“Somebody as soon as stated that’‘gardening is straddling creativity and labor,’ ” says Janet Mavec of Janet Mavec Jewellery. “I believe that’s so correct. I really like the juxtaposition of these two issues.”
For greater than 25 years, Janet and her husband Wayne Nordberg have been doing simply that, digging and planting to coax a magical backyard into being at Chook Haven Farm in western New Jersey. Set amongst rolling hills and woodlands, the 100-acre farm is a bucolic dream, replete with a picturesque previous barn, spring-fed pond, century-old orchard, and a stone home (as soon as the house of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, the creator of the beloved Nancy Drew mysteries).
In 2002 the couple labored with the good Spanish panorama designer Fernando Caruncho to design the backyard’s grasp plan, together with a sublime courtyard with a reflecting pool that’s central to lots of the couple’s social gatherings. Backyard designer Lisa Stamm created the monastery backyard, prolific vegetable backyard, and perennial border, the place Mavec spends a lot of her time plotting and planting. “Yearly, I modify up what’s in every mattress, add compost, and rotate flowers and vegetable crops,” she says.
“After we initially put the backyard in, it was all about modifying,” remembers Mavec. “Now years later, there’s nonetheless modifying, however we focus extra on sustaining issues in a wholesome approach.” Impressed after attending a lecture on gardening for birds, she lately added a border of berries and native shrubs reminiscent of bottlebrush buckeye and clethra. “I really feel like I can inform what sort of winter it’s going to be by how rapidly the berries get eaten,” she says.
As of late Mavec is a bit more laissez-faire within the backyard than within the early days, preferring to spend time on issues like shade mixtures, somewhat than cajole a fussy plant into bloom. “If it doesn’t come again, we don’t want it,” she says. “I prefer to backyard with colours I might by no means put on, and even have in my home,” she says with fun. “I don’t need my couch to be barbie pink, for instance, however I planted poppies in that shade and I really like them.” Her palette runs the gamut—from seductive mauvy irises to vibrant orange marigolds. “I’m not a plant snob,” she says, “I stay up for planting pansies each spring.” Mavec additionally holds a celebration yearly to rejoice her exuberant festive marigolds, one of many first vegetation she grew as a younger baby. “I am keen on shade and love that you may have a lot of it within the backyard.” She takes us on a tour.
Pictures by Janet Mavec.
