A Glimpse Of The Garden-Hydrangea, Roses, And Memories
A Glimpse Of The Gardenâ
Hydrangea, Roses, And Memories
By Nancy K. Crevier
âA Glimpse Of The Gardenâ is a miniseries focusing on the heart of a gardenerâs work â a special spot, an extraordinary plant, a place of respite, or a place that evokes a heartfelt memory.
What is down the garden path of your friends and neighbors? What is down your garden path?
When Maureen McLachlin and her husband, the late Richard McLachlin, built their house in 1986 they purposely left deep areas for gardens wrapped around the house. It was not until her children were grown, though, that she truly dug in and created the gardens that now spill from the foundation and encompass a large portion of her yard. A member of The Garden Club of Newtown, The Mad Gardeners, and a certified master gardener and consultant (Maureen McLachlin Design and Consulting), she has planted her gardens to provide a stream of blossoms from season to season.
âWhen the hydrangea start blooming, itâs a mass of color,â said Ms McLachlin, and it is no wonder. More than two dozen hydrangeas, of numerous varieties, fill out the foundation, cling to trellises, border the yard, and lean lush green foliage over paths. A late-flowering Tardiva hydrangea and another âmystery hydrangea that blossoms very early, with big white blooms,â flank two Buddleia Alternifolia that Ms McLachlin refers to as âthe Fatherâs Day bushes, because that is when they normally bloom.â An unusually warm March, however, found the bushes heavy with lavender blossoms in mid-May this year.
Oak leaf hydrangea, blue Endless Summer hydrangea, white Annabelle hydrangea, and even a pale green Limelight hydrangea all have found a place in the McLachlin gardens. A white climbing hydrangea, a summer bloomer, covers a trellis, leaning over to shade a small bench placed beneath it. The white lace hydrangea, still in bud in early June, is a memory keeper for Ms McLachlin.
âThat hydrangea came from Maude Knapp,â she said, âa Sandy Hook native who was in my horticultural club.â
The hydrangea plants are not alone, however, in catching the eye as one walks about Ms McLachlinâs property. She has incorporated thread-leaf Japanese maple, red maples, white Japanese willow, honeysuckle vines, clematis, pink flowering spirea, and silver lace vine into the scene. Hydrangea peek out from rhododendron, and viburnum and variegated leucothoe, wind about the back side of the house. Wisteria lies like a green cloud on the trellis above the back deck, and heirloom lilacs mix compatibly with Carol Mackie Daphne â not a neighbor, but a variegated bush of green and white.
âIt has the most fragrant little whitish pink flowers early in May,â said Ms McLachlin. A screened-in porch provides Ms McLachlin a peaceful place in which to look out another of her favorite gardens, where wisteria hugs another trellis so tightly, the structure has begun to list to one side. Beneath that wisteria-laden trellis, a statue of St Francis stands in shadow. Hosta, dark blue baptisa, and snow-white iris stand out among clusters of spiderwort and pink columbine. She has a great love of nature, so Ms McLachlin has chosen plants that attract the birds, the bees, and the butterflies, she said.Â
Along with the collection of hydrangea, it is the patch of roses that is another source of pride in Ms McLachlinâs yard. Beneath a large wooden trellis grows an enormous pink New Dawn rose bush, easily five feet in diameter. It is bordered by the delicate pink fairy roses on one side, and a single variety white shrub rose on another. A row of rose plants, with fat buds contemplating blossoming, line the walk way in front of the house.
One of the wonderful things about gardening, said Ms McLachlin, are the surprises. âIâve never planted red roses,â she said, and yet she points to two bright red blossoms at the skirt of the New Dawn rose bush, and points out more of the red roses blooming near her front doorway, where dark purple clematis climb the wall.
Planted alongside the shrubs and flowers are some of her favorite âplants,â though â the garden stones created by her six grandchildren. Small handprints, names scrawled with crooked charm, marbles, and even embedded toy cars embellish these special garden markers.
âMy husband loved classic cars, so the ones with the cars were made with him in mind,â said Ms McLachlin. âThese are a very exciting part of my garden,â she said.
âWhen I come out every morning and have my coffee and walk around, the memories come back,â said Ms McLachlin. âA lot of my plants have come from friends, and from friends who have moved on. Weâve shared plants and gardening over the years.
âGardening,â she said, âhas a way of cleansing your soul.â
That is what is down the path at Maureen McLachlinâs garden.
Find this story â and more photos, thanks to a slideshow â online at NewtownBee.com (under the Features tab).