Serendipity Terraces

About

Please note: This ticket includes admission to both Ann's Garden and Outdoor Art Gallery and Serendipity Terraces. To purchase tickets for both gardens, please click here.

When we moved into our home in 1979, the main attraction was not the gardens, which consisted of yews and red geraniums, but the open space of Applecroft Park next door. Our lot was relatively small and at the bottom of a steep hill that provided nothing but a mowing challenge. We gradually added a perennial garden, but did little else until we had the opportunity to purchase the lot behind us in 1984. Connecting our original space to the new top-of-the-hill addition led to the construction of numerous Lannon stone terraces, paths, and stairs that transformed the yard into something that presented many opportunities for gardening. We have never had a “grand plan,” but rather let the gardens develop serendipitously—one small area at a time. Our lower level has new street-facing foundation plantings of holly and dwarf mugo pines. Removal of a diseased crab tree in 2023 let in additional sunlight that has rejuvenated the rose bed and perennial gardens on the south side of the house. We have sandwiched in colorful perennials at the base of a stone wall separating our two landscaping levels and diversified the plantings in our lot line shrub borders. Once you reach the upper level, you walk into relaxing open space punctuated by a large black walnut tree, a stalwart shade-providing Norway maple, and our 1940s in-ground pool. The walnut tree, with its plant-killing juglone, has presented challenges for gardening. We have resorted to raised beds for a few vegetables, and a stretch of raspberries that seem to be unaffected. Surrounding the grassy yard is a mixture of redbud, kousa dogwood, birch, and serviceberry trees along with hosta, ferns, and Ligularia. Daffodils, lilacs, and forsythia provide cheerful color in the spring, with fairy candles (Actaea racemosa) taking over in the summer and hardy hibiscus and monkshood in the fall. We continue to revamp our gardens as we find irresistible plants that give us new ideas. We hope you enjoy the 2025 version!

This garden’s estimated size is 1/4 acre.

2025 Open Days: Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20

Hours: 10-12, 12-2, 2-4