Stamford -- The Passionate Gardener Cotswold Garden

The owners of the garden began planting trees and shrubs around the perimeter of their half-acre property in 1984, and today have many lavishly planted garden rooms. Distinct areas of the garden include the formal English perennial garden, shade garden, rose garden, water garden, Quadrangle garden, vertical garden on a separate studio building, vegetable garden, and herb garden. The garden was devised for year-round interest, with plant materials collected and used to decorate the house.

The stone and slate cottage-style house was designed in 1917 as the personal residence of the prominent ecclesiastical architect Francis L.S. Mayers (b. 1886) of the New York firm Mayers, Murray & Phillip. The current owners designed a perennial cottage garden to complement the house, adding stone walls and winding paths. Additional garden rooms are embellished with garden structures and ornaments, statues and architectural salvage. Roses are prominent on rose arbors and in a garden bed, while other arbors support wisteria and hydrangea. Annuals, herbs and vegetables are planted in containers as well as in garden beds.

The current owner wrote "The Passionate Gardener: Month-by Month Ideas for Using Your Garden to Enrich Your Life," based on her own experience. She also has written the "Dirt" feature for "Living in Stamford" magazine, about gardening and crafting projects, and has appeared on the CBS television network as a garden and natural crafts expert.

Persons associated with the garden include Francis L.S. Mayers (architect, Mayers, Murray & Phillip, 1917); Rosalie Nichols (previous owner until 1983).