Garden, The Century Magazine and Country Life in America—it was also pub-

At age thirty-one, after a successful business career in Phila-

lished in two influential garden books, Guy Lowell’s Ameri-

delphia, Stephen began studying etching and painting. His

can Gardens and Louise Shelton’s Beautiful Gardens in America.

work was well received, and he exhibited in New York, Boston

Garden plans appeared in a number of publications. Stephen

and Philadelphia as well as in London, Paris and other cities

did many paintings of the garden, and Maxfield took many

in Europe.

photographs.

One passion Stephen could not indulge in Philadelphia,

Among the projects Stephen undertook was planting a

though, was his love of horticulture. So he was drawn to Cor-

hemlock hedge that led from the stable to the house. A Lom-

60 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Photography courtesy of Dartmouth College Library

that Stephen built in 1903. Back

Stephen Parrish’s painting (above) and the photograph (near left), which could have been taken by Maxfield Parrish, show the pergola that was added as an extension of the house and the lily pool. Neither the pergola nor the lily pool exist today.

Stephen Parrish’s painting called Garden Steps at Northcote (far left) was painted after 1907, when the artist had given up etching and turned to oils.

The photograph (lower near left) shows him seated while painting at the steps that lead to The Boulevard in his garden. The photo was probably taken around 1902 by Maxfield Parrish.

Photography courtesy of Bob Gordon and Marjorie Mann

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 61

bardy poplar at the corner of the house marked its formal entrance. The house—with its porch, pergola and greenhouse— enclosed the garden on three sides. A low wall and hedge ran along the fourth side. Vines grew on the house and pergola, and raised beds overflowed with trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials and annuals (Stephen grew annuals in his greenhouse).

Other plants found homes in tubs and terracotta pots. Azaleas, tree peonies, clethra, roses and hydrangea were planted throughout the beds. Peonies, iris, delphinium and phlox added color, while annuals—such as alyssum, nasturtium, centaurea and asters—filled in the spaces.

“On this garden canvas framed by the architecture of the house and its attachments, Stephen painted in broad swaths of color against the flattering textures of wood, stone and sheared foliage,” Noble says.

In 1903, Stephen removed two of the rectangular flowerbeds in order to build a nine-foot-wide, round, sunken lily pool. He eventually removed the water lilies from the pool because they interfered with the reflection of the garden on the water’s surface, Noble says.

Beyond the house, Stephen planted hundreds of deciduous trees and shrubs on the hillside; as they grew, he cleared paths through their branches. Not only did this protect the landscape from westerly winds, but it also screened the two studios from the house. Pines were planted down the slope and were eventually topped, which created a tall ground cover. From various nurseries, Stephen ordered large quantities of trees and shrubs to plant for hedges, windbreaks and orchards; he also transplanted shrubs from the woods.

In a five-year period in an area of the garden he called The Boulevard, Stephen built a series of masonry walls and stairs into the hillside. Here, shrubs and perennials were planted together in a style different from that in the flower garden.

The setting can be seen in Stephen’s painting, Garden Steps at Northcote, on page 61.

Also in this part of the garden was a weather-beaten old pine tree whose branches stretched across the path. Stephen built a circular wooden bench near this tree, and would bring out a table to enjoy tea or supper—along with sunsets and views of the Vermont hills.

Connecting to history After Stephen’s death, his plantings grew unchecked. Shrubs overwhelmed the garden; the pine hedges he sheared every June grew to seventy feet in height; the great old pine tree was reduced to a rotted stump. But the masonry walls and stairs of The Boulevard remained, as did the other stone walls near the house. Although the perennials in the flower beds were overtaken by other plants, Stephen’s journal with his detailed plant lists, along with photographs and paintings, provided an invaluable record of what had been there.

When Gordon purchased Northcote in 1984, there were no 62 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Left: The parapet wall that leads to Stephen Parrish’s studio was rebuilt according to its original design as determined by photographs and existing similar walls.

Lower left: Stephen Parrish sits on a bench on the garden side of the house.

Photography courtesy of Dartmouth College Library

Lower right: This garden plan for Northcote was measured and drawn for House and Garden’s September 1901 issue.

Photography courtesy of Dartmouth College Library

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 63

The terraced garden near the house includes the flowers shown as insets, from the left, Hemerocallis ‘Hyperion’ (daylily); Echinops ritro (globe thistle) in the foreground and Monarda didyma (beebalm) in the background, with Phlox paniculata (garden phlox) in the middle; Lilium ‘African Queen’ (trumpet lily); Astilbe chinensis ‘Superba’ (astilbe); and Dahlia ‘Cafe au Lait’ (dahlia).

flowers growing in the garden. A vinyl swimming pool stood where the lily pond had been (Gor-

presence” at Northcote, reinvigorating the gar-

don replaced that with lawn early on). There were

dens near the house and near The Boulevard,

some of Stephen’s paintings in the studio, and the

repairing brick and stonework, and clearing out

former owners had left a copy of Stephen’s jour-

what had become overgrown. “We needed Bill’s

nal. The real work began when Mann came into

expertise to figure out what to do and how to do

Gordon’s life a few years later. “She knew North-

it,” Mann says.

cote’s history and realized immediately there was more to the gardens here,” he says.

Before he began, Noble did his homework. At Dartmouth, he found Stephen’s garden journals,

One day in 1989 while visiting the nearby

plant lists and correspondence with nurserymen,

Saint-Gaudens estate, Mann heard Noble lecture

along with Maxfield’s photos of the garden. “Even

about the garden restoration work he was doing

though we knew we weren’t going to fully restore

there—he had started in 1986 by restoring the

the garden, I wanted our work to be informed,” No-

pine and hemlock hedges, and was then working

ble says. “The journals helped me understand what

on the flower gardens. “When I came home, I told

Stephen was after and what materials he used.”

Bob I was going to call Bill,” Mann says.

64 | New Hampshire Home

Mann says Noble soon became a “constant

From these journals, Noble created plant lists

Coincidentally, just before receiving her phone

that would make the flower garden feel like Ste-

call, Noble had given a lecture at the Arnold Arbo-

phen’s, but could be adapted to the changed land-

retum, at Harvard University, on Saint-Gaudens’

scape and be easily maintained by Gordon and

gardens and showed a slide of Northcote. “A

Mann. “Northcote had become a challenging site

woman raised her hand and said she knew the

for a garden,” Noble says. “The surrounding Nor-

owners,” Noble says. “Marjorie had called at the

way maples robbed the garden of moisture and

perfect time.”

shaded it for half the day. Some of the Cornish may/june 2017

plants refused to work, and others got too gangly.

