From neglected acreage to landscape art.
My gardening journey
When the pandemic forced me to isolate, I found an unexpected sanctuary just outside my front door in Boston.
What began as a simple yet arduous task of removing dead shrubs from a neglected yard soon blossomed into a canvass for continuous experimentation and learning.
My first project was, admittedly, a bold one for a numb thumb: transforming a barren patch of front yard into a carefully-planned rock garden. Carefully planned, because I had ordered 120 tons of river rocks to install around trees and shrubs I’d planted prior to their arrival.
In the end, I had a front yard that turned heads and drew praise from neighbors who had far greener thumbs than mine.
The transformation continued…
…to the back- and side-yards, eventually encompassing a complete re-landscaping of both areas to improve drainage. Rock-filled swales became not just a practical solution but an artistic statement, blending form and function in a way that was truly satisfying.
Before I knew it, I had planted 75 trees, shrubs, and specimens in less than half an acre. And my journey as a gardener took on new dimensions: maintenance and adaptation, ecological observation and seasonal refinement.
When I moved to a more rural property outside of Boston that boasts over three acres to work with, my gardening ambitions found more room to grow. And grow they have.
In my first year in my new home, I established — you guessed it! — a new rock garden, and introduced 20 new plant species to the front yard, many of them rare dwarf evergreen trees and shrubs that blend seamlessly with the rocky, sloped terrain.
I have also started tinkering with unexpected forms of planters, from tree stumps to concrete blocks and more
In the four years since it first took a hold of me, gardening has taught me that transformation — whether of land or self — is a slow, intentional process. Each planting tells a story of patience, planning and the quiet joy of watching something beautiful emerge from careful cultivation.
