The Ivy Hill Gardens
"In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart."
--Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching
The gardens at Ivy Hill are densely planted with evergreen ground covers and understory bushes that provide shelter and food for wildlife during all seasons. Berry-producing shrubs include viburnum, acuba, wintergreen, several kinds of holly, euonymus, laurel, magnolia grandiflora, and nandina. Food is also provided by two kinds of oak (acorns), maple trees (helicopter seeds), dogwood trees (berries), pine trees (cone seeds), and a mulberry tree. Additional shelter is provided by thickets of boxwood, azaleas, rhododendrons, cypress, hemlock, yew, and bamboo, and by ground covers of English ivy and sarcococca. Water sources occur throughout the gardens. A variety of water kettles, urns, and birdbaths hold still water that reflects the sky. Moving water features include drippers, misters, fountains, and a waterfall. A heated all-weather pond is maintained so the larger animals--raccoons, possums, and fox--can get a drink all year.
A few years ago, the grounds at Ivy Hill were raw, red Virginia clay, gullied by erosion. This area in the surburbs of Washington, DC is under intense pressure from real estate developers because of the high value of land close to the nation's capital. Local zoning permits new construction to cover almost 50% of the land area with buildings and paved surfaces such as walks and driveways. Severe ecological impact seems inevitable. Until a major transformation of public awareness results in completely different patterns of development, interim strategies are needed to provide as much habitat as possible. Ivy Hill promotes these options by showcasing a desirable example of an eco-friendly urban garden.
Except for its value as carpeting for outdoor living space, grass lawn
is very unproductive use of land area. If fertilizers and weed-killers
are applied to promote the visual beauty of the lawn, this landscaping
choice becomes destructive to the enviroment because these chemicals
pollute the watershed. In the design of the Ivy Hill gardens, broadleaf
evergreen ground covers and massed plantings of evergreen understory
shrubs are substituted for traditional lawn area.
In this part of Virginia, rigorous application of pesticides is required by most homeowners to control termite infestation. These toxins sicken the local wildlife and contaminate the soil. At Ivy Hill, shredded cedar mulch is thickly applied to all of the planted areas, surrounding the house. This puts the residence in a safe "cedar chest", complimented by the gambrel roof made of thick cedar shingles. Localized infestations such as wasp nests are treated biologically with organic remedies; for example, mint oil and shredded chrysanthemum clippings. Our mint is grown in urns, to compensate for its invasive growth tendencies, and used in the kitchen as well as the garden. Large beds of mums, enjoyed for their autumn beauty, are harvested after their season ends for their oil.
In winter, the use of chemicals to control icing on the hillside drive is also avoided. The ash from the fireplaces is riddled and saved in an ashcan to provide traction in winter. This has the added benefit of returning potassium to the soil. The large trees on the hillside provide a constant supply of windfall as kindling for the fireplaces, and the nutrients are eventually returned to the garden in the ash. All of the discarded plant materials are composted and returned to the hillside as well. Whatever grows on the hill stays on the hill.
"We all live upstream."
--Chesapeake Bay Foundation
© 2002 Ivy Hill Video Productions
Garden design by Saidu Kamara and Nancy Matthis
Topsoil, mulch, and firewood delivery by Blue Ridge Oak Farm
Garden maintenance by Edward Delima