Photo Friday is a weekly e-letter we send out to entertain and inspire you with beautiful photos of projects we have created throughout our nearly two decades here in New England. You can click on any photo to enlarge it.
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This property began with an existing pool and paver steps and wall. Below is a photo of some of the changes that we designed and created.
This is what a property in Glastonbury was before we changed it. It had a slope that went straight into the back of the house.
As shown below we cut into the slope to create a meandering walkway that leads to a furnished stone patio and sitting wall harmonized with new plantings, automatic drip irrigation, and low voltage lighting.
Our client lived in Hong Kong for many years and asked if we could design a garden with Asian influences. We took this awkward ledge and wooded area and created a Japanese Tea House and Garden in it’s stead. It is complimented with custom bamboo fence and arbor, fountains, stepping stones, and low voltage lighting in the trees to simulate moonlit evenings.
This Farmington home began with interlocking walls, pavers, pressure treated deck, and ugly front sconce lights on the house.
We transformed it, as shown below, with curving granite walls and steps capped with bluestone, curving black rails, mahogany and glass deck, plants, lights, automatic drip irrigation, and new sconce lights at the new front door. This photo was taken the first spring after we finished the project.
Ian saw this planter in Marc’s front driveway circle in West Hartford and commented how it would make a lovely fountain in the back of his house (above photos).
He then created this wonderful fountain facing the Hartford Golf Club with water spewing from above with a light at night as well as spitting from the three dolphin mouths around the base. Below are summer and winter pics. 
Fall color bursts forth in Unionville
This photo is what Carol’s property looked like before we changed it with a bluestone walkway, gardens, lighting, and automatic drip irrigation.
‘Organized chaos’ perennial garden and more on a deer trail in Deep River, CT.
Our team meticulously sanded down the maple colored cabinets to finish them with Tea Cookie colored paint, repaired some carpentry issues, and painted the kitchen in Westerly, RI. Below is a photo of the changes we made.
This is The English Lady’s healthy organic garden in Old Lyme.
We made many changes to Dave’s property in Farmington. We began with the photo above and created this area below shown in winter.
A summer view of the pool shown above.
This synthetic putting green is to the left of the pool house in the photo above. The photo below shows the new waterfall and cedar fencing the day we finished the project.
We enjoy decorating our clients’ homes for the holidays.
This was Lisa & Dave’s property in Hartford when we met. We created a new stucco walled courtyard within which a bluestone patio, cedar pergola, and garden now sit. The second phase will include more plants, a fountain, and low voltage lighting.
Ian checks on the progress 
A custom silk wreath ‘Holiday by the Seashore’
A Sunny Day in Watch Hill, RI
Earl, our client in West Hartford, joyfully snapped this photo of our team on his new front step.
This is Emily & Joe’s home in Essex. They had a set of wood steps that lead to the smaller left door on the back of the house. As a first phase we built granite steps to both doors, a bluestone patio, and chose eucalyptus furniture. We transplanted existing plants from around the property and will add more elements as budget allows.
This is Bingo, Ian & Jill’s 13 year old Great Dane-Boxer, who died in November 2010. An amazing Buddhist and friend to all who knew him. Below is Bingo at 6 years old.
Pam’s living room gets a makeover with a new gas fireplace between the windows, paint, staging, and decorating in her home. The photo on the left is what we began with.
Our client’s inability to climb stairs well inspired us to create this outdoor ramp to an outside elevator. The plants are chosen to soften the mechanics of their space in Old Saybrook CT.
This is our office garden in Essex, CT.
We planted this perennial Essex Cove garden in the summer of 2009 and took this photo in June 2010.
A Pondless Waterfall With Plantings in Farmington, CT
Hello Maureen,
I just finished cleaning my dahlia bulbs two days ago,and they are now in my basement sitting in a box, and don’t know much more of what to do with them. my question is do they need to be treated in some way ,or just left alone. I do value your advice. …… thank you
Maureen, I repeat what I said to you at the end of your presentation at UConn’s Garden Conference on March 11th…You touched my soul. On to the “business at hand”. I have entered your webpage and came upon The Thoughts for the Day link which led me to this portion of your webpage. I would very much like to order your The English Lady Manure Tea and The English Lady Seaweed Tea when they become available for purchase in a few weeks. Please continue to inspire those who come to see/hear you. Thank you for all of the good work that you do to bring us back to living on this earth the way that God intended us to. …And on the sixth day, God created man and he created woman, and he placed them in The Garden of Eden.
We are so excited at the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center to have your time and dedication to creating a Healing Garden for our patients and family. It was such a pleasure to meet with you. I look forward to working with you as we create the ugly space into something so beautiful! Best, Lisa Cull.
Lisa, we are very much looking forward to creating the healing garden and doing the fund raising event on May 26th.
We know that everyone who visits the facility will enjoy peace, harmony and healing in the garden.
Regards, Maureen
You recommend putting manure on a lily-of-the-valley bed three times a year. I have a bed that is 30+ years old, with only rare attention. Weeds are now interspersed. In addition to the manure, can you recommend other ways in which I can get rid of the weeds and restore the uniform look?
Dorothy, I suggest that early in the spring, when the weeds and the roots are not yet strong, begin to appear pull them up by hand. A few each day will soon have the Lily of the Valley bed looking good. By the way I love Lily of the Valley, my grandmother’s favorite flower, a bed of which was tucked under the apple tree near the kitchen door – such lovely memories. Have a great holiday season. Maureen
I was hoping to get an answer to my question about making compost tea from betony. What proportions should be used? Elga
The English Lady Team,
We could not be happier with our amazing patio! The entire process went so smoothly. Ian’s design sense is beyond compare. HGTV would be hard-pressed to come up with a more talented designer. I would not be surprised if one day I open up an issue of Veranda and see a pictorial of Ian’s work. It’s that good. In addition to having an aesthetic sixth sense, he has cultivated a team that carry out his vision to the letter.
The crew was excellent and took painstaking care with every detail. What struck me most is the level of craftsmanship from every single member of the team. Anyone can hire a “landscaper”. Finding a true “craftsman” is rare and an altogether different experience.
We look forward to more projects!
Lisa & Dave
Thank you for these beautiful pictures! They are inspirational. The Buddha fountain would be a nice idea for a friend of mine.
Last summer, I moved into a condo that I rent. I have a very small area that I can use for flowers, however, I don’t get a lot of sun. I think the patio faces South and edges a wooded area. (I actually saw a Coyote at the edge of the trees in my small yard!)
There’s a large lilac bush to the right of my patio against the outside wall of my neighbor’s condo. In this area, I planted some iris bulbs and Lily of the Valley from a friend’s garden. I had some beautiful blue and purple iris blooms this year. The Lily of the Valley bulbs, however, did not do well.
There is also a huge butterfly bush in front of one of my BR windows. I think the bulbs I planted here were cone (?) flowers. I wasn’t as pleased with these.
Because I don’t get sun in my Living Room, my indoor plants are dying so I need to find something colorful that doesn’t need sun inside. I may have to just use pictures of flowers in my living room!
I enjoy listening to Maureen (The English Lady) on WRCH!
Valerie, Lily of the Valley take many years to establish but are worth waiting for – make sure you have manure on the garden, three times a year to keep the soil rich.
Some ideas for the shade are: Perennial anemone, Astilbe, Perennial geranium, daylily (try to get the repeat blooming ones) Veronica and Viola. Hope this helps. Maureen
Could it be more beautiful? Thanks for sharing and the tip about the Tin/pie dish and the cucumber slices. I will try this to be sure to get rid of these pesky things in my garden.