Twenty-five years ago we found the house and property of our dreams. We were looking for a contemporary cedar house in a woodland setting and we found it the very first day.

While it was the perfect place to expand our music studios and a blank slate for gardening, I was a bit overwhelmed by the size and scope of the property. As we worked on the house, I spent time in the upper deck planning a garden while surrounded by a forest of very tall trees. I couldn’t stop thinking about the view from that deck – the spiral staircase, the octagonal extension of the deck and the circular lawn below – a series of circles that led from the high upper deck to 35 feet down to the ground below.

I turned to one of my favorite books for inspiration and guidance – The Inward Garden by Julie Moir Messervy.  In a unique garden book that explores archetypes common to mythology and fairytales as a source for garden design, she discussed the psychological power of caves, promontories, and liminal spaces such as paths and gates, all which intrigued me and seemed to be present or possible on the property. But her description of a sacred tree archetype was the key takeaway. I imagined a series of concentric circles anchored by a small tree that would become the epicenter of the garden, a circle within a circle. A big job for a little tree. Here’s the plan I eventually created.

I recently discovered that my garden’s design is actually visible from Google Earth!

There were problems to solve before the garden could be planted – solid clay instead of soil, decayed wooden steps into the lower garden, and deer living under our deck. It took the rest of the first year to solve those problems before I could actually begin the pretty part.

It has been a multi-year process of making my dream garden a reality yet 25 years later, it was worth the journey. The early view of the lower deck

became this colorful garden viewing spot.

The deck on stilts in an empty yard

was transformed into a multilevel outdoor living space surrounded by lush plantings connecting it to the earth.

The dangerous wooden steps

were replaced by stone and became a focal point of the garden pointing to the central tree.

To celebrate this 25th anniversary, I created a before-after garden video that shows the process of transformation of the property into what is my dream garden today. It was an important lesson in the process of making this project to realize that steady work over time is the key to transformation and lasting beauty. Enjoy!