Howard says. “He studied what did well, and made

We knew we couldn’t plant big trees and tackle

choices that were both artful and horticulturally

projects we couldn’t keep watered.”

sound. Stephen’s eye as a painter made this gar-

Initially, Noble was still working full-time at

den more than a collection of plants. Bill—with

Saint-Gaudens, so he brought in other gardeners

his keen sense of design and knowledge of histo-

to help him. One was Sue Howard. “She has been

ry, was able to interpret—which makes Northcote

the mainstay of the garden ever since, overseeing

still an outstanding garden today.”

Left: Bill Noble and Susan Howard stand on the steps leading to The Boulevard.

Right: On The Boulevard, a Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’ growing in a pot guides the eye toward Stephen Parrish’s studio.

NHH

its maintenance and evolution with the help of two part-time gardeners,” Noble says. Every year, Howard brings Noble back for a consultation.

“I love this garden’s connection to history,” Howard says. “I often think of Stephen Parrish and how he’d approach things. I try and nurture his vision, as well as address Bob and Marjorie’s love for the property and the specific needs of their life here today.”

Howard also loves the collection of plants in the garden, and has been experimenting with woodland ground covers and various other plants—both native and historical—that can tolerate the site’s conditions.

“Stephen Parrish was a plantsman and an artist, and he also experimented with his plantings,” www.nhhomemagazine.com

Resources

A Place of Beauty: The Artists and Gardens of the Cornish Colony by Alma M. Gilbert and Judith B. Tankard.

Published by Ten Speed Press, 2000 Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (617) 524-1718 www.arboretum.harvard.edu

Bill Noble Gardens (802) 649-3821 • www.billnoblegardens.com Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections Library (603) 646-2560 • www.dartmouth.edu/~library/rauner Garden Conservancy (845) 424-6500 www.gardenconservancy.org

Italian Villas and Their Gardens by Edith Wharton, with illustrations by Maxfield Parrish. Published by Rizzoli in 2008

Northcote: An Artist’s New Hampshire Garden by William Noble.

Published in the Journal of the New England Garden History Society, Fall 1992.

Susan Howard (802) 299-8585 • pyrus.hort@gmail.com Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm

New Hampshire Home | 65

photography by john w. hession

Duffy (left) and Rick Monahon were architects, preservationists and active members of the community whose efforts made a profound impact on the Monadnock Region.

66 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

A Farm Carries On Four Winds Farm in Peterborough is a multi-use property that pays fitting tribute to its owners’ legacy.

By Jenny Donelan | Photography by Nancy Belluscio

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 67

R

Above: The Shingle-Style house at Four Winds Farm contains many pieces of art and furniture that belonged to the Monahons.

Far right, top: A high ceiling, bright walls and plentiful natural light make for a cheerful dining space.

Far right, bottom: Exposed timber framing makes a graphical statement in many parts of the house, which was designed by the Monahons.

Rick and Mary “Duffy” Monahon were architects and active

preservation,” says Jennifer Goodman, executive director for

members of the Monadnock Region community, where their

the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.

passions for architecture, historic preservation and land conserva-

In a major way, however, the Monahons’ legacy lives on

tion affected the area profoundly. Together or separately, Rick and

at Four Winds Farm, the Peterborough property they called

Duffy were responsible for preserving or restoring many buildings

home. Under the auspices of farmers Dan and Ruth Holmes as

around the region, including the Dublin Lake Club, the Temple

well as their daughter, Carrie Dumas, and her husband Bryn

Town Hall, the Gregg Free Library in Wilton and the Peterborough

Dumas, the approximately 350-acre property is being con-

Players barn. Rick, in particular, spent many years working to

verted to a working farm. (In fact, it had been a working farm

preserve historic Harrisville, a mill town.

many years earlier, but not in recent decades.) Goats now

In January 2013, the Monahons died in a car accident,

graze in reclaimed pastures, and pigs and chickens grace the

leaving friends, family, neighbors and colleagues bereft not

grounds. Many kinds of produce are grown at Four Winds

only of the couple’s gregarious personalities, but their efforts

by Brittany Dooling and Michael Reardon, who live on the

to shape a better place in which to live. “They were as deeply

property and operate The Mad Radish CSA (community-

immersed in advocacy for the arts and conservation and farm-

supported agriculture) on the farm in the summer and fall

ing and planning—and grassroots activities—as they were in

months. Year round, local residents can visit the farm store

68 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

An agricultural transition

The property’s transition to a farm began even before the Monahons passed away. Duffy kept a few sheep and was interested in restoring the apple orchard on the premises. “Duffy had always dabbled in a little farming,” says Duncan Spencer, Duffy’s son by a previous marriage. “And food started to become an issue in her mind. She was concerned about global food production.”

Rick and Duffy’s daughter Sophia Monahon recalls a trip to

France when she was young, where she and her parents visited cider makers to learn about their craft because the Monahons were interested in learning to make cider. The Monahons (and also the Holmeses) were charter members of Slow Food Monadnock (an organization promoting local food) and used to host slow-food dinners in the Studio at Four Winds Farm.

Duffy’s interest in local food dovetailed with the type of farming (local, small scale) the Holmeses had been doing.

Duffy was interested in returning the property to a working farm, and she had been talking to dairyman Dan Holmes about farm techniques for some time before she passed away, and the Holmeses and the Monahons had already struck up a grazing agreement. Dan and Ruth had been operating a dairy out of the Sunnyfield Farm property (owned by Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center) on Route 137 in Peterborough for more than ten years. But when funds for subsidizing the dairy operation for Crotched Mountain were no longer available, the Holmeses and their livestock had to look for a new farm.

That is how, about three years ago, the Holmes family ended up signing a forty-year lease with the Monahons’ descendants and began working the farm. According to Sophia, the agreement was made quickly. “The Holmeses felt like the right people,” she says, “and it also felt like the right thing to do because my mom was adamant about things like taking care of the apple trees and having animals on the land. We all felt like we had my parents’ blessing in working with the Holmeses’ business.” on the property to buy local meat, eggs, dairy products and other groceries.

The buildings, many of them of local historic significance, are also being preserved. These include the 1904 dairy barn,

“The family has been wonderful,” Carrie says. “They‘ve been very supportive of us wanting to turn this back into a working farm.”

