“(Cht) Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is garden gnome, is anybody out there? (blip)”
“(Cht) 10-4, I hear you Garden Gnome, this is Old Beech Tree, are you lost in the Marocco Garden again? (blip)”
“(Cht) I don’t know what happened,Old Beech Tree, I was walking along the forest edge, past the pool, the bocce court, then up and around the hill. My little legs got tired. Now I’m at what seems like a reflection pond with jets and basalt columns surrounded by meadow flowers. There’s a giant metal sphere. I’m afraid I’ll never get back to my home beside the pizza oven! (blip)”
“(Cht)Have no fear, Gnome, just take a walk down through the woodland garden. You’ll pass a secluded hot tub, an enormous slab of stone in meadows. You’ll pass an expanse of doublefile viburnum and iris. Your pizza oven is just beyond the stone walls and spilling pools. Over. (blip)”
“(Cht)Thanks, Beech! (blip)”
“(Cht) My pleasure, Gnome. Over and out. (blip)”
A radio would have been useful here. This garden is immense. Without my trusty wayfinders (and garden designers) Sarah Singleton and Richard Hartlage, my super excellent navigation skills would have led me far into the woods. I would be found weeks later talking to a gnome… Only it wouldn’t be a gnome… it would be a mushroom…and I would have berries mushed in my hair….
Anyway, my delightful east coast garden adventure ended here, at the Marocco Garden, in Redding CT.
The Marocco Garden is a sweeping, naturalistic garden with a home grown feel. There is a lot going on here, grade changes, outdoor kitchens, monumentally sized sculptures, pools, fountains, meadows, GASP. However, it’s a big garden and the spaces meld together. Meadows undulate up to a hilltop pool.
Entrance to pool
Groomed lawn paths wind through intimate spaces and larger expanses each housing a simple, yet bold sculpture.
Irises and Doublefile Viburnum
meadows in early spring- courtesy of AHBL
Moon Gate- courtesy of AHBL
Everything is held together by a meadow matrix that is joyfully free flowing. While the plants here are native and non-native, they feel like they belong. The wood in the arbors and trellises is thick, rough, and gives me the impression that Marocco’s grandfather must have milled it himself from the woods nearby. Even the stone that supports the impressive terraces was hewn from the earth below.
Fountain- courtesy of AHBL
Thoughtful details are everywhere
Back of Fountain- courtesy of AHBL
Even in this size of a garden, where plant massing is so important to get a bold effect, individual plants’ shapes, colors, and textures can be appreciated.
Alliums- courtesy of AHBL
Passion Flower- courtesy of AHBL
Brunnera 'Jack Frost'
Hazelnut and Hemlock
Hostas and Carex (?)
Wow! This place is really amazing! So beautiful!I adore the alliums flowers! I am very loved to tour in this place if there any chance. Great post!