Nemours Farm Courtyard

July 3, 2023

Landscape Designer and firm Principal, Danilo Maffei, CPLD, PCH, FAPLD gave a presentation to the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) at their virtual membership meetup on the subject of his award-winning perennial garden for the Nemours Farm Courtyard at Stockton Montmorency, a private estate in Delaware. (scroll down for more information and the plant list)

Conceived as part of a 65-acre master plan, the courtyard is set before a 19th century stone barn and modern stable complex that now serves for the entertainment of family and friends rather than breeding world-class racehorses. When we first visited the site, it was in a state of neglect and nature had reclaimed the once formal, European-style space. This contrast of human construction and natural succession inspired us to create a wild garden that would ebb and flow with the seasons, relying as much on form and texture as it does on seasonal color. Likewise, the owners desired a vibrant, resilient plant palette that would not be reliant upon constant grooming to look its best. Since the garden is a considerable distance from the main house, we wanted to create a place that was constantly changing to encourage the owners to take a stroll and discover what is happening and enjoy the evolution of the seasons, with the climax in late summer and early fall.

Plant List

Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea 'Skyracer' (Skyracer purple moor grass)

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Cassian' (Cassian fountain grass)

Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed)

Achillea millefolium 'Paprika' (Paprika common yarrow)

Achillea 'Moonshine' (Moonshine yarrow)

Aster cordifolius 'Little Carlow' (Little Carlow blue wood aster)

Aster oblongifolius ‘Raydon’s Favorite’(syn. Symphiotrichum) (aromatic aster)

Coreopsis 'Limerock Ruby' (Limerock Ruby tickseed)

Coreopsis palustris 'Summer Sunshine' (Swamp tickseed)

Coreopsis tripteris (Tickseed)

Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' (Zagreb threadleaf tickseed)

Helenium autumnale 'Mariachi Fuego' (Fuego sneezeweed)

Iris sibirica 'Caesar's Brother' (Caesar's Brother Siberian iris)

Kniphofia ‘Flamenco Mixture’ (Torchlily)

Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low' (Walker's Low catmint)

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage)

Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida (Orange coneflower)

Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' (Fireworks goldenrod)

Cornus sericea (Redosier dogwood)

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' (Arnold Promise witch hazel)

Small Garden Love Affair

February 20, 2023

Gardens are not mere combinations of plants, pavements and furniture. True gardens are thoughtfully crafted spaces that reflect the people, places and history that inhabit, pass through and surround it. They respond to challenges with grace, understated elegance and ingenuity. They endure with resiliency, relevancy and hope. Come and experience this small home and garden and learn how its design and construction turned into a love affair between the owner and the place.

Plant List:

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' (Foerster's feather reed grass)

Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau' (Golden Dew tufted hair grass)

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' (Dwarf fountain grass)

Amsonia x 'Blue Ice' (Blue Ice bluestar)

Aster 'Wood's Blue' (Wood's Blue New York aster)

Baptisia australis (Blue wild indigo)

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Plumbago)

Eupatorium dubium 'Little Joe' (syn. Eutrochium) (Little Joe Pye weed)

Hemerocallis 'Strawberry Candy' (Strawberry Candy daylily)

Iris sibirica 'Caesar's Brother' (Caesar's Brother Siberian iris)

Liatris spicata (Blazing star)

Pycnanthemum muticum (Clustered mountainmint)

Sedum spurium 'John Creech' (John Creech stonecrop)

Callicarpa dichotoma (Purple Beautyberry)

Cephalotaxus harrigntonia 'Duke Gardens' (Duke Gardens Japanese plum yew)

Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird' (Hummingbird summersweet)

Ilex glabra 'Gem Box' (Gem Box Inkberry Holly)

Itea virginica 'Little Henry' ('Sprich') (Little Henry sweetspire)

Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Zeblid' (Scarletta) (Scarletta fetterbush)

Weigela florida 'Spilled Wine' (Spilled Wine weigela)

You Have A Friend In Kennett Square

July 9, 2020

Friends Home in Kennett Square, a non-profit senior living community in the Quaker tradition, recently completed a renovation project that linked two separate buildings and enhanced the front door arrival experience for its residents and guests. What was once the kitchen loading dock (right next to the front door!) was transformed into an outdoor space that could be enjoyed by residents of the skilled nursing unit. Multiple seasons of plant interest, raised beds for growing herbs and veggies for the kitchen and furniture for resting and enjoying the sunshine were all contemplated as benefits of the new garden.

The unintended benefit, as a consequence of protective measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was using the space for family gatherings, impromptu concerts and sharing their optimism with the neighborhood. Thanks to the new, expansive space, residents and visitors can meet at a safe distance while enjoying an attractive and comfortable space. Residents and staff brightened the windows with colorful paper flowers created by local school children. Maffei Landscape Design is delighted to be a part of this project that has given joy to so many.

Friends Home has been in the Borough of Kennett Square since 1898 when the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) purchased a boarding house located between State and Linden Streets. The building was modified and expanded over the years, but always maintained its historic appearance with its Mansard roof profile, brick exterior and deep, wrap-around front porch. In 2017 the board of directors approved a plan to create a safe, weather-tight connection between the historic original building and the skilled nursery unit (Linden Hall) which was built in 1980 but lacked an interior connection to the rest of the facility. Friends Home leadership assembled an all-local design team including Maffei Landscape Design, Melton Architects, Regester Associates (civil engineer) and MOBAC Construction. (continue reading below)

The design Team (L-R) Danilo Maffei, Dennis Melton, Richard Basilio, Jim Fritsch at the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2018 (photo credit: Historic Kennett Square)

The main focus of the project was the safety and well-being of the residents, followed by enhancing the appearance and amount of usable outdoor space. Friends Home already had a wonderful, large covered porch with plenty of protection from sun and rain, but a suitable sunny place for outdoor activity was sorely lacking. Our response to this was a courtyard-style garden that would provide security for residents at risk of wandering while providing ample patio space for furniture and planted areas that would change week by week with the seasons. The plant palette skews heavily to perennials due to limited space and because they offer a much more dynamic visual response to the changing of the seasons as compared to woody plants.

Yarrow, catmint and flowering onion (Allium) put on a show in late May 2020

Still in its first year of existence (the project was completed in fall of 2019), the perennials and shrubs are still working towards their full potential, but are already providing a good show. Maffei Landscape Design creates gardens for private land owners, corporate campuses and public concerns where the use of outdoor spaces are integral to their daily operations and the use of plants highlights the unique qualities of the environment and the people who live there.