(which the Holmeses call the Apple Barn), converted to apple

Bringing the cattle home

processing and storage by Duffy’s uncles when the farm ran

The Holmes family is currently working on bringing more ani-

an orchard operation from the 1920s to the 1950s. This is now

mals to the farm, in addition to the chickens, pigs and goats

home to the farm store and is the site of a future milk room.

that are there now. (Their sheep, horses, and cattle spend

The Studio—an 1840s barn where plays and other cultural

some time at the farm in the summer, but winter elsewhere.)

events were held during the 1920s and 1930s—is now being

Dan says he plans to move his year-round dairy opera-

used for functions, including weddings and dinner parties

tion to Four Winds in the coming months. He has already

that feature food grown on the farm. There are several rental

cleared fifteen acres of land for pasture. “We really needed to

properties, one of which is occupied by Dan and Ruth. And

bring back the soil,” he says. The way that’s done is by feed-

the hilltop, Shingle-style house that Rick and Duffy built in

ing the cattle hay on the cleared land and allowing them to

1998 is rented by short-term, seasonal guests.

walk around on it. Thus they prevent the growth of saplings

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 69

A spacious open porch offers views of the surrounding farmland.

70 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

and other brush, and also fertilize the ground.

twenty-five years and are in it for the long haul.

Another aspect of clearing involves Dan picking

He is a New Hampshire native who started farm-

up sticks and removing stumps—a slow and la-

ing in Canterbury, helping to restore the gardens

borious process. The farm also received a Natural

and farm at the Shaker Village there. She is from

Resources Conservation Grant to build a bedded

California, but has obviously taken to New Eng-

pack barn for the dairy cattle. The cattle include

land farm life. When it comes to a love for farm-

British White beef cattle and a breed the Holme-

ing, Dan says, “Either you’ve got it or you don’t.”

ses call “Monadnocks,” which are a cross between American Milking Devons and Jerseys from New

House amid the ruins

Zealand.

The history of Four Winds Farm goes back to the

A forty-year lease may seem long, but Dan and

late 1700s, when the original settlers began farm-

Ruth have been farming in New Hampshire for

ing the land. In the early 1900s, the Edward Bur-

www.nhhomemagazine.com

Top: Elements of old and new combine gracefully on the property, like the lily pool (left) and the statue of Carmen, made famous by Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name, that was given to Duffy Monahon by her mother, Mary MacNaught.

Above: The Monahons deliberately left pillars from the former Manor House (which burned down in 1922) outside the new house, framing views from the house and porch.

New Hampshire Home | 71

nett family (relatives of Duffy’s first husband, also named Duncan Spencer) bought the property, and built the stucco Manor House, a sunken garden, a tennis court and a children’s playhouse. The Burnett family also established a kind of “gentleman’s farm,” which included vegetables and a herd of Guernsey cattle, a modern milking complex and an early centrifugal creamery to complement Deerfield Farm, their much larger dairy operation in Southborough, Massachusetts.

Early in the 1920s, the Currier family (relatives of Duffy) bought the property and owned it briefly. Marie Currier, an actress, lived there while she was building the Mariarden studio in Peter-borough, a vehicle for Shakespeare plays and other performances. Famous artists, such as actor Paul Robeson and dancer Martha Graham, appeared and taught at Mariarden. Currier put on Shakespeare plays at Four Winds before Mariarden was finished.

In 1922, the Manor House burned. The Hoffman family bought the property and converted it from a dairy to an apple-orchard operation. Over the years, the property saw different uses, until in 1998, Rick and Duffy built a new, Shingle-Style house on the site of the old Manor House.

The crumbing pillars of that old house were left in place outside the new home.

That eight-room (three-bedroom), post-and-beam house with large windows and excellent views is very similar today to how it was when the Monahons lived there.

Many pieces of their furniture (a mix of antiques and new items) and artwork are still on display. Rick’s old office on the third floor looks out to a treetop and has the feel of a tree house (though the Monahons called it “the wizard’s

Ruth (second from the left) and Dan Holmes (right) are working the land at Four Winds Farm, with help from their daughter Carrie Dumas (second from the right) and son-in-law Bryn Dumas (left). Ruth is holding Edith, the hen, while Carrie holds Mr. Fuzzy Pants, the rooster.

room”). There is a lovely open porch that uses the old

Friends of the community

Manor House pillars as visual framing elements.

The farm today is a busy place with different people growing veg-

In addition to plans for establishing the dairy and

etables, raising farm animals, and hosting events and guests. All

restoring the orchard—which probably means planting new

this activity would have pleased the Monahons, who wanted to

trees—the Holmeses have plans for a maple-sugaring opera-

share Four Winds Farm rather than keep it for themselves, accord-

tion, blueberries and possibly educational programs for lo-

ing to Sophia.

cal children. They also hope to enhance the functions of-

When her parents were alive, she says, “There was always this

fered at the Studio with more of the food grown and raised

kind of residency quality. They had interns staying here, Dem-

on the farm.

ocratic canvassers. My parents weren’t private by nature. They

“It’s an interesting point to me,” Duffy’s son Duncan says,

loved to see people skating on the pond or hiking on the prop-

“that the property was a dairy farm (Burnett), was converted

erty. They couldn’t be happier than when someone came through

to apples (Hoffman) and is now in the process of being con-

riding a horse.”

NHH

verted back to dairy (Monahon and Holmes).”

“Rick and Duffy would have been totally pleased with the return of farming to the property,” says their friend and colleague Carolyn Isaak, who recently retired as executive director for American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Hampshire. “They were both really passionate about history and the environment, and about saving old buildings and re-purposing them.”

72 | New Hampshire Home

Resources

American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Hampshire (603) 501-1881 www.aianh.org Four Winds Farm (603) 731-5153 • www.fourwindsfarmnh.com

New Hampshire Preservation Alliance (603) 224-2281 • www.nhpreservation.org Slow Food Monadnock www.facebook.com/Slow-Food-Monadnock Sunnyfield Farm (603) 924-4436 • www.sunnyfieldfarm.net

The Mad Radish CSA (443) 643-5684 • www.madradishcsa.com may/june 2017

Top right: This cow will call Four Winds Farm its year-round home as early as this coming fall.

Above right: A young goat enjoys a meal at Four Winds Farm.

Near left: Sheep and their canine companion are already in residence at the farm.

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 73

homework

Creativity in Bloom An annual event in Jackson features floral interpretations of various artworks.

E

very spring, Jackson’s Mountain Garden Club shares its creativity with the community through

Art in Bloom, a free event showcasing member-created floral arrangements inspired by art. Up to fifty arrange-

ments and accompanying artworks are displayed at multiple locations during the event, creating an artistic walking tour through Jackson.

Art in Bloom is a highlight for garden club members, says Betsey Harding, of Jackson, event chair. “The event really brings out people’s creativity,” she says.

Participants choose an artwork and use its form, colors or subject matter to inspire their floral creations.

Arrangements often feature blooms from members’ gardens, or area meadows and woods, supplemented with store-bought pieces. The arrangements showcased in last year’s event are as varied as the people who created them.

NHH

Painting by Frank Libby Arrangement by Betsey Harding Betsey Harding’s work was inspired by Danforth Bay, an ethereal watercolor by Frank Libby. Her selections evoke the artist’s depictions of mist and purple-blue mountains, and include hosta, lupine, lady’s mantle and peonies, all found in her garden.

