Door County Residence
Lush plantings take the place of turf in the large side garden, while salvaged limestone forms both pathway and wall.
Door County draws visitors from across the midwest with its casual, natural feel. It is a maritime setting, though not in the beach-and-sea-grass way of the warmer coasts. Door County is rockier, more autumn and spring than summer, and just the right amount scruffier. Many are captivated by this unpretentiousness, come back year after year, and secretly wish to move north.
One resident of the Chicago suburbs did just that: she came back annually and then bought an 1890s home in the County's biggest burg, Sturgeon Bay. The landscape had great potential. It was overhung by mature walnuts and pines and wandered in a series of rectangles around the irregular footprint of the house. But a large deck off the back was blocking views and creating spatial barriers, and the rest was nothing but overgrown foundation plantings and turfgrass challenged by the trees.
Treeline helped the new owner with an overall plan for the enclosed gardens near the house. It began with modification of the deck to better link it outward and downward to a series of stone patios for entertaining. The new stairs are wider and deeper, creating a more relaxed connection between house and yard. A slightly elevated patio makes the difference between ground and deck seem not so great. Around the side of the house, lawn has been replaced with shrub and perennial beds and borders, while a low stone wall creates an arcing counterpoint to the garden's angularity. A single specimen crab apple can be seen from the master bedroom, connecting the owner to the garden from inside the home.
Limestone is ubiquitous in Door County and is easy and inexpensive to obtain. Treeline encouraged the owner to use this material in several forms, to create variety in the garden. It appears as flagstones, as a wall, and as crushed stone pathways. The new patio incorporates unpainted wood, as a contrast to the white deck, fence, and home.
This casual cloister garden fits the owner well, allowing her a variety of spaces to sit, read, entertain, and experiment with plants. It draws its geometry from classic designs, but reflects the driftwood / whitewash / limestone aesthetic of the Door County so many love.