PATHS WEAVE THROUGH THE MEADOWS, LINKING THE VARIOUS AREAS OF THE GARDEN TOGETHER

Malts had originally laid out for their sons was retained as an open space that the family could use for star gazing and family get-togethers, but is now largely hidden from the house by swathes of meadow grass, which are planted in drifts that become more dense the further you get from the house. As the grasses change in colour and height throughout the season, the feel of the meadow evolves. “But they always feel like one fabric,” says Sharon.

To tie all the areas together ZEN built stone walls that are just tall enough to remain visible above the panicums, calamagrostis, pennisetums and miscanthus when they reach their full height in autumn. In front of the house an uninspiring collection of plants near the front door was replaced with a selection of shrubs and perennials, including Spiraea x vanhouttei ‘Renaissance’, Vaccinium corymbosum, Cotinus ‘Grace’ and Hydrangea quercifolia that link with the planting around the stone terrace the family love to use on summer evenings.

Behind the house a pond, complete with stream and waterfall, was built to improve a damp, boggy space, and surrounded with natives, such as iris, Phlox subulata and Liatris spicata. Elsewhere on the property the soil was fertile and well-drained and needed little amending thanks to the sandy loam on site.

Maintenance for the meadow is fairly minimal. Before the snow arrives in winter, Brad and Sharon cut back the ornamental grasses, and divide them every few years, which the both agree is far less labour-intensive than maintaining the previous lawns. And the new meadows have one other advantage for the grasses for the family: they have attracted a host of wildlife that brings the garden alive with sound. “It’s so different from the city here,” says Sharon. “We sit on the terrace and listen to a crescendo of birds.”

At this time of year, it is often dark by the time family arrive at the house on a Friday evening. Even so they like to head out into the meadows, and take some time to look up at the stars and soak up the harmonious sounds of the meadow. Clockwise from above Tall Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’ and Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus ‘Cabaret’ overlook a lawn close to the house. A grass pathway winds it way down to a barn through a grove of birch trees. Islands of unmown grass around the trees create a link to the ornamental grasses in the meadows beyond. The mix of Calamagrostis x acutiflora, Panicum virgatum and Chasmanthium latifolium becomes more dense the further you move from the house, in places almost covering the gravel path that leads to the former playing field.