Crepe Mrytle Alley

After exiting the plant packed pine bay, visitors are greeted by a long expanse of some of the most manicured turf grass imaginable. The prominent role given to this particular variety, empress zoysia, demonstrates the importance of turf grass here, both as a unifying design element and a familiar and comfortable means to experience the garden.

While the empress zoysia is a star in its own right, the flanking rows of mature crepe myrtles, enclosed on each side by rectangular borders of dark green boxwoods, steal the show in late summer with a spectacular pink display. Standing steadfastly in the midst of all this are two ancient pear trees, careworn legacies from earlier days, which provide a counterbalance to the surrounding formality.