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SVMNEB 2015 53)

Gre, Fiis tgg@rgssion

irz R fL5 A garden in Mount Kisco offers intoxicating fragrances and several outdoor "rooms" that

lure family and friends outside.

By Tovah Martin Photography by Andre Baranowshi

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p , . henfint rior designer/garden enthusiast pamela Salvatore, aitJ, she wanted. garden rooms, she wasn' t

. a l4. . I . d ' 'speakin u'atrveiy. She'created a series of spaces ito lure raammilvv-, and friends outdoors dui ing the surn- T~T g:g mer. &At the, endtof the day, the Sslvatores have their 'choice — they'can, dine 'overlooking a ses of roses or cat on a table'underneath wistena vince. Who can sr le r- g i

choose x ~ rm. ti tf

You icsan'g ' ~ixuch follow your nose to

Salvatore's Moun Kisco horne. lust open the car windoivs, inha e and wait for the fragrance of freshly

unfurling iosebu s to fill your nose. Turn into thc '1

drive where the per(ume is so intense that it curls your

toes and that would be the Salvatores' domain Once

you are there, your other senses are unli&el&cd. Lilacs

mingle with the deep-throated elixir of Viburnum x

Judd Jt, dianthus, peonies, and herbs. Green boxwoods

are sculpted into smooth orbs that beg to be touched. Underfoot, warm, crunchv pea gravel invites you to kick off your shoes; a circular thyme terrace (the

designer calls it "the landing pad"J sends up the

essence of herbs with every step; while spires of

delphiniums, foxgloves, and iris electrify your field of vision. If heaven is heady, then the Promised Land

certainly dwells on four acres m M&iunt Kisco. But it wasn't ahvays so romantic.

taft page; For oontinuliy, 'New pevm' roses festoon the pergola stwltenng the dining/outdoor

kltdhenfleunglng paao aa weil aa Oliimblng Slang ~ alOng the Wat Of the hauSe. Tnfg

page (cIoo/cwlse from fop tfft): 'Tile paly' lose8 arel airlong gilasbeth Ward'8 aagywaie seseodons. Itslphlniums don't always survive as perenntrls, but nonsthssem, satvatore plants

them every year In the parterre outdng garden, Sslvstore found some shelving st a sale at the Juhn Jay Homestead and made an OutdOOr pOttlng Shed. Staldng IS eaaential tO Suppart the towering spires

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enlhrmela Salvatore called in landscape architect Elizabeth Ward

okgfeasantvflle to work on her garden, the two knew they were on the

same page at the first mention of roses. Making roses do stunts Became

a favorite theme. But roses can be tricky. Ward's motto ts "It's all in selec-

tion. " Here, she shares advice for success.

~ A deer fence is essential, but one reason for selecting roses

is that they are not at the top of the deer-damage list.

~ Place thorny roses where they won't tangle with foot traf-

fic into the house — or go with a thornless rose, such as

cdephirine Drouhink

~ Fit your roses with a substantial support to shoulder their

weight.

~ Tie climbing roses into their supports as they roam.

~ Think about fragrance when selecting your plants. David

Austin roses have sensational scents, and the flowers

appear in a full spectrum of colors

~ Match your roses with the job you want them to accomplish.

Select climbing roses, such as 'New Dawn' and 'Colette',

for arbors and shrub roses as mass plantings. The 'Carefree

Wonder' and 'Knock Out' roses below the "tiny house" per-

form the additional function of preventing erosion.

~ Go for easy-care roses. The new 'Carefree Wonder', Flower

Carpet, and 'Knock Out' senes of roses are easy to love

because they are resistant to disease and continually pump

out flowers.

~ When planting shrub roses en masse, place them 3. 5 feet

apart. They look nice immediately after planting and will fill

into a dense display

~ Early in the season, deadhead roses after they flower to

prevent the plants from throwing their energy into forming

rose hips. Later in the year, let them form hips for winter

interest.

~ Wear heavy gauntlet gloves when pruning and use a long-

handied pruner

~ Pair climbing roses with another vine, such as clematis„for a

longer duration of interest.

~ Cover the ankles of climbing roses with a low-growing

perennial, such as nepeta.

