A Country Garden
where daunting challenges become exciting opportunities
Design credits:
home of William and Ruth Bloom
designed by Susan Cohan, Susan Cohan Gardens
It took more than a hurricane, flooding, and hungry deer to squash the Blooms’ vision of an idyllic country garden, yet these were just some of the challenges they faced in their new home.
Minutes from New York yet a world away, Essex Fells is a small borough of winding, tree-lined roads and family homes set well back behind expansive, manicured lawns. The ambience suggests a bygone era when life moved at a slower pace. Many of the residents either never leave or return to raise their own families, just as Ruth and William Bloom chose to do. With siblings still in the neighborhood, the Blooms were thrilled to have the opportunity to purchase a 1910 Colonial-style home for their family, expanding its original footprint to better suit their lifestyle and softening the architecture with the addition of stone detailing.
Challenges and Dreams
With the home’s renovations complete and her three boys and dogs in need of play space, Ruth turned her attention to the outside. For such a large lot, there was surprisingly little garden or usable outdoor living space. A narrow brick patio and lap pool gave way to a weedy hillside culminating in a shallow depression filled with Norway maples. Also at the foot of the hill was an additional single-story dwelling, formerly used as a rental property but now a hindrance. William, a volunteer firefighter at the time, had an inventive solution for its removal: he invited the local fire department to use it for a training drill.
With the structure removed, Ruth hired architect Francis C. Klein to design a barn-style pool house with a full catering kitchen together with a pool and spa, a multi-functional area that would be suitable for large-scale entertaining as well as more intimate gatherings. Ruth also began clipping magazine articles that encapsulated her vision for a garden around the pool, and it was at this point she contacted landscape designer Susan Cohan, an early collaboration that turned out to be crucial to the success of the overall project. Known for her functional designs and thoughtful spatial arrangements, Susan relocated the spa for better flow and designed a shaded pergola, which the architect then detailed and built. The final design of the pool area maximized the space for dining, swimming, and entertaining. At first hesitant to embark on such a major project, the Blooms now say this is one of the best decisions they ever made. They open the pool in early April and don’t close it until Halloween. “The dogs love it,” Ruth laughs, “and I love looking down on it. It’s so pretty.”
Spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’) tumbles onto a new stone wall adjoining the home. All plantings behind it are beyond the reach of all but the most tenacious of deer.
Originally constructed with aged brick and ornate columns, the Bloom family updated and expanded the 1910 Colonial-style home to give it a more welcoming, country feel.
With a fully equipped barn-style pool house, multiple seating options, and a portable firepit, the pool area has become the heart of the garden with plenty of room for relaxing or for entertaining.
Unfortunately, construction of the pool area compounded what was already a major challenge: poor drainage exacerbated by a high water table. After snowmelt or major rainstorms, runoff from the hill and the slightly elevated road that runs behind their property regularly flooded the lower lawn. Now it would also receive runoff from the new, impermeable patio and overflow from the pool itself. Susan worked with a civil engineer to design an underground system of eighteen gravel-filled pipes installed at the base of the hill to allow any standing water to percolate. The system is designed such that any overflow will drain into a new dry stream, but to date that has never been necessary.
Also high on the wish list was the need for a large lawn for the three boys to kick a ball about and for playful dogs to run freely. For herself, Ruth wanted somewhere to grow cut flowers, and William requested a better flow from the home’s terrace down to the new pool area, currently navigable only by a steep grassy slope.
An underground drainage system ensures the large, level lawn at the base of the hillside will never flood again.
Capped, dry-stacked bluestone walls define the raised planting beds that surround the new pool house.
Two weathered tuteurs anchor the raised planting beds, adding height, year-round structure, and a sense of history to the space.
“I love them all!” exclaims Ruth when asked to name her favorite peony. Sarah Bernhardt (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’), a popular heirloom variety, is one of many in her garden.
And the challenges didn’t end there. Deer visit this garden daily, so the plant selection needed to be deer-resistant since everything outside the fenced pool area is open to them. Ruth has noticed that when the dogs are present the deer don’t seem to be quite as brazen and believes that sprinkling dog hair around the property’s perimeter may be something of a deterrent. Finally, although this is their primary home, the family also has properties in Boston and on the Jersey Shore, so Ruth wanted the garden to look its best in spring and fall since they are often away during peak summer weeks and in winter.
