The monks garden path
One of the great pleasures of living in the Boston area are the wonderful museums. Interesting garden spaces often are part of the package when museum visiting. The new Monks garden at the Gardner Museum is a tiny bit of paradise for me. It is another superb example of the design work of Michael Van Valkenburg,whose firm has offices in Cambridge and NYC. What I liked most about the garden is the sure hand when choosing the plant material. Everygreen leaves of hellebores and European ginger look good in the winter time and the trio of tree types with interesting bark will look stunning all season long. Stewardia planted in groups of three will also provide early summer flowers, paperback maples planted at the turning points of the paths are shining beacons of bronze beauty and the elegance of the white bark of the birches make this a lovely forest to walk thru.