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Left page and below: Rather than focusing on iust one rose on the terrace below the "tiny house, " Ward used an ocean of several low-maintenance roses including 'Carefree Wonder', and 'Double Knock Dutx

Granted, the Salvatores scored the cutest house

imaginable when they moved to Mount Kisco from

Chappaqua. Tucked into a hillside with an entry

courtyard embraced in a hug by wings on either

side, Salvatore's home had afl the hallmarks of'

a comfy gardener's cottage. It had the necessary

stonework to traverse the steep hilL but no gar-

dens existed beyond some venerable trees. After

expanding thc living spaces and inserting her own

swank colorful palette inside, Salvatore turned her

attention outdoors. On the property, she continued

to do what interior designers do best: create rooms. What followed was a gradually expanded floor-

plan working out from the house, adding living

space with fresh air. And she took the room motif literally — including walls, fixtures, and flooring. Salvatore's gardens are draped in flowers, blossom-

ing vines wander up arbors all around, "steppable" groundcover carpets the earth. Outdoorg every "room" is wrapped in floral wallpaper. No wonder this family always gravitates outside.

How did she achieve Nirvana in Mount Kisco? Her first step was to segment spaces and give each a personality. Stairways are escorted up and

down by shrubs and low-growing perennials ("I like perennials because they are a gift that keeps on giving, afu ays coming back bigger snd better than the year before") with orbs of clipped box- wood at the landings. Handsome stone retaining walls give texture to the grade changes, while

accent trees are pruned neatly into shape along the way. Some steps are stone; others are soft grass with stone risers. Getting there is half the fun.

Salvatore gave the entry an Old World feel-

ing with a fountain surrounded by potted plants. Adding the overview vantage point from a parterre garden was pure genius — and one of Salvatore's first design decisions, accomplished

by hiring landscape architect Elizabeth Ward of Pleasantvifle, who helped with the plant selec- tion throughout the property. Fond of enfiladcs, Salvatore framed the sunken entryway to the

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Left page. The rose and clematis- bowered arbor of the parterre garden with its boxwood-sur- rounded sundial lines up with the front door of the house to form an enfilade. This page, below) Mission-style ianterns light the way from the dnveway toward the "tiny house. " The notched fieid- stone walkway adds whimsy.

house v, ith an archway shouldering 'New

Dawn' roses and clematis. Surrounded by a

tvhite picket fane~, the strictly formal space is

softened by billowing lady's mantle, armeria,

evening primrose, and herbs accented by

repeated tuteurs bearing climbing ruses The

tuteurs are among thc many types of sup-

ports Salvatore provided to invite vining

plants tu get a lcg up. The parterre leads into the small "landing

pad" terrace v. ith flagstones and thyme, plus

table and chairs for a snack at midday or svinc after work. It hss a corrunanding view

of the "bny house, " reminiscent of a quaint Scandmavian summer cottage. Originally a children's playhuuse, Salvatore gave it s mure

mature job description of hosbng romantic

evening suppers. With an ocean oi "I'he Fairy', 'Carefree Wonder', and 'Double Knock Out'

shrub roses below the tiny house's terrace,

what could be more exobc? Beyond the terrace is a fountain within a

simple symmetry of hedges inspired by Edith Whartun's Thc Mount. Below that fountain

is a meadow with a mowed path leading

around the house to an outdoor living room/ dining room/kitchen. Adjacent tn!ialvatore's office and fitted with an outdoor fireplace and

pizza oven, the uutdnor living room is where you' ll find her most of the time. If she's not

setting the dining table beneath the pergola

(complete with Chandelier), then she's got her

feet up on a chaise, tapping away at her laptop. No matter what's happening m thc eroorn, " a

wall fountain provides the soundtrack for the

action Latticework supports climbing 'Neiv

Dawn' roses, providing an interestmg pattern

of interwoven woodwork even when the

roses arc dormant. Underfoot is no-nonsense

fieldstone to streamline maneuvering from

place to place with food and drinks. And there's more French doors from the

master bedroom open to a scdudcd gravel

psbo ("the gravel gives it a French fcclmg"j with bistro chairs and private outdoor shower

beneath ivindow boxes spilling with llowers. A shade garden filled with bleeding hearts,

hei)chores, lamium, lungivort, lady's mantle,

and lily of thc valley takes you around the

side of the house And a guest cottage is

ensconced in 'Colette' roses with lavcndcr-

lookahkc nepeta mtd thornless 'Rosa Zephirine Drouhin' near thc park'utg area to ensure an

ouchless arrival. The result is cohesive but multifaceted

And in!ialvatore's domain, all the rooms have

a view I ~ I

Tisvsf i'-rtih grows outdoors anti raids on ftsr seven acre, oroperiy in an'drrron rn drggrg tfc ssrth, siis wc!as about gardening orgsnrcsly i doubts n hcr isfe r

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