By Debbie Kane | Photography by John W. Hession 74 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Floral Arranging Tips Many Art in Bloom participants find inspiration for their work during workshops led by Jackson florist Carrie Scribner, owner of Dutch Bloemen Winkel. Here are her suggestions for creating winning arrangements: • Place freshly cut flowers in fresh water as soon as possible.

• Cut at least a half-inch off stems at a sharp angle, which allows the flowers to hydrate.

• Put cut flowers in shade, not sunlight.

• Refresh water daily.

• Be creative and use natural elements, including foliage from around your home, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Scribner uses apples, blueberries, herbs, branches, dried grasses and other elements she finds outdoors.

• Keep it simple: use one color in your arrangement. If you’re mixing colors, Scribner suggests limiting to no more than three colors. “It’s more visually pleasing,” she says.

• When selecting a container for your arrangement, make the arrangement at least double the height of the container.

• Add greenery and the most durable elements to your container first. “Start arranging with larger flowers as they visually anchor an arrangement, then you can fill in with your remaining smaller blooms, “ Scribner says. “Don’t be afraid to drape elements around your container, too.”

Photograph by Dana Clemons Arrangement by Pat Mason A photograph by Dana Clemons of a misty woodland trail inspired this whimsical fairy garden by Pat Mason of Jackson. “I decided to create something for children who come on the tour to enjoy, and I thought a fairy garden would appeal to them,” Mason says. The delicate glass container is lined with Spanish moss and soil. Mason added winter berries she found on a walk in the woods as well as lacy maiden fern. A small fairy hides near a dried mushroom. www.nhhomemagazine.com

Members of the Mountain Garden Club are shown from the left. Front row: Marge Huemmler, Debbie Bryant and Deb Holmes. Second row: Suzanne Scolamiero, Betsey Harding, Carol White and Norma Whitmore. Third row: Pat Mason, Annie Ficke, Kathy Koziell, Cal Minton and Lisa Lee. Fourth row: Milly Pereira, Susan Van Tuyl, Judith Thompson and Magie Driscoll. Top row: Deb Carney, Wendy McVey, Sheila Mosson and Len Whitmore.

New Hampshire Home | 75

homework

Painting by Linda Gray Arrangement by Betsey Harding Based in the White Mountains, artist Linda Gray paints scenes of Maine and New Hampshire.

Betsey Harding selected Gray’s oil on canvas Fire in the Sky #2 because “I love her work,” Harding says. Betsey Harding’s arrangement included field grasses, lady’s mantle, juniper, yellow roses and daylilies. “To me, these flowers really evoke the colors in the painting,” Harding says.

Fabric art by Jeanne M. Stevens Arrangement by Deb Holmes Deb Holmes, vice president of the Mountain Garden Club and a resident of South Gardiner, Maine, turned to family for inspiration. Her sister-in-law, Jeanne Stevens, of Standish, Maine, is a fabric artist. Stevens’s On Pleasant Pond reminded Holmes of the Maine camp her family owned. She picked up the dish for her arrangement at an antique shop and anchored her arrangement with bluetinged hydrangeas, representing sky, clouds and water.

She complemented the flowers with ferns, viburnum, white native yarrow, wheatgrass and wild turkey feathers collected during a walk in the woods.

More Art in Bloom

This year’s event on June 24 showcases Mountain Garden Club member–created floral arrangements inspired by art. Up to fifty arrangements and accompanying artworks are displayed at multiple locations, creating an artistic walking tour throughout Jackson. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. www.mountaingardenclub.org

76 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Cottage furniture collection

Custom wood counter tops

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26 ANNUAL KITCHEN

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With coastal influences and historic flourishes, this year’s Kitchen Tour takes you through the diverse design styles of Portsmouth’s Little Harbor neighborhood. The perfect get-together for Mother’s Day!

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Creative Ventures

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 Art Gallery  Classes  Artists at Work

A Haven for Art Lovers

homework

Painting by Nancy Keenan Baron Arrangement by Deb Holmes

bUy l lOCA Make Our Gallery Your Art Shopping Experience

Creative Ventures Gallery 28 ROUTE 101A, Amherst, NH (603) 672-2500 • www.creativeventuresfineart.com

Deb Holmes’s arrangement is based on an acrylic and mixed-media work by Nancy Keenan Baron, called Constant Companions (Baron is Holmes’s neighbor in South Gardiner, Maine). “There’s a lot of energy in her work,” Holmes says. She chose baby’s breath, pink freesia, liatris, daisies, wheat and horsetail grass to make the arrangement appear more fluid. “This arrangement is like picking a wildflower bouquet,” Holmes says.

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78 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Painting by Arne Hagen Arrangement by Magie Driscoll Romance permeates this arrangement by Magie Driscoll of Jackson, who was inspired by a painting by greeting card artist Arne Hagen, a distant relative. “I wanted to create an arrangement that evoked a romantic evening for a young woman in Venice,” Driscoll says. A string of pearls, a black straw gondolier’s hat, a pair of kid gloves, a dance card, and a small nosegay of white, pink and red roses created a romantic tableau.

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New Hampshire Home | 79

homework

Painting by Ellen Farrington Arrangement by Beverly Sarapin

603.886.1920 Greystone Plaza 650 Amherst St. Nashua, NH

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Beverly Sarapin, of Glen, selected local artist Ellen Farrington’s work because “it’s such a New England image,” Sarapin says.

Inspired by the painting’s nautical theme, Sarapin used blue glass aquarium marbles to represent the ocean, and sand and shells for the beach. The focal point of her arrangement is a large pink lily, supplemented by mums and pom poms.

The daisies, lupine and greens are from her flower garden.

We design kitchens that embrace you.

Remodeling New Construction ADA/Aging in Place 603.502.7800

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Resources Dutch Bloemen Winkel (603) 383-9696

www.dutchbw.com

Mount Washington Valley Art Association

(603) 356-2787 • www.mwvarts.org

Mountain Garden Club

www.mountaingardenclub.org

80 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

Imagine a kitchen...

Imagine a kitchen...

Vintage Kitchens 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 vintagekitchens.com

Painting by Cecil Snow Arrangement by Deb Carney Deb Carney, of Hale’s Location, found inspiration for her arrangement at the Mount Washington Valley Art Association. Trees in Winter, a watercolor by Glen artist Cecil Snow, was propped on the floor when she visited. “I found a dead rose bush root in my garden that looked just like the tree in the painting,” Carney says. “So that’s the artwork I selected.”

Carney’s simple arrangement included three plantings: the rose bush root; astilbe to represent the tall trees in the foreground of the painting; white snow drops and tufts of Elijah Blue fescue.

