Rooted in Family

The back patio is Vicky and Tom’s favorite place to relax while the grand-kids play in the backyard on a warm autumn day. The Mills, along with their three children, run the popular Flying Goose Brew Pub in New London.

Hospitality is second nature for successful restaurateurs Tom and Vicky Mills and is evident in the welcoming gardens surrounding their New London home. It is not uncommon for friends and family to drop by. “We are homebodies who love to cook,” says Vicky. “We enjoy having family over, sometimes everyone and other times only a few. Either way, it creates joy for us indeed!”

The dry riverbed garden has an Asian feel, with a blue spruce acting as a garden bonsai and a double-decker stone lantern. A red lace-leaf Japanese maple, dianthus, heather, ornamental grasses and hosta thrive under the tall trees.

Vicky grew up in New London. “She’s a hometown girl,” says Tom. They married and lived in a house on Main Street for 35 years, raising their three children there. About 10 years ago, they downsized and moved to a new Cape-style home in a quieter part of town.

New Beginnings
The property, which abuts 80 acres of conservation land, has a southwest exposure and slopes gently from the woods to the road. Other than the existing tall pine trees and blueberry bushes, there was existing landscaping and some plantings that had been started when the Mills bought the property. “There was a stunning climbing hydrangea that was 20 feet tall at the time and now has grown to 50 feet,” says Tom. “But the septic field behind the house was just a mound of dirt, so that’s where we built the rock garden.”

Well-placed stones shore up the banking and provide pockets for planting annuals including zinnias and dahlias. Stone steps leading from the back patio through the garden are lined with tall blue phlox, ‘Johnson’s Blue’ geraniums, and the purple foliage and bright pink flowers of weigela ‘Spilled Wine.’ Other perennials, such as daisies, coneflowers, columbine, delphiniums, peonies and coral bells spread across the slope on either side. Shrubs including a lace-leaf Japanese maple, ninebark, umbrella pine, Harry Lauder’s walking stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’), hydrangeas and an orange azalea offer additional color and a variety of textures. Tom also has a collection of potted bonsai that spend the summer outside on the patio. “The patio off the back of the house is where we live and we spend a lot of our evenings out there, watching the hummingbirds and the dimming of the day,” says Vicky. “It is where I watch the different light through the trees as the sun sets. My favorite place!”

Many unique trees are planted around the house, including a weeping Camperdown elm with twisted branches, a tall golden Alaskan cedar in the bed on the left side of the driveway, and a weeping cherry on the right. Note the striking Stephen Procter landscape pot.

The small deck off the bedroom is where Vicky greets the day, her morning coffee in hand, and where you might find their two dogs, fittingly named Daisy and Zinnia, sunning themselves. In June, it is surrounded by glorious yellow and pink peonies. Two Adirondack chairs sit on the stone terrace in front of the house, where Tom and Vicky will watch the coming clouds when thunderstorms build up. Edged with Korean lilacs and roses, its early spring daffodils and hellebores are the first things to bloom. In March, Vicky takes cuttings from a “mother” plant she winters over inside to have plenty of pink geraniums for her window boxes. “It is a great color against a yellow house,” she says.

The treehouse is a magical place enjoyed by grandkids and adults alike. Used year-round, it has a marvelous view of Mount Sunapee.

Trees, Trees, Trees and a Treehouse
Trees are first and foremost: catalpa, coral horse chestnut, flame Amur maple, plum, dogwoods, weeping cherries, redbuds, Japanese maples, magnolias, weeping pussy willow, river birch and crabapples, to name just a few. In front of the barn they have created an arboretum of unusual conifers including weeping larch, lemon-tipped hemlock, golden threadleaf chamaecyparis and hen’s nest hemlock. In the other gardens there are lots of weeping trees, a prostrate blue spruce trimmed to resemble a large bonsai, several Stephen Procter landscape pots and some marvelous Japanese lanterns that impart an air of serenity. “We have planted unique species all around, and not one stands out in particular, as each has its own energy and beauty. It is the kind of place where taking a stroll around, noticing each and every one of them in their own space, is an adventure that creates a calm, with appreciation for our hard work over the years,” Tom says.

Other plantings radiate out from the house and barn but leave plenty of open space for kids and dogs to run and play. At the edge of the woods, a treehouse beckons. Though built to scale for the grandkids, with child-sized stairs leading up to this inviting hideaway, the adults in the family enjoy it just as much, if not more. “The treehouse is used occasionally when kids are here,” says Vicky. “They tend to hang around the basketball hoop in the driveway more or enjoy lawn games. I like to sit on the little porch on a humid day, enjoying the breeze and the view of the yard, with a good book or my latest knitting project.”

Whatever comes their way, the Mills are ready and able to switch from peace and tranquility to raucous fun with friends and family. “Our kids and grandkids all live in New London, which means we are never far apart,” says Vicky. “We feel fortunate to have this privilege and blessing and never take it for granted. As you can tell, we are definitely rooted in family!”

RESOURCES

Emma’s Perennials • 603-744-3805

Lyon’s Family Nursery • 603-938-5398
lyonsfamilynursery.com

Shin-Boku Nursery • 603-764-9993
shin-bokunursery.com

Spring Ledge Farm • 603-562-6253
springledgefarm.com

Stephen Procter Studios • 802-277-0097
stephenprocter.com