Haverford -- Winterberry Garden

This suburban garden on 8/10 of an acre was designed to be multipurpose for family, dogs and entertaining. Its features include a swimming pool and seating area, a 15 by 13 feet greenhouse attached to the house, a partially sheltered terrace used for outdoor dining and entertaining, a generous perennial border with seasonal bloom, and a fenced off working area with vegetable and herb gardens and a shed and woodpile. The stone and siding house is 1950's Pennsylvania farmhouse revival style with a circular driveway, with an extension added in 1980. The front garden is planted with winterberries (Ilex verticillate) and an espaliered magnolia. Entered through a picket fence the pool garden alongside the house has native shrubs and ground covers, with arborvitae planted for privacy from the neighbor's driveway. The greenhouse, which faces the pool, is filled with hanging baskets and containers in winter. A wrought iron arch with clematis and roses is passed under to reach the rear of the house where there is a terrace and another paved seating area. In summer there are hanging baskets of fuchsias and begonias and large planters filled with annuals. The 10 by 50 feet wrap around perennial border, which can be viewed from the terrace and from the kitchen is planted with tulips, aquilegia, nepeta, day lilies and astilbe for May-June bloom. For September-November the border is filled with chrysanthemum, nicotiana and anemones. Separated by another picket fence the working garden has a lawn originally for dog control. An 8-foot high mesh panel on one side has been effective for deer control as it blocks their entrance point. Vegetables grown include asparagus, lettuce, beans, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant and onions with space for a flower cutting garden. Smaller pot plants either sit on rolling wooden steps next to the tool house or in a decorative iron support affixed to a side of the house.