White marble chips represent snow. www.nhhomemagazine.com

603.224.2854 24 South Street Concord, NH 03301

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

New Hampshire Home | 81

inspiration

Clean lines, sharp contrasts and finely crafted details create the classic, timeless look of this kitchen.

A Jewel of a Kitchen This beautifully

crafted room will be featured on

The Music Hall’s Kitchen Tour on May 13.

A

small kitchen is often a great chef’s

research. Then while exploring downtown

secret. Having everything close at

Portsmouth, they saw a sign for Dovetailed

hand is efficient and highlights the

Kitchens, Inc. outside the old City Hall on

need for precise organization. But it’s quite

Daniel Street and sauntered into the show-

a feat to create a small kitchen that feels

room. Soon, they were chatting with kitchen

airy, spacious and cozy while complementing

designer Scott Purswell.

both a Victorian home and an Asian aesthetic.

When homeowners Ann Wissink and Doug Adams moved to Portsmouth three years ago, they took one look at the kitchen in their

“We liked his work and enjoyed talking with him,” Wissink says. “So we went from there.”

A seasoned kitchen designer, Purswell built

new home. Having renovated homes before,

a team that included K & S Contracting of

the couple knew it needed

Portsmouth (Daryl Kent and Bruce Schlieper);

an overhaul. First, they did Internet

carpenter Matt Pucko of York, Maine; and

By Carrie Sherman | Photography by John W. Hession 82 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

other trusted companies that Purswell has done business with for years.

“Sometimes the limitation of space drives the creativity,” Purswell says.

Create a garden that’s part of your history.

“Those challenges can bring out your best work.”

Old and new The kitchen was completely gutted. A thick, curved, 1940s decorative lath made of concrete and metal swept around the ceiling’s perimeter. Taking it out was a big undertaking.

Schlieper still marvels at the lath’s staying power. “Over the years, we’ve developed ways of working with that stuff,” he says. “And, in an old house like that, prep work is critical.”

The original house, circa 1875, was built as a single-family home by a successful milliner, a maker of ladies’ hats and fancy goods. A major remodeling took place in 1891 with a local architect. The house went through several owners and families, each adding their

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improvements: a sun room, porches and additions. During World War II,

26 Maclellan Lane ∙ Eliot, Maine 03903 ∙ 207.439.2241 piscataqualandscaping.com Glass Vessels by Jordana Korsen

RE-IMAGINE EVERYDAY THINGS

Homeowners Ann Wissink and Doug Adams (seated to the left) peruse programs for The Music Hall Kitchen Tour with Ashleigh Tucker Pollock, special events manager for The Music Hall (seated, right) and Scott Purswell, owner of Dovetailed Kitchens, Inc. in Portsmouth and designer of the homeowners’ kitchen. www.nhhomemagazine.com

Shop our Fine Craft Galleries Concord • Hanover • Hooksett • Littleton • Meredith Nashua • North Conway • Center Sandwich (May-Oct)

www.nhcrafts.org New Hampshire Home | 83

inspiration

crafted to create a nook in the corner.”

Even mid-winter, surrounded by windows, this corner is warm and comfy.

To keep an open feeling, a glass-topped table was custom-built and secured to a black, wrought-iron sewing trestle.

A pendant light fixture with an oldfashioned cut-glass pattern lights the table and provides a focal point. These two elements were found by Wissink.

“She has a wonderful, delicate eye,” Purswell says.

Personal touches Wissink also chose the teal blue grassA slim, twenty-seven-inch refrigerator with two freezer drawers below and cabinet fronts creates a seamless look.

cloth wallpaper. Each object in this

as Portsmouth’s Naval Shipyard ramped

carpenter and homeowners—puzzled

home—has the pleasing sense of being

up production and housing was in

over the space, what evolved was simple

curated and cherished, from the beauti-

short supply, the house played a role

and elegant. The team enhanced a door-

fully shaped copper kettle on the stove

in solving that problem by becoming

way with a framed arch. To continue

to the long-handled copper pot on the

an apartment house. For a time in

the look in the adjacent sun room, high

wall. Wissink also found the English

its history, it was known as Miller

transom windows were enlarged. The

pharmacy chest that sits in the corner.

Apartments.

team retained the counter peninsula and

“My great-grandfather was a physician,”

added a sleek induction stove.

she says, pointing out an old-fashioned

In 2015, as part of the kitchen renovation, K & S Contracting updated the plumbing and electrical as required.

The next question was how to grace-

But a large, essential steam radiator that hunkered against an outside wall posed a conundrum. “We finally arrived

kitchen—and actually throughout the

medicine bottle of his with a handwritten paper prescription curled inside.

She and Adams chose the oak floors

fully manage three doorways into the

at a terrific solution,” Purswell says.

because they knew the room needed to

kitchen and all those transitions.

“We used slotted soapstone for the top

be light and that the warm color would

of a radiator enclosure. A bench was

offset the white cabinets. “Scott showed

As the team—designer, contractors,

The Music Hall’s twenty-sixth annual Kitchen Tour on May 13 is set in the heart of Portsmouth’s Little Harbor neighborhood. See the latest contemporary and vintage styles created by the Seacoast’s top designers and builders. With coastal influences and historic flourishes, this year’s Kitchen Tour is packed full of diverse kitchens to provide inspiration for anyone looking to renovate his or her kitchen space, to make minor upgrades or simply to appreciate a beautiful kitchen.

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 www.themusichall.org 84 | New Hampshire Home

See a range of kitchen styles on The Music Hall Kitchen Tour on May 13. This kitchen—in a 1940s home renovated in 2011—was designed by Mari Woods Kitchen Bath Home in Portsmouth. may/june 2017

Photography by greg west

Take The Music Hall Kitchen Tour

To further fine-tune the space, Purswell included touches of mahogany

just to go to the supermarket,” Wissink

on the breakfront and wine cubby.

says. “Here everything is close by.”

The room gets a seamless look from an

They’ve enjoyed Portsmouth’s res-

efficient Bosch dishwasher and a slim,

taurants, but most of all the commu-

twenty-seven-inch Sub-Zero refrigera-

nity and the many friends that they’ve

tor with two freezer drawers below and

made. Inveterate volunteers, the couple

cabinet fronts.

has become involved with the library,

Further refinements It took between three and four months to do the kitchen. Of course, Wissink This doorway into the kitchen was enhanced by the addition of a framed arch, a thoughtful detail that makes a huge difference.

and Adams made other improvements.

us a lot of cabinet options,” Wissink

once a part of the Frank Jones estate.

says. “We liked this design because

The wonderful small lions in the front

it was simple and in keeping with a

of the house were also part of the Jones

vintage look.”

estate. Now, once again, these exterior

When asked about the Asian-design

fore, we had to drive four to five miles

Strawbery Banke, Discover Portsmouth, Portsmouth Listens West End, Osher Lifelong Learning and, of course, The Music Hall.

