With guidance from Jan Kirsh, the previously random space was transformed into a picturesque garden nestled beneath towering oak and pine trees, perfectly harmonizing with its surroundings on the Chesapeake Bay.
Since one of my criteria for selection of a House of the Week is Landscape Design, I always look forward to featuring the work of Landscape Designer Jan Kirsh. Several years ago, the historic Miracle House property was a House of the Week, so my focus then was on its architecture and its unique history. The property with a cottage and one room school house was once a ten week summer haven for Baltimore children whose parents had been exposed to tuberculosis. The Miracle House’s tranquil setting on the Chesapeake Bay and the fresh breezes, swimming in the Bay and nutritious food helped the children build up their resistance to the disease. The Miracle House is now a private residence with a main cottage and a school house is now a guest house.
Soon after the Owner acquired the property, he realized that his existing random collection of plantings did not maximize the site’s potential. Four years ago, he retained Jan Kirsh to re-invent the spaces to “turn the garden around, and to make it into a head turning garden.”
Kirsh began by accenting the majestic Oak and Loblolly pines with three native flowering Viburnum shrubs strategically placed to act as visual anchors in the entry bed. On the day of my visit, I admired the golden yellow carex (sedge) a grass-like plant, that are evergreen and how they lighten the shady garden. A texturally rich combination of shrubs and ground covers provide seasonal interest, with flowers, glossy leaves and various shades of green foliage. Many shrubs are evergreen so the garden is not dormant throughout the winter.
Majestic pines and oaks provided “good bones” for the stunning redesign.
Seeing the transformation of the entry drive to the property, I remembered its “before” look. The Owner was quite fortunate to have these extraordinarily towering Loblolly Pines and Oaks that evoke an almost ‘Cathedral like’ feeling. The dappled shade they and other trees provide were an asset in his vision for the gardens that would have breathtaking views of the Chesapeake Bay.
Lush plantings along the entry drive blend vibrant textures and colors amid dappled light from the canopy above.
As I slowly drove along the gravel entry drive that is parallel to the front elevation of the house, I admired how one side of the drive faces the grove of pines and the other side facing the house now has a profusion of green plantings with accents of color. Kirsh told me she had slowly walked the pine area and sprayed white paint in a meandering line to show her landscaping crew the demarcation line where the bed of pine needles would meet the grassy area along the gravel drive.
New plantings of epimedium (heart shaped ground cover) and shrubs of dwarf nandina, viburnum, and boxwood offer shades of green. The Owner is especially fond of annuals so Kirsh added the purple sunpatiens in front of the white dwarf abelia (flowering shrubs).
Thoughtful gravel textures and meticulous plant arrangements redefine pathways between the main house and guest house.
At the parking area by the main house, I recognized the deep lavender butterfly bushes next to the golden yellow sedge’s thin strands with the evergreen shrub chamaecyparis obtusa (false cypress) as a sentinel in the background.
A dynamic blend of butterfly bushes, golden sedge, and evergreens adds depth to the driveway landscape.
After parking my car, I admired how Kirsh’s mix of blue-gray gravel for the driveway and parking area and the 3/8” Delaware gravel walkway areas defines their common edge. The driveway curves to provide parking for the Guest House. In between the houses, more plantings surround the pool area with views of the Bay. Kirsh deftly handled the adjustment and redesign of the parking areas to define +how guests would approach the three entries to the main house and the one entry to the Guest House.
Soft lamb’s ear and hardy native grass form a striking border along the pathway’s edge
Groups of Lamb’s Ear, Panicum Virgatum (native ‘switch grass’) and the tall Northern Bayberry that is a native, very hardy shrub, form the edge of the 3/8” Delaware gravel walkway.
Native grasses and delicate blooms guide the transition between driveway and walkway with seamless textures.
At the corner of the blue chip gravel parking area, a single stone paver marks the transition from the parking to 3/8” Delaware gravel walkway to the main house. I admired the textures of the Lamb’s Ear, Hydrangea shrub and Molinia (commonly called muhly grass). In the early fall, this native grass displays a cloud of delicate pink flowers that is a surprising visual treat.
Layered greenery, tropical accents, and thoughtful composition revive the entry under towering trees.
What was once a somewhat barren area under the majestic oak and loblolly pines near the entrance to the main house is now a vibrant mix of boxwood, sarcoccoca and viburnum shrubs, pots of tropical plants, “elephant ears” with annual torenia and the low epimedium ground cover. Kirsh’s keen eye for texture, shapes and sizes of plant leaves and how the composition rises from the low epimedium to the tall elephant ears comes together beautifully in this tranquil spot.
Repurposed bluestone pavers and oversized river rocks merge craftsmanship and artistry in the terrace design.
I have long admired Kirsh’s special talent for creating hardscapes. To expand the Owner’s deck onto a terrace that would blend into the front walkway, Kirsh recycled ‘left overs’ from the pool surround, and the masons saw cut the bluestone pavers into strips. Kirsh’s scale drawing was transferred to the ground and was actually drawn with paint; then Kirsh oversaw the team of masons who installed the work. I loved the textures and colors of the hand selected oversized river rocks and the Owner was quite appreciative of Kirsh’s artistry.