Dreams Realized
As an experienced designer, Susan was more than equal to these formidable challenges and, after mitigating the issues of standing water, began by creating the planting beds that surround the pool area. Using dry-stacked bluestone, superior in quality and thickness to paver stone, she fashioned raised planters that complemented the gray tones in the stone veneer used on both the home and pool house. By elevating the plantings, the designer ensured that their roots would never be in saturated soil. Loose spheres of boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Velvet’) serve as a structural evergreen backdrop to an informal medley of shrubs and perennials in cool shades of pink, lavender, blue, and white—very much in keeping with Susan’s design aesthetic: “Provide strong structure, then plant with abandon.” Ruth was in complete agreement; she too prefers this low-key, harmonious palette over bolder shades, restraint rather than excessive variety.
Peonies remind Ruth of their wedding day, so she selected several varieties to include in her new garden. Their fragrant, blowsy appearance brings her much joy, yet she hesitates to cut them for the home for fear of spoiling the display. The solution? She is currently planning a dedicated peony cutting garden elsewhere on the property.
Taming the Hillside
Conquering the steep hillside took heavy-duty equipment and several tons of additional rock. Terraces were crafted by supplementing existing boulders found on site and arranging them as a series of rocky outcroppings, then backfilling the deep planting pockets with a well-draining soil blend. The newly terraced areas look as though they have always been part of the landscape.
The casual planting within these terraces may appear unintentional, yet Susan carefully orchestrated each combination and individually placed every plant. Trained at the English Gardening School, Chelsea, she was taught to repeat either a color or a plant on a diagonal axis. Susan has adapted this technique slightly, feeling that contrary to popular opinion, even numbers of plants rather than odd make for better drifts, which she then interlocks along the length of the border into a textural ribbon. The effect is magical.
While the uppermost tier is anchored with larger shrubs, including lilacs and doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum), both levels are densely planted with drifts of perennials and tall drifts of miscanthus and other grasses that weave together in an informal manner. The sturdy grasses hold up especially well to the dogs’ escapades, and all the plants are safe for their occasional foraging. Another unexpected issue arose when one of the Blooms’ black Labrador retrievers, Remy, began to obsessively chase butterflies. Susan therefore tried to select plants that were not butterfly magnets and abandoned some earlier choices that proved problematic in that regard. To allow the plants on the hillside to become established, the Blooms erected temporary fencing to keep the dogs out, admitting this proved difficult since the area had originally been their playground. The fencing worked well, however, until the dogs discovered that they could walk along the stone wall and jump into the beds. “You’d think with all the lawn and the swimming pool they’d have enough!” laughs Ruth.
The picture of innocence, Remy pauses between toy-chasing antics. The designer avoided brittle or delicate plants in favor of those that could withstand the fun-loving dogs.
To make the slope more navigable on foot, a series of reclaimed granite curbs were set into the grade, linking the upper terrace to the new pool area.
Undulating clumps of ornamental grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’) weave between violet-blue spires of sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’) and other sun-loving perennials, shafts of evening light casting an ethereal glow.
Although Ruth spearheaded the overall landscaping project, William requested an abundance of blue flowers in the garden, both because that is his favorite color and because it plays off the gray tones in the stone so effectively. To this end Susan included, among others, Arkansas blue star (Amsonia hubrichtii), false indigo (Baptisia australis), catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’), and several varieties of sage, guaranteeing blues are present from spring to fall. To satisfy Ruth’s desires, more pink flowers have since been added, including betony (Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’) and a dwarf beebalm (Monarda ‘Petite Delight’), while accents of white and yellow are sprinkled across the green backdrop.
Creative Solutions
Bordering the lawn, a layered planting of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs provides privacy, buffering the property from neighbors and the road; included are spruce (Picea), river birch (Betula nigra ‘Heritage’), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’), and Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata). At the southwestern boundary, a natural-looking dry stream introduces an eye-catching detail as it meanders past sycamores (Platanus occidentalis), flanked by astilbes, irises, and ferns, all of which thrive in the moist, partially shaded setting. A granite bridge completes the scene. Susan laughs as she explains how the crew built the dry creek bed: “I’d bring beer and we’d all sit on the grass and drink. Occasionally we’d get up and place a boulder or two—then drink some more beer. The result is a very naturalistic design!”
The dry stream is both functional and decorative, winding between sycamore trees and edged with moisture-loving perennials.
Not everything has gone according to plan, however. “There have been some spectacular failures,” confesses Susan, recalling how she doggedly replanted hellebores (Helleborus) and hay-scented ferns (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) three times in one problematic area. She’s still not certain what caused their demise. And Rozanne geranium (Geranium ‘Rozanne’), formerly ignored by the deer, has suddenly been eaten by either the deer or possibly rabbits. Ruth admits she has been advised to spray deer repellent on vulnerable plants but has a fairly relaxed attitude to any minor damage, preferring to wait and see how bad it gets rather than taking a preemptive approach.
