Marshouse: A Perfect Earth Project Garden

About

My garden is named Marshouse (pronounced Marsh House) because my house is literally in a salt marsh, on stilts. I especially love the marsh because I am not allowed to touch it.

The other, upland side of my house is where I garden. The four-plus acres contain a variety of natural areas and plantings: meadows, wild borders, a thicket, a woodland, and a moss garden. I moved here in 2003. I cleared the massive tangle of invasive vines and started planting natives. By 2021, the deer were eating most of them, so I fenced around half of the yard and planted again to help save the wild plants that are threatened by deer.

As founder of Perfect Earth Project, I have made a commitment to support biodiversity, to explore ways to do it beautifully, and to engage others with the joy and fun of it. I am learning as I go. I never use chemicals and plant 2/3 for the birds (at least two out of every three plants I buy are native). My property is a PRFCT Circle: no biomass leaves and no inputs enter—just more plants. I have fun with my biomass. I have created log walls from invasive trees, habitat piles, haystacks of meadow cuttings, and thickets, wren tents, and leaf baskets from fallen branches.

I’ve built a hibernaculum for snakes from the soil dug up to build a clay-lined pond and I leave dead trees (snags) standing for birds and insects. There is always something new I am trying out, and something happening I didn’t expect— surprise successes and failures—a new bird or bee visitor, a native bloom I didn’t plant, the way the light hits a seed head.

This garden's plant lists and photos are also available on Wildr Places. You can virtually visit by downloading the free app here: joinwildr.com

2026 Open Day Date: Saturday, September 19

Open Day Hours: 10am–4pm