Design by Chuck Gale and Christine Gale
For more than 30 years, three generations of the Gale family have made their mark on this property, which is blessed with many beautiful features, including a five-acre pond, a stream, and acres of woodland and meadows. “We wanted a natural look,” the clients say, “a garden that would change with the seasons.” Among the first projects undertaken, Charlie and Chuck Gale supervised the dredging of the pond and the landscaping of its outlet. Two bridges and a springhouse were built, and rock gardens and sweeps of wildflowers were planted. When erosion became a problem, the stream’s flow was stabilized by the installation of boulders at strategic points in the stream bed.
A stone path with stairs now meanders through a woodland, and a perennial border 20feet wide and 150 feet long was installed between the pond and the stream. In 2005, in conjunction with the wedding of one of the clients’ children, Christine Gale designed the restoration and extension of this border, altering the plantings, renovating the retaining wall, and adding stairs and a seating area.
“The Gales have always understood exactly what we wanted,” the clients say. “And they’ve been understanding when we reject an idea. If they agreed with us, they would immediately go back and rework the plan. But when they thought they were right they would tell us—and those times, they always were right.”
