Garden of Endless Summer

Twirly Alberta spruces, standing stones and willow hoops create a many-layered garden.

Summer in New Hampshire is a magical time, especially so in a garden created to celebrate the season. Tucked away in Brookfield is a garden of regal stones and willowy tunnels, hidden lanterns and giant stepping stones. Most significant, on June 21, as the sun breaks the horizon for the longest day of the year, it is captured in all its glory in the niche of a granite stone, sited specifically to celebrate its arrival.

Kate Niewenhous and Mark Lofgren had summered in New Hampshire for many years before retiring and deciding to live here full time. The home had gardens, but one day, as Niewenhous viewed the slope down to the lake, she envisioned a new, spectacular garden filling the space — something to greet the eye with color and pattern as she sat on the porch.

Enter James Brewer of James Brewer Garden Design in Dover. Brewer hails from England, and Niewenhous liked the sense of story that he brings to his designs.

After reviewing the site and talking with the couple, Brewer planned a garden that was immersive, would celebrate summer and would create interesting spaces for the grandchildren to explore. “I like elements of surprise in gardens,” he says. “When you turn a corner, it’s nice to see the unexpected.”

Knowing Niewenhous’s fondness for mystical places, Brewer framed the garden with stone walls, adding large vertical stones at intervals to create “throne back” seating. The stones give the garden geometric interest and add a touch of drama. Within the dry-laid stone walls are hidden niches for lanterns, creating a fairyland when dusk arrives. (Special garden lighting with dimmers also influences the mood.) The niches can be used to hide things, too, adding an element of fun. For those who look carefully, along the back wall there is a stone shaped like the Granite State that faces a different direction than the others. It slides out to reveal a hidden compartment.

Meandering rose-and-cream brick walks lead you around the garden. The walks feature three types of bricks, including antique ones provided by Niewenhous from a previous project. Niewenhous even helped lay the bricks, as she was fascinated by the process. The paths lead through two large willow hoops, which entice you to enter and explore.

The outer circle of the garden features Limelight hydrangeas interspersed with tall miscanthus grasses, which tower behind the thrones. The inner ovals are surrounded by the walkways and filled with perennials such as delphiniums, alliums and daylilies, as well as boxwood and masses of David Austin roses, including classics such as Glamis Castle, which is known for its fragrance, as well as the Queen of Sweden, as a nod to Lofgren’s Swedish heritage, and Scepter’d Isle, in honor of Niewenhous. Spiral topiary Alberta spruce trees are placed strategically throughout the garden. Their height and twirly shapes add whimsy to the space, while a weeping cherry brings springtime color. Off to one side, a small pool reflects the beauty surrounding it.

Standing in solitary splendor at the back of the garden is the Solstice stone. At 5:15 a.m., with summer at its height, the rising June sun is seen for a few glorious minutes perched in the notch at the top of the plinth. As dawn breaks and the sun’s rays pierce the trees and gild the rockface, one is taken back to more primitive times when people gathered at standing stones to celebrate the bright orb that ruled their world.

The garden continues to cast a spell as it segues deeper into the property. More willow hoops create a lush tunnel leading to the lower garden and children’s play area. Here, giant stepping stones make it a game to get from one spot to the other. Rather than remove a dead tree trunk, Brewer had it carved into a totem featuring fanciful animals, fairies and other magical creatures, thus signaling entry into a special world. A winged wall encircles the space, with turrets marking each end. The turrets have planters, continuing the effort to blend fun with function. A little summer house sits off to one side, while some unusual sheep graze in the grass. Brewer carves wooden sheep’s heads, which he then partners with boxwood bodies, creating a unique herd.

For Niewenhous, summer means long hours in the garden. In fact, Lofgren jokes that if he can’t find her, he simply looks to the garden. Niewenhous especially loves “sitting on the stonewall, at one of the thronebacks and looking through the willow hoops down to the lake.” While every season is magical, she is dazzled by spring when the garden comes to life, and summer, when the plantings are a riot of color. The couple also appreciate Brewer’s efforts to create a fully sensory experience, as the gardens are perfumed with the scent of roses, lavender and thyme.

In a garden dedicated to summer, this most lovely and fleeting of seasons seems to linger longer, reminding us of endless days under a gleaming sun.