Subtle asymmetry and natural tones define this unique stone path linking the deck to the pool area.
One of Kirsh’s signature paths with random large stone using Mexican beach pebbles as “mortar” connects the deck at the side of the house to the pool. (This photograph shows the work when it was in progress.) The grasses to the right are calamagrostis and the grasses to the left are acorus and dark green perennial allium ‘Millenium’ (its splendid small globe shaped flowers are not in bloom yet.)
Bluestone paving and complementary plantings balance bold views of the Chesapeake Bay with rich textures.
Before Kirsh was involved with the landscape design, the Owner had turned his keen eye to the design and construction of the swimming pool and its surround of bluestone paving. Kirsh designed complementary plantings with sweeps of acorus with patches of ornamental grasses and summer blooming allium that continued the very contemporary tone of the Owner’s vision.
The pool area highlights how unique this site is. The expanse of the Chesapeake Bay could have been too dominant but here it is a partner. The grand view of the Bay is balanced by color, foliage, hardscape and new planters..
Wide bluestone terraces connect the pool and dining space, highlighting interplay between structure and color.
The Owner’s design for the bluestone pool surround widens to include a dining area and wraps around the diving board at the waterside edge of the pool. Blocks of color draw your eye from indoor and outdoor entertaining areas, across the expanse of the glistening pool water’s surface to the maturing background hedges. At the edge of bluestone are yellow acorus, allium, calamagrostis (feathered red grass) with the northern bayberry and callicarpa dichotoma (Beauty Berry) at the back corner.
Plumed feather grass contrasts vibrant blooms, creating a harmonious late-season visual near the pool area.
The trio of texture and color of this part of the landscape at the rear corner of the pool area is exquisite when summer turns into fall. Yellow acorus is between the allium ‘Millenium’ with mature seed heads in the fall and the tall, narrow Calamagrostis (feather reed grass) in flower with plumes is the backdrop to this delightful late season composition.
Towering elephant ear hybrids with bold lines accent the sunroom steps leading to the waterfront deck.
I have always loved Elephant’s Ears and these newer hybrids with their yellow “spine” and their giant leaves are set against the rear wall of the main house. Steps from the classic restored sunroom lead down to the Bayside hot tub deck.
Hardy shrubs and pops of annual color frame the expansive lawn, perfect for outdoor activities.
Given the strong cold winter winds over the Bay, Kirsh specified hardy shrubs and trees. She chose evergreen boxwood as accents along the expanse of lawn to the Bay. At the BBQ grille location, Kirsh chose a tree lilac that is another solution to withstand winter’s cold temperatures and winds from the Bay. Spots of annual color add summer interest to the shrub borders. The flashes of color here are annual Lantana, whose delicate flowers belie its being a tough, deer resistant plant that requires minimal care. I love to play croquet and the wide and deep lawn would be perfect for the game.
Layered shrub borders with gaps for Bay views showcase a thoughtful blend of privacy and visual appeal.
Kirsh specified shrubs including hydrangea paniculata, abelia, weigelia and Osmanthus to both screen the pool equipment shed and to also provide a colorful rotation during the season when the pool is the primary outdoor room. The shrubs form a background for the plantings surrounding the pool, which was Kirsh’s intentional painterly backdrop for the planting. When Kirsh created the mixed ‘privacy shrub borders’ of paramount importance was her respect of the views from neighboring properties so that their long views to the broad water of the Bay would remain open.
As I strolled past the pool area, I was struck by how Kirsh located the shrubs in offset parallel rows perpendicular to the Bay so one can see the Bay between the rows as you stroll the grounds. When I reluctantly reached my car, I looked back and the diagonal vista of the shrubbery rows seemed to form a continuous meandering line. I was also impressed how Kirsh creatively re-used existing plants and transplanted them so they could happily thrive in their new locations. She also added kousa dogwoods along the lawn edge where it meets the existing woodland to make a crisp and clean bed line that defines the lawn.
As I drove away, I contemplated how the grounds were transformed in the years since I last visited this magical spot. The Owner was a true collaborator with Kirsh and he clearly articulated the specific feeling he wanted the grounds to represent. His primary goal was to make the property a space of pure delight for family, friends and visitors with the hope that they celebrated this naturally beautiful setting, enhanced by seasonal gardens, as much as he does. He was fortunate to have had a Landscape Designer as gifted as Kirsh is for his collaborator. She attentively listened when he described his vision, which enabled her to not only meet but also to exceed his goals. Kirsh appreciated how the Owner’s enthusiasm for the project affected everyone from the contractors to the installation crew and how he also contributed his labor to artfully placing some of the Mexican beach pebbles in the paths.
I don’t use these Italian superlatives lightly but bravissimo to the Owner and bravissima to Jan Kirsh for their transformation of this exquisite property! This novice gardener thoroughly enjoyed passing her mini-course on identifying plants by their correct names.
Landscape Designer: Jan Kirsh, Jan Kirsh Studio, www.jankirshstudio.com, 410-745-5252
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.
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