NHH

Most notably outside: the couple restored the Victorian urns that were

details showcase a lovely home.

influence throughout their home, Wissink

The move to Portsmouth has been

explains that her mother collected Asian

a joy for Wissink and Adams. They are

artifacts. Also she and Adams have trav-

close to family and have come to love

eled extensively in Asia.

their new town. “Where we lived be-

Resources

Bosch (800) 944-2904 • www.bosch-home.com/us Dovetailed Kitchens, Inc. (603) 433-9918 www.dovetailedkitchens.com K & S Contracting (603) 964-3800

Mari Woods Kitchen Bath Home (603) 319-8910 www.mariwoods.com Matt Pucko, Carpentry (207) 363-6711

Quality Custom Cabinets www.qcci.com

Sub-Zero (800) 222-7820 • www.subzero-wolf.com The Music Hall (603) 436-2400 www.themusichall.org

Residential Design Construction Consultation Custom Building & Remodeling

DESIGN

•

BUILD

•

REMODEL

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Cornerstone awards 2016

Recognizing SOUTHERNExcellence In The Building Industry

603.472.4414 • www.libertyhillconstruction.com • Bedford,New Hampshire www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 85

Handmade, where it matters most.

Zone 3 Volume 32, Issue 11

March 16, 2017

Zone 3 Volume 32, Issue 11

March 16, 2017

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86 | New Hampshire Home

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2017

LANDSCAPE SHOWCASE

photograph by Wendy Wood

profiles of landscape designers & Architects

Meet some of New Hampshire’s talented landscape designers and learn how they create engaging outdoor spaces.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

New Hampshire Home | 87

LANDSCAPE 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 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.

Belknap Landscape Co., Inc. (603) 528-2798 25 Country Club Road Village West, Unit 101 Gilford, NH 03246 www.belknaplandscape.com 88 | New Hampshire Home

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

LANDSCAPE SHOWCASE DB Landscaping: creating innovative and engaging landscapes

W

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 you the outdoor living space of your dreams, db Landscaping will keep the details of permitting and regulations from turning your 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, you can leave the legal details to the professionals. Your role is simply to sit back and enjoy your new space.

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 is here to help.

db Landscaping (603) 763-6423 3 Alpine Ct., Ste. #1 Sunapee, NH 03782 www.dblandscaping.com SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

New Hampshire Home | 89

LANDSCAPE SHOWCASE 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 10th 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 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, perennials, annuals, seasonal 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 and patios, 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.

Stephens Landscaping Professionals, LLC

Stephens Landscaping Professionals, LLC (603) 707-0630 63 Whittier Highway Moultonborough, NH 03254 www.stephenslandscaping.com 90 | New Hampshire Home

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

resources

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ARCHITECTS

Bonin Architects & Associates Located in New London and Meredith New Hampshire, Bonin Architects, serves all New England and New York. We believe in a collaborative approach to every project ensuring exceptional quality throughout the process for clients seeking a distinctive design. Our commitment is to artfully transform your vision into beautiful and timeless architectural designs.

Meredith and New London • (603) 526.6200 • www.boninarchitects.com

Your home should be as hard-working as you are, yet provide the sanctuary you need at the end of the day.

C. Randolph Trainor Interiors will listen to your ideas, address your fears, and keep you from wasting precious time and money. We make sure that the end result is everything you want.

Randy Trainor • (603) 823-8133 • crt@crtinteriors.com

interior design

C. Randolph Trainor Interiors

Piscataqua Landscaping & Tree Service

26 Maclellan Lane in Eliot, Maine • (207) 439-2241 • piscataqualandscaping.com

Rolling Green Nursery Explore and stroll nine acres of display gardens and stone paths. We grow an uncommon palette of annuals, herbs, perennials, vines, flowering trees and shrubs, custom patio containers, and beautiful hanging baskets. We stock over 35 varieties of Japanese maples, large and dwarf evergreens. Our staff is knowledgable and passionate about plants. Visit our website for events, hours and directions. Plants, seeds, advice and inspiration.

outdoor living

Piscataqua Landscaping & Tree Service has been serving the Greater Maine and New Hampshire Seacoast area for over 35 years. As the Seacoast’s largest full-service landscape company, Piscataqua works on projects large and small, commercial and residential, to help its clients achieve beauty in landscape - from installations and plantings to irrigation and night lighting.

64 Breakfast Hill Road in Greenland • (603) 436-2732 • RollingGreenNursery.com

McLaughlin Transportation Systems Services

Moving Solutions for Every Need: • Full Service Moving • DIY or Long Distance Moves • Local • Long Distance • International • Vehicle Transport • Household Moving • Office • Retail • Corporate • Portable Containers • Secure-Sprinklered Warehouse Storage • Secure Indoor Storage • Two Acres of Secure Outdoor Storage • Professionally Trained Movers & Packers • No-Cost Estimates • Top Quality Moving & Storage since 1936.

20 Progress Avenue in Nashua • (603) 883-4000 • (800) 258-MOVE (6683) • Mcmoving.com

To advertise in this HOME resources section, contact one of our representatives: Jessica Schooley (603) 413-5143

Tal Hauch (603) 413-5145

jschooley@mcleancommunications.com

thauch@mcleancommunications.com

www.nhhomemagazine.com

New Hampshire Home | 91

mark your calendar!

may M ay 6 –7

New Hampshire Open Doors

This self-guided statewide tour showcases items made in New Hampshire. Design your own route to see demonstrations by artists and craftspeople in their studios; sample fresh products from farm stands and orchards; savor fine cuisine and wine at local restaurants; enjoy special events and cultural attractions; and spend the night in a cozy accommodation. www.nhopendoors.com

May Events at Mill Brook Gallery

The Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden opens its twenty-first season with award-winning artists from New Hampshire and other New England states, who are working in a wide variety of media and styles.

236 Hopkinton Road in Concord • (603) 226-2046 • www.themillbrookgallery.com M ay 4

Opening Reception for Group Painting Exhibit

This exhibit features Stephanie Bush, Ella Delyanis, Tamara Gonda, Dustin Knight, Soo Rye Yoo and others.

Reception is 5–7 p.m. Exhibit on view through August 27.

M ay 29

Ninth Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit Opens

Enjoy a garden party and meet the artists. Reception is 2–4 p.m. Exhibit on view through October 23.

M ay 9

Ocean Breeze is a painting in acrylic by Soo Rye Yoo.

