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Just how small can a garden be? Well, Frances Wilson will tell you that 10 foot by 20 foot is just right, thank you very much!
Frances and her husband Leigh moved to Rowayton a couple of years ago from Westport, where they lived in a beautifully renovated antique with 1 1/3 acres of meticulously tended outdoor gardens. There was a Japanese rock garden, a wetland garden, a cutting garden, a vegetable garden, a large stone patio, an orchard ..... and it was a full-time job keeping up with it all! So with the children off in college, they decided it was time to downsize, not just the house, but the garden too.
Now the Wilsons live in a townhouse in the center of town, with a handkerchief sized lawn, soon to be turned into flower beds. But their favorite spot is the peaceful outdoor garden room Frances has created on the small deck off the kitchen. A hand-forged iron table topped with a thick Calacatta marble slab anchors the far end of the space. A stone Buddha, which used to live in the rock garden at the old house, sits on top amidst a collection of unusual plants in the ceramic pots that Frances has collected over the years. Two large planters stand at the top of the steps, filled with seasonal plants.
Leigh and Frances are spending more and more time in their garden room. As the mornings get warmer, morning coffee takes place at the round marble topped table. And it's a great spot for lunch, too! Two comfy wicker chairs with matching ottomans take up the rest of the space and this is the perfect spot to sit and relax and enjoy not having to think about weeding all those beds at the old house!
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