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BY CAROL SORGEN | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF McHALE LANDSCAPE DESIGN
A “sense of destination” is what the owners of this Easton property wanted for their weekend retreat. With memories of vacations spent in New England, the couple hoped to recreate that same relaxed feeling at their home on the Tred Avon River.
The site of a historical manor house dating to the mid-18th century, the 5,000 square foot home was updated in 1988 and sits on five acres with expansive views of the river.
When the homeowners decided to put in place a master plan for the outdoor setting, they called on landscape architect Matt Rhoderick from McHale Landscape Design to marry their love of cottage style with clean lines and light colors.
Rhoderick, who had known the home’s previous owners, listened to his new clients’ vision and set out to plan out the project’s details and time frame. It was accomplished in just about two years, in part because the lady of the house was such an enthusiastic partner in the project, “taking ownership” of the process.
“It was a lot of fun working with her,” says Rhoderick, recalling a time when his team installed a raised garden area, “and she took it from there,” creating such areas as a cutting garden and herb garden.
The overall palette of the garden is green and white, but shades of pinks, blues, and yellows burst out from various viewpoints. Now, no matter where you look, there is something of visual interest blooming all year round. A fountain garden provides the soothing sound of moving water, further enhancing the waterfront setting, while a moon gate, with its special cut-out, offers another angle and view of the river as it flows toward Oxford.
Providing a counterpoint to the delicate flowers are eight-foot-tall reclaimed granite columns from New England, each weighing 2,500 pounds. Authentic railroad bridge trusses also speak to the storied history of the property.
Rhoderick and the homeowners took their inspiration for the outdoor furnishings—such as the Adirondack Chairs—from the Walpole Outdoors catalogs.
As with virtually all Chesapeake Bay projects, Rhoderick had to work within the guidelines that protect the environment while remaining mindful of the neighbors’ vistas, careful not to block them.
Landscaping is always a work in progress. This year, Rhoderick will begin the next phase as he resurfaces and copes the free-form swimming pool, tying together the chunky stone elements and bluestone accents found on the patio.
Other textures can be found in the long gravel driveway with cobblestone borders. “It’s both formal and casual, and has an inviting, crunchy feel under your feet,” says Rhoderick.
The homeowners not only wanted a retreat for themselves and their guests. They also wanted to create studio space for their son, an artist who draws inspiration from the landscape with its many creeks and coves, just as they do.
This home exudes a certain Chesapeake-style beauty, composed of different hardscape and planting textures and hues that gleam in the warmer and longer twilights of our micro-region. At the same time, with its cozy fire pit reminiscent of cool New England evenings, its pergolas, arbors, and trellised walls that evoke coastal Nantucket, and profusion of colors, scents, and views that appeal to the senses, it not only references their beloved New England, it almost exceeds it.
LANDSCAPE: McHale Landscape Design, mchalelandscape.com, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 11, No. 2 2020