A granite bridge spans the dry stream, nestled between strategically placed boulders that were handpicked by the designer.
Bluestone pavers are laid to resemble a giant checkerboard; a trellis affixed to the stone wall repeats the grid.
On one unforgettable occasion, a sudden loss became an opportunity for creativity. In 2012 Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast, destroying homes and flooding streets, leaving a trail of debris in its wake. One of the casualties was a mature Japanese tree lilac on the upper level of the Bloom garden. A casual conversation with Susan sparked the idea for placing an outdoor checkerboard in that area, which Ruth immediately had installed. The square bluestone pavers make a distinctive patio that looks as though it has always been there.
This sense of place resonates throughout the garden, from the design of the pool house meticulously crafted to appear as though it were original to the home, to the expertly organized pool area with defined activity zones. Yet it goes deeper than that for Ruth, whose love of gardening was inspired by both parents, especially her mom, who loved her rose and tomato gardens. Like her mother, Ruth has discovered that the garden is her “happy place,” where she can be mindful of her surroundings and briefly cast worries aside. After years of thoughtful planning and nurturing, she also has a profound sense of accomplishment watching the garden grow. “Just looking at it makes me happy,” she says with a smile.
Top 10 Plants
Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata). A deciduous tree, 20–30 feet tall, 15–25 feet wide. It blooms later than the shrub lilacs, producing large clusters of fragrant, creamy white flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. Full sun, zones 3–7. Deer resistance: B.
Green Velvet boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Velvet’). One of the most reliable varieties for the East Coast, with good resistance to bronzing. Grows 3–4 feet tall and wide. Best protected from desiccating winds. Full sun–partial shade, zones 5–8. Deer resistance: A.
Little Princess spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’). A dense, mounding deciduous shrub that remains compact without pruning, 1.5–2.5 feet tall, 2–3 feet wide. Clusters of pink flowers cover the mint-green foliage from late spring to midsummer, with occasional repeat bloom thereafter. Full sun, zones 4–8. Deer resistance: B.
Moonshine yarrow (Achillea ‘Moonshine’). Best grown in lean, dry soils and full sun, this perennial features gray foliage and flat sprays of sunshine-yellow flowers in early summer. Deadhead to prolong blooming and divide clumps every three to four years to reinvigorate. Grows 1–2 feet tall, 1 foot wide. Zones 3–8. Deer resistance: A.
Nikko slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis ‘Nikko’). A compact shrub, 1–2 feet tall, 2–5 feet wide, covered with tiny, fragrant bell-shaped blooms in late spring. The green foliage turns red in fall. Full sun–partial shade, zones 5–8. Deer resistance: B.
Hummelo betony (Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’). Resembling a pink-flowering sage, betony is noted for its late spring floral display. Drought tolerant once established, this creeping perennial, 1.5–2 feet tall and wide, can be used to naturalize sunny areas. Full sun, zones 4–8. Deer resistance: A.
May Night sage (Salvia ×sylvestris ‘Mainacht’). A popular perennial for dry, sunny areas, with deep blue flowers in early summer that attract bees and hummingbirds. Grows 1.5–2 feet tall, 1–1.5 feet wide. Remove spent flowers and provide supplemental water to encourage rebloom. Full sun, zones 4–8. Deer resistance: B.
Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis). Often selected as a reliable groundcover for dry shade, pachysandra spreads slowly to form a dense carpet of evergreen rosettes, 0.5–1 foot tall and 1–1.5 feet wide. Tiny inconspicuous white flowers appear in early spring. Partial shade–full shade, zones 5–9. Deer resistance: A.
Hartlage Wine allspice (Calycanthus ×raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’). Tolerant of a wide range of soils and full sun but thriving in partial shade, this multi-stemmed deciduous shrub is covered with maroon flowers that fade to wine-red. The sterile blooms have an unusual fruity fragrance. Grows 8–10 feet tall and wide. Zones 5–9. Deer resistance: B.
Dark Towers penstemon (Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’). A clump-forming perennial, 1.5–3 feet tall, 1–2 feet wide, with ruby-red foliage that holds its color well throughout the season, and pale pink flowers that appear on tall stems in early summer. The tubular flowers attract bees and hummingbirds. Full sun, zones 3–8. Deer resistance: C.