Preservation Achievement Awards

At this annual 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 • www.nhpreservation.org

Spring Events at Bedrock Gardens

Built on a nineteenth-century farming property, the garden includes many structural elements such as paths, an espaliered fence, an arborvitae hedge, architecturally interesting rocks, pergolas and garden art. The beds have exceptional plant varieties, often started as seedlings, including many unusual specimens of perennials, trees and shrubs.

45 High Road in Lee • (603) 659-2993 • www.bedrockgardens.org

M ay 13

M ay 6 –7, Jun e 3 – 4

M ay 20 a n d 21

The Music Hall’s twenty-sixth annual Kitchen Tour is set in the heart of Portsmouth’s Little Harbor neighborhood. See the latest contemporary and vintage styles created by the Seacoast’s top designers and builders. With coastal influences and historic flourishes, this year’s Kitchen Tour is packed full of diverse kitchens of all shapes and sizes to provide inspiration for anyone looking to renovate his or her own kitchen space, to make minor upgrades or simply to appreciate a beautiful kitchen.

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 www.themusichall.org

Sunday includes bluegrass music with the Smith family.

Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, noon–4 p.m.

Art students aged ten through eighteen from five schools explore winged insects and flight in a far-ranging installation.

The New Hampshire Aviation Museum’s Wilbur Wright, in character, demonstrates flight kits and explains how bumble bees manage to fly. Saturday features music by Dale’s Jazz Lab. Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, noon–4 p.m.

Twenty-Sixth Annual Kitchen Tour

M ay 13

Trade Secrets

Labeled the Northeast’s garden event of the year, this rare plant and garden antique sale features more than sixty of the finest plant and garden antiques vendors from the Northeast and beyond.

Tickets range from $25 to $125 with breakfast.

LionRock Farm • Route 41 and Hosier Road in Sharon, Connecticut • (860) 364-1080 www.tradesecretsct.com 92 | New Hampshire Home

Open Garden

Insects and Flight

Jun e 17–18

Artisan’s Fair with En Plein Air Artists

Local artisans display jewelry, photographs, ceramics, wood pieces and quilts. Artists will be painting throughout the garden. Saturday features music by Dale’s Jazz Lab. Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, noon–4 p.m.

M ay 18

M ay 20

The Manchester Historic Association’s twenty-fifth annual Historic Preservation Awards program recognizes the efforts of individuals, businesses and organizations who have made significant contributions to the preservation of buildings, neighborhoods and other historic resources in Manchester. The ceremony includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and dessert. 5–8 p.m. Tickets are $100; $90 for Manchester Historic Association members. Location to be announced.

Manchester Historic Association • (603) 622-7531 www.manchesterhistoric.org

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.–2 p.m.

102 Hooksett Road in Auburn www.auburnhistorical.org

Historic Preservation Awards

Plant Sale

may/june 2017

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New Hampshire Home | 93

mark your calendar!

Lectures on Portsmouth Furniture

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF Ralph Morang

This circa 1815 sideboard is attributed to Portsmouth furniture makers Jonathan Judkins and William Senter.

M ay 7

Perspectives on Contemporary Studio Furniture: The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Several masters explore the inspiration and process behind their works. 2–4 p.m. Free.

M ay 18

Collecting Portsmouth Furniture Within a Changing Marketplace

Since the recession of 2008, the market value of much antique furniture has plummeted.

Brock Jobe—professor of American Decorative Arts Emeritus at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Winterthur, Delaware—reviews the antiques scene of the past two decades and offers hope to those interested in early American furniture. 5:30–6:30 p.m. Free.

Jun e 4

Master and Apprentice: Who Trained Portsmouth Cabinetmaker Langley Boardman?

Johanna McBrien—founding editor-in-chief of Antiques & Fine Art Magazine—has served as a contributing author on several books, and has provided discoveries about Portsmouth’s cabinetmakers that have changed our understanding about the transfer of style and skill from one craftsman to another. 2 p.m. Free.

Jun e 15

Sixty Years of Antiquing in the Piscataqua Area

Ron Bourgeault, principal of Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, looks at the collecting and connoisseurship of Seacoast-area furniture and other works of art, based on his unique perspective and experience in the New England and national marketplaces. 5:30–6:30 p.m. Free.

Discover Portsmouth • 10 Middle Street in Portsmouth • (603) 436-8433 http://portsmouthhistory.org/four-centuriesof-portsmouth-furniture-lecture-series

94 | New Hampshire Home

june Ju n e 2– 4

Evergreen Woodland Garden Reopens

Evergreen, the one-acre woodland garden of landscape designer Robert Gillmore, reopens to the public for the first time since a fire severely damaged the property two years ago. The main house, which sustained the greatest fire damage, was torn down last spring and its west wing was transformed into a small, two-story residence. The footprint of the main house is now a visitor reception and exhibit area. Most of the inner driveway has been filled in and planted with sweeps of flowering shrubs. The garden includes more than 100 new shrubs; more than 200 Catawba rhododendrons, which blossom in late May and early June; as well as 172 rosebay rhododendrons. 10 a.m.– 5 p. m. Please no children younger than twelve years of age.

42 Summer Street in Goffstown • (603) 497-8020 Ju n e 4

Thirteenth Annual Palace Theatre Kitchen Tour

Voted the “Best Kitchen Tour in New Hampshire”

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 an after-party at LaBelle Winery, featuring wine tastings presented with paired appetizers. All proceeds go to 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 • www.palacetheatre.org Ju n e 4

Wildflower Festival

The daylong event features programs on the intriguing history of The Rocks, the flora growing there, beekeeping, and mushroom identification and foraging. Led by Rocks Estate manager Nigel Manley and wildflower enthusiasts Ann Gruczka and Ginny Jeffryes, two guided tours of the Mile Path include a discussion of the estate’s storied history, the array of plants growing there and the forestry work done as part of the property’s long-range forest management plan. Reservations required. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Admission is $10.

4 Christmas Lane in Bethlehem • (603) 444-6228 www.therocks.org Ju n e 23

Under the Stars— An Evening of Design and Community

After an extensive selection process, twelve designers—including Lisa Teague from Portsmouth— have created signature one-of-a-kind, safari-style “glamping tents” at Sandy Pines Campground. Each

luxe tent incorporates the elements of a sleeping and living space complete with bedding, seating, furnishings, lighting and accessories. Before the tents are available for purchase and/or rent, they are open to the public from June 24 to July 2 for a designer showcase. Proceeds from the gala and showcase will benefit four Maine non-profits.

