Mill River -- Suter Garden

A contemporary house with a mountain view had a professionally designed landscape comprising trees and shrubs combined with drifts of native herbaceous plants selected by the owner. To the south of the house grassy slopes and valleys allowed an unobstructed view of Canaan Mountain. North of the house a mature woodland of native white pines and mixed hardwoods had an understory of native plants. The best were kept and supplemented with exotics that tolerated shade and acid soil. Plantings included sweet woodruff, native wild ginger, European ginger, pink bleeding heart, and cream-colored foam flower. Additional clumps of lungwort and Solomon seal added darker tones and height, and clumps of ferns added texture. A curving walk of flat fieldstones crossed a lawn planted between the house and the woods. Looking north from the house there was a curving border of perennials and bulbs that received summer sun while the pine woodland protected it against winter winds. The plant selection for the border included hollyhock, foxglove, echinops, coral bells, pinks, daylilies, monarda, Shasta daisies, and peonies with creeping thyme and sedum for contrasting foliage. Another sunny spot held a small vegetable garden and orchard.

On the mountain side of the house, a bluestone terrace gave way to a grass terrace, shaded by a honey locust. Low growing shrubs and perennials were planted in foundation beds, including a specimen evergreen. Across the lawn a bed of low growing alpines included spreading mats of dianthus, several thyme varieties, and fuzzy gray leafed perennials. Large stones were placed on the slope to prevent erosion, and drought resistant spreading junipers, yucca, clumps of butterfly weed, a sweep of achillea, and volunteer natives completed the garden.