Nantucket -- 69 Main Street Garden

The Late Federal/Greek Revival house was built before 1833, with additions circa 1962, when small formal gardens were designed for the three-quarter acre property. The main garden's elements are geometric: a patio next to the house, and a rectangular lawn bordered by gravel paths with an armillary sphere mounted in the center. There are two gazebos linked by a trellised arbor, a bed of white lilies enclosed by a low box hedge, and another bed planted with David Austin roses. The gazebos were modeled after outbuildings in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. A small greenhouse is fitted in, and compost is stored in open brick boxes. On the other side of the house there are two shady beds planted with ivy, hosta, rhododendron, and other shrubs and small trees. The beds are bisected by a brick path that leads to another small patio where a wall fountain is set into a trellis. Structures including the front gates are painted white; garden furniture is black wrought iron. The streetside shrubs and trees are trimmed low so passersby can view the garden. The garden has perennials and flowering shrubs including astilbe, camellia, kousa dogwood, hydrangea, lilies, and roses, although structure and form of foliage are emphasized. Early formal gardens were designed to be green year-round, precisely laid out and continually trimmed. The design style, known as northern Colonial Revival in the 1960's, has been preserved by the current owner who replaces plants only when necessary. Historic preservation of the town of Nantucket, originally built in the 18th and early 19th centuries, was overseen by a previous owner of this property, Walter Beinecke. Due to the historic structure and sightlines the garden was honored with the Caroline A. Ellis Landscape Award by the Nantucket Preservation Trust in 2018. Persons associated with the garden's design: Russell Pope (garden designer, 1962); David Champoux (garden maintenance, 1979- ).