I'm speechless . . . quite the lovely yard!!

Barb,
I don't know I could ever consider this to be a lonely yard. By my estimation this is an extraordinary collection of historic plants that I would love to see open to the general public even if it is just once or twice a year.

What a great property with all those mature trees! No newly-planted saplings there, and you even have a greenhouse!

Do you ever feel the spirit of the original gardener looking over your shoulder criticizing your plantings?

Claire

Beautiful!

Wow. I am so out of my league on this forum. But, I steal info from you all every day, and one day I'm going to be just like tulipscarolan. I went to Boston MFA last month. They have an asian outdoor space that I've never been in, but outside of it is a beautiful weeping something-or-other. Then somebody posted about the pollarded colored dogwoods on a forum. That started the interest in beautiful trees out there, so many unique things that I can't find at the general nursery. One day I'll plant some of these trees on the north side of the house. One day I'll be you!

Carol, such a lovely property. You must really enjoy it tremendously. I like the black windows with the red tulips and there's just something about espaliered trees that I am always delighted by. That fern-leaf Beech is amazing! To have enough space for it to develop it's natural form is so rare. The Yew Arch fits right in where it is placed. You don't see those very often. What do you use the greenhouse for?

what a breathtaking site! It definitely feels like a historic public garden in the making.

I am impressed and in awe. Your yard is like an arboretum. I expect the public would love to tour your grounds, but I imagine you love the tranquility of keeping it private. This gardening effort is definitely way out of my league too. I also love your greenhouse. Thank you for the wonderful photographic "tour."

The Snow Falling on Cedars photo didn't come through. Could you post that one, too?

Carol it's beautiful. But I did notice one small error. You called it the "backyard" instead of the "estate"! LOL!
How fortunate to have the space for so many mature specimens, not to mention the wonderful perennials and shrubs.

Wow, thank you for all the lovely comments!!

Of course, I am not at all responsible for these plantings, I'm much too young :-) There was one previous owner of the house, and he planted these trees; I just had the good taste to insist we move there! Really, the house was a disaster, but the realtor was smart enough to take us on a yard tour before we stepped inside....It was too late by then to back out of this project!

We have been here 10 years now. To Claire's question, yes, initially I was almost paralyzed, trying so hard to maintain everything exactly as it was. But, to be honest, he was very elderly at the end, and everything had not been perfectly maintained. So I eventually was able to make some changes, add some new trees (careful always to try to pick special ones), some stones and stonework, shrubs, and also start some flower gardens (the flowers were pretty much gone or terribly weed-infested when we moved here), and feel like it is not just his, but mine, too, now. I like to think he'd be happy with the changes...

I am grateful that he had the foresight to (for the most part) space the trees appropriately from the get-go, so that they ultimately had enough room to remain healthy and take on beautiful shapes. I think it takes a lot of self-control to think long-term when you really want things to fill in. When I plant young trees now, I like to think of the next person who will get to enjoy them in maturity.

As for the greenhouse, I love it, but it is too costly for us to keep it heated all winter. So I start a lot of plants & seeds in there in March, and keep things in there through the fall. It's a great place to sit on a rainy day. It gets hot in there even in the winter on a sunny day. Someday, I'd love for it to be a year-round spot to grow tropicals, etc!

Yes, I was having trouble with the photo site, so didn't post the cedar pic. I'll try to add a few more here. Hmmm. I'm still having trouble with that pic. Here are a few more, other pics:

Japanese Umbrella Pine:

Bird's Nest Spruce:

A different cedar:

OMG that's how big a birds nest spruce can get??!??! I've gotta go move mine NOW!

I can't tell what size your greenhouse is, but it does appear to be single glazed. It would not be inexpensive to reglaze it with double layered glass (particularly with the curved eaves) but it would save you a lot of money for heating. So, as you said you're very young :-) therefore over the years the investment would be worth it. You can save money by going into the greenhouse in winter, instead of the tropics for vacation! I had a small greenhouse for several years, and it was so nice to walk in on a sunny day, when there was snow on the ground outside. The smell of the earth, and the huge passionflower vine in bloom, along with my species orchid collection, bromeliads and Acacia baileyana made me quite happy. Unfortunately a winter storm blew it apart while I was away for two days, and when I got home, it was too late. Everything was gone.
But yours looks sturdy and I hope will be a source of enjoyment for you some day.