277 Mills Road in Kennebunkport, Maine (207) 967-2483 • www.sandypinescamping.com Jun e 24

Art in Bloom

This event showcases Mountain Garden Club member–created floral arrangements inspired by art. Up to fifty arrangements and accompanying artworks are displayed at multiple locations, creating an artistic walking tour through Jackson. Page 74 shows some of last year’s arrangments. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. www.mountaingardenclub.org

ongoing

Four Centuries of Portsmouth Furniture

Organized by Gerald W.R. Ward and Lainey McCartney, with the New Hampshire Furniture Masters, this exhibition celebrates and documents the history of furniture in Portsmouth as well as presents outstanding work by some of today’s premier furniture makers. About fifty objects interpret furniture made and used in Portsmouth as both art and history, starting with the joined furniture of the seventeenth century, through the Colonial and Federal periods of Portsmouth’s heyday of cabinetmaking, and finishing with the revival styles of the nineteenth century. The exhibition concludes with examples from the Arts and Crafts and studio movements as well as a few modern examples.

Changes in how furniture has been regarded over time are explored, including the transition from its role as a symbol of status and wealth, as well as the evolution of Portsmouth from a furniture-making center to a primarily retail market. See sidebar on this page for information on a free lecture series.

On view through June 18.

Discover Portsmouth • 10 Middle Street in Portsmouth • (603) 436-8433 http://portsmouthhistory.org/four-centuries-ofportsmouth-furniture-lecture-series

Submitting Events

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.

Please note that calendar production occurs two months before each issue is published.

Calendar events can be self-posted on our website at any time by using the Submit an Event link at www.nhhomemagazine.com. may/june 2017

Advertisers’ index 3W design, Inc.................................................. 79

Frank Webb’s Bath Center............................. 2

Palace Theatre, The........................................ 95

Artistic Tile........................................................80

Fred E. Varney Company...............................21

Peabody & Smith Realty.............................. 41

Belknap Landscape Co., Inc........................ 88

Garden Club of America............................. 20

Belletetes Inc.......................................................8

Hayward & Company....................................47

Pella Windows..................................................19

Bonin Architects & Associates............27, 91

j.ellen Design...................................................80

CRT Interiors......................................................91

Jancewicz & Son................................................4

California Closets............................................. 11

League of NH Craftsmen.............................83

The Carriage Shed......................................... 20

Liberty Hill Construction, LLC....................85

Catlin + Petrovick Architects PC............... 39

Lighting by the Sea.......................................86

Cedar Mill Group..............................................17

The Lighting Showroom................................ 3

Christopher P. Williams, Architects.............

Linda Cloutier Kitchens & Baths..............47

.................................................inside back cover

Little River Oriental Rugs............................. 81

Company C, Inc.................................................31

McGray & Nichols........................................... 14

Creative Ventures Gallery............................78

McLaughlin Transportation Systems.........91

Crown Point Cabinetry................back cover

The Music Hall.................................................77

db Landscaping..............................................89

NH Public Television..................................... 93

DeStefano Architects....inside front cover

Northcape Designs........................................10

Dream Kitchens...............................................33

Not Just Kitchens...........................................86

Triad Associates, Inc.......................................25

Eport Wood Products....................................77

Our Town Landscaping.................................37

Vintage Kitchens............................................. 81

Ethan Allen Home Interiors..........................9

PRG Rugs...............................................................6

Winchendon Furniture.................................. 5

www.nhhomemagazine.com

Piscataqua Landscaping Company... 83,91 Rockingham Electric.........................................1 Rolling Green Nursery..................................91 Rumford Stone.................................................23 Runtal Radiators...............................................15 Seasonal Specialty Stores............................37 Southwick Construction............................. 39 Standard of New England, LLC..................45 Stephens Landscaping................................90 Strawbery Banke Museum.........................78 TMS Architects..................................................13 Tailored Living.................................................... 7 Tom Murdough Design................................ 41

New Hampshire Home | 95

at home in new hampshire

Robins’ Alter Ego

Zigzagging across the lawn, singing their well-known

attached to his territory than his spouse. Only one in eight

carol, and faithfully tending to mud-lined nests on our eaves

robins takes up with a mate of past years, while more than

and porches, robins are among our favorite birds. They signal

half of all robins return to the same neighborhood as the

spring. Here in New Hampshire, we welcome them as the sea-

previous year.

son’s first migrants. They remind us of our best selves. Except

America’s most beloved bird? Maybe up our way. But down

for eating worms, they do the things we humans take pride in

south, in many areas, they’re despised as winter pests. In win-

accomplishing: devoted husband and wife work hard to build

ter, they may congregate in flocks of up to fifty thousand and

a nice home in the suburbs and raise the kids. And robins

switch their diet from worms to fruit. A century ago, orchard-

spread cheer. In fact, more than one field guide reports that

ists felt justified in shooting them by the thousands. (And peo-

the robin’s call sounds like: “Cheer up! Cheerily! Cheer up!

ple ate them. “They are fat and juicy and afford excellent eat-

Cheerily!”

ing,” reported no less an authority than John James Audubon,

One reason we love robins is we know them so well.

who frequently dined on his study subjects.)

This is the one bird species that every child can identify with-

Even the robin’s name is a case of mistaken identity.

out fail. And yet, we know only half the familiar robin’s story.

British settlers called our native redbreast by the same name

First migrants of spring? Maybe not. It’s true that robins

as their European robin—who looks like a bluebird. Ours is

are among the first birds to return to New Hampshire after

more closely related to the European blackbird—who, like our

flying south for the winter, some traveling as far as Mexico.

robin, is a thrush.

But some robins don’t migrate at all. Increasingly since 1997,

And what about the robin’s cheery song? Even though it

New Hampshire Audubon observers have noted, especially in

begins within days of their reappearance each spring, even

coastal and southern areas of the state, folks spot robins all

though it lasts from dawn to dusk, even though the males sing

winter—a sign of climate change.

all summer long and even though human beings have been

Paragons of family devotion? Yes, robins are hard workers.

listening to the robin’s song for at least ten thousand years

Each member of the pair makes between five hundred and six

(as long as North America has been inhabited by humans),

hundred flights to ferry sticks, moss and mud to the nest con-

we still aren’t agreed on the lyrics. Some folks I spoke with

struction site, and the birds work five or six 12-hour days to

insisted the birds were crying: “The cherries are ripe! The cher-

complete the job. Feeding the nestlings takes even more effort:

ries are ripe!” Others thought they heard: “Captain Gillet! Get

each baby may eat fourteen feet of worms a day. But commit-

your skillet! It’s going to ra-in!”

ted mates robins are not. “Robins are landowners first and lov-

That our beliefs about the robin redbreast can be so off-

ers only second,” asserts animal behaviorist Len Eiserer. In his

base delights me—as birds always do. Even the “best-known”

book, The American Robin, he explains that the male is more

birds in America still hold wondrous surprises.

NHH

By Sy Montgomery | Illustration by Carolyn Vibbert 96 | New Hampshire Home

may/june 2017

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