The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program will feature gardens of Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Sunday, August 10, from 10 – 4. Admission to each garden is $5.
Rich’s Cove is located at 289 Ocean Avenue. This coastal landscape is filled with unusual and particularly hardy perennials, shrubs, and trees. In the garden journey you will meet the owner’s favorites. The stone arch framing the sea and sky captures your attention as you enter, and gives you a subtle but clear destination. The great number of lovely plant materials which are thriving here show how reliable the right plants can be, and how diverse, interesting, and lastingly colorful a garden can become despite the challenges of climate and exposure here on the New England seaboard. The plantings and stone features surrounding the pathways all guide you to the old archway. The path then leads down to a peaceful stone sitting place overlooking the sea. Pausing here provides an unexpected intimacy with the panoramic seascape, and there is always music in the air. If you follow the music in the air, a violin, clarinet, or cello will appear.
Directions: From south, take Route 1A, which becomes Route 129 north to Marblehead. At light at Ocean Avenue turn right and cross causeway to Marblehead Neck. Bearing right at fork, proceed on Ocean Avenue 0.6 mile to #289, a shingled Victorian-style cottage house.
From west, take Route 114 in Marblehead, turn right at Marblehead Fire station light onto Ocean Avenue. Continue straight through next light to causeway of Marblehead Neck, then proceed as directed above. Please park on street.
The Seven Muses garden is found at 21 Circle Street. The North Church steeple crowns your view as you look into this lovely property. It is an example of a handsome, low-maintenance landscape, pleasing in every season. The stonework was established by Ellen Cool many years ago, and many of the tree and shrub plantings are quite mature. Recently some exciting, newly-introduced plants have been added, to test their hardiness here. The Seven Muses connects to The Parable at 19 Circle Street through the lower garden, and will be open to visitors at no extra charge.
Directions: From south, take Route 1A North to Route 129 East (it becomes Atlantic Avenue in Marblehead). After Shube’s market on right, make next right onto Washington Street and follow to rotary at Old Town House, turning right onto State Street. Then turn left at Marblehead Harbor onto Front Street. Look for parking here. The walk by water is very pleasant. Circle Street will be third and fourth left.
The Parable, mentioned above, is Ellen Cool’s own garden, located at 19 Circle Street (seen below.) In the oldest part of Marblehead alongside a 1720 house you will find the garden gate leads into a landscape with extensive stonework and ornamental plant materials. Within are the working spaces and display gardens of a landscape designer, so the garden buildings, stone features, tools, books, and working systems may provide some ideas you can readily use for your own garden. Mature dwarf and unusual trees, shrubs, and vines are featured along with many of the longest-blooming or otherwise particularly pleasing hardy perennials and rock garden plants that do well in our Zone 5b zone. There are stone and hypertufa troughs planted with alpines and other winter-hardy materials, as well as annual plants in container groupings.
Directions: From south, take Route 1A North to Route 129 East (it becomes Atlantic Avenue in Marblehead). Just past Shubes market on right, turn right onto Washington Street and follow to rotary at Old Town House, turning right onto State Street, then turn left at Marblehead Harbor onto Front Street. Circle Street will be fourth left. Look for parking on Front Street, as parking on Circle Street is very limited. The walk by water is, in any case, very pleasant. Number 19 is halfway up from water on right.
From north or west, take Route 114 East to its end at Old Town House in historic Marblehead. Proceed as directed above.
Finally, enjoy the Kearney Garden at 13 Flint Street. This one acre garden with views of the Boston skyline, utilizes numerous evergreens, wonderful ledge outcroppings, texture, and topography to create interest. With its varied use of greens, the garden has a slightly Eastern feel. The garden is filled with many mature Asian conifers (Chamaecyparis, Sciadopitys, Cryptomeria) that help to create this calming space. In addition, there are interesting and under-utilized deciduous trees, shrubs, and ground covers, as well as several handsome specimen trees (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy,’ Cryptomeria japonica, Chamaecyparis obtuse ‘Crippsii,’ Acer palmatum) In the center of the garden, tucked in among the natural slope and ledge, is a small rock garden.
Directions: Whether you enter Marblehead from Pleasant Street or Atlantic Avenue, turn right onto Ocean Avenue. Cross causeway to Marblehead Neck. Bear left at fork, go slowly and turn right at first street, Flint. House is 200 yards on right. Please park on street.
