A little different than my usual Before & After posts, the landscape surrounding this new house was built from scratch and comes with a great story. Jan Meissner and her husband went out on a limb and bought this unique piece of real estate almost 10 years ago. The house they were used to living in was situated on a partially wooded acre, surrounded by wildlife and serenity….and the house they built? Well, it backs up to a rolling golf course that was actually an airport in its previous life.
The terrain was nothing more than a swath of dry clay– a far cry from anything remotely close to a perfect gardening plot. So in came the trucks, piled high with rich, black topsoil, on a mission to create a brand new lot capable of supporting lots of plush grass and beautiful perennials. My favorite thing about this landscape is that Jan was able to add a huge variety of plants without it feeling too busy. You should really check out the full article— she actually entered her yard into a contest ran by Fine Gardening Magazine…and won!…and the essay she submitted is a pleasure to read. Enjoy! -erin
Images by Jan Meissner
I love your before and after posts and pictures. I always find them full of great ideas.
I did something similar to my house/landscape 8 years ago. It is quite an undertaking to start a garden from scratch! Eight years later, my garden/landscape has stopped looking like a moonscape, and today I put in dozens of perennials in a white border I am working on. “After” is a lot nicer to look at then “Before”.
AMAZING! Wow. I can’t believe the before and after.