The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Creating a backyard oasis
When Hallie and Sam Steinberg moved into their Malvern home 10 years ago, they thought that the purchase included three acres of open lawn and a patch of woods at the western edge of the property. The wooded area was completely overgrown with vines and invasive plant species. It was four months before Sam discovered that their property also included a stream.
Sam started to plant the property, installing trees and shrubs, and creating planting “islands” and perennial beds. Even before they moved in, he screened the exposed sides of the lawn with a row of spruce trees. “Hallie wanted a cottage feel to the landscape,” said Sam. So he brought in a lot of stone to incorporate.
This shows up particularly in the beautiful pond Sam designed and installed. Set into a slope, a small waterfall follows a tumble of rocks down to the pool. Half a dozen large carp swim in the water, shaded by trees that Sam planted. Seating on either side of the water feature makes this a lovely spot to sit and relax, especially on a warm summer day.
The Steinbergs have three daughters. Said Hallie, “We wanted an area to put a playground but our open fields are in full sun. So Sam decided to make plans for the overgrown area, which would include elements he wanted for our children.” Still a work in progress, Sam’s vision is of a Swiss Family Robinson-inspired environment, which will include a naturalistic playground, a trampoline, and paths connecting the two. Finding the stream just enhanced that vision.
The Steinbergs have been careful to preserve the native species in their woods–azaleas, rhododendron, viburnums, and more. Sam has plans to plant more of these, plus sourwood trees and oakleaf hydrangeas. But the couple appreciates non-natives as well and Sam has found and planted a number striking species. Some, like the “Cripps Golden” Hinoki false cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa “Crippsii”), were familiar to me. But I had never even heard of Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean fir (Abies koreana “Horstmann’s Silberlocke”).
On the website of the Missouri Botanical Garden I discovered that the cultivar was introduced in Germany in 1986 by nurseryman Gunter Horstmann. (missouribotanicalgarden.org) I found the description on the website to be a bit understated, however. It says that the cultivar features “recurved needles which showcase the silver undersides of the needles.” The underside of the needles is not silvery; it’s a stark, bright white, as if someone took a paintbrush to the underside of each needle. It almost looks like snow has fallen in summer.
Some of the other ornamental species Sam has planted are the late-bloooming “Jane” magnolia (Magnolia “Jane”), which usually remains safe from late frosts, and the Okame cherry (Prunus x incamp “Okame”), notable for the variety of leaf colors in the fall and for the prominent lenticels on its reddish, almost bronze bark.
The gardens here are beautiful. But what is perhaps the most extraordinary thing to me is that Sam has done all of the landscaping himself. He’s sought out and wrangled the best deals on the plants he wanted, dug the garden beds, planted the trees. It certainly helps that his career as a teacher leaves his summers mostly free. Still, Sam makes it all look easy, but as he commented, “I’ve planted almost everything about four times,” moving things around until he’s satisfied with how it all looks.
Despite the hundreds of trees and shrubs Sam has planted on the property, there is still plenty of sunshine for a vegetable garden up near the house. In mid-summer it is lush and overflowing, but there was something that didn’t seem quite right about it. It wasn’t until later that I realized what it was– no fencing around it! That’s because the entire property is fenced in against deer, and a trio of dogs keep woodchucks and other wildlife pests at bay. Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” And check out Pam’s new book for children and families: Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets. Available at amazon. com.