The statement by the late British garden designer and plantswoman Rosemary Verey “.. the design should always fit the site, the site should not be bent to the design.” must have been uppermost in the mind of the creative tenacious gardener when she purchased a 1918 Saltbox house surrounded by rough grass and a great deal of asphalt paving. The asphalt paving has been replaced by a welcoming courtyard and breezeway full of year round plant interest, unique garden structures and whimsical garden art (see garden architecture).
She was low on funds but had a wonderful sense of humour, a good eye for design and a strong background as a plants woman, potter and floral designer. The editor of Canadian Gardening said in April 2002,"Marion's imagination and eye for shape and colour are limitless. She has that rare gift of seeing beyond the mundane and discerning potential in the most unlikely materials.”
She was low on funds but had a wonderful sense of humour, a good eye for design and a strong background as a plants woman, potter and floral designer. The editor of Canadian Gardening said in April 2002,"Marion's imagination and eye for shape and colour are limitless. She has that rare gift of seeing beyond the mundane and discerning potential in the most unlikely materials.”
She utilized the classical landscape theme of the circle in a square, which she repeated throughout the garden. The circles are created in many ways-in one room it is a raised circular pool surrounded by alpine plants, in another it is a standard spherical bay tree in a partierre of clipped lavender and box. There is an armillary mounted on a plinth in a gravel circle, while in another it is an Edwardian Rondele. Each spring the ropes strung from post to post are festooned with climbers including combinations of clematis and roses. Under the Rondele crushed rock paths criss-cross the circle with the quadrants planted with ornamental grasses, groundcovers and old-fashioned perennials. At the end of each path there is a vista featuring creative placements of unique pieces of garden art and architecture.
You sit on the purple bench beside the ‘twiggery' wall supporting a red leafed grape and clematis Pagoda. Looking at a dragon (piece of old tree) hiding in the foliage, thinking back on the plastic doll that is now a classic cherub, the door that led nowhere and realizing that the foliage you are admiring is actually a reflection in a mirror… and you think.
“The garden provides an opportunity for individual creativity and personal expression in a world where opportunity for creativity and expression is increasingly limited.” (Sunset theme gardens personal eccentric gardens)