Sunday, May 23, 2010

Garden walls, fences and gates....

Ever since the beginning of times, farmers have enclosed their precious land to keep animals in and strangers at bay. My greatest passion is landscaping. I just love incorporating architectural elements such as wall and gates in the landscape. Living in New England, stone walls are an integral part of the landscape as rocks and stones are so readily available as a result of the retreat of the last Glacial Age. On Sundays, my greatest pleasure is biking along the country roads lined  with magnificent stone walls.

Below I share a few photographs I've taken over the years in my own garden as well as a few I took in a very special private garden in nearby Westchester County, NY. Two also from Provence and one fully half-way around the world in Malaysia.



A view of our most recently built stone wall


Wall near Les Bouries, Provence


This walled tree in Provence makes a great visual statement


A very small section of the stunning stacked flat stone walls
at the Four Seasons Resort & Spa on Langkawi, Malaysia. 
It took seven years to build all the walls of the Hotel's property.



Private Gardens in Westchester County estate


Peacock Gate detail from above



















I love the simplicity of a weathered raw wood screened fence.








16 comments:

  1. Hi Francine. Great photos. We have alot of stone retaining walls...necessity, and beauty all at once. The walled tree in Provence look would be perfect for a project I'm working on now, with a moderate slope and lots of great sun. Have 30 lavender plants waiting to plant on the diagonal on the slope. The wall becomes a seat, great way to enjoy the (Olive) tree and the view. Thank you for the inspiration! Merci, Trish

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  2. The stone work is one of the things that I miss about living in New England...

    Your stone wall looks great, and will be enjoyed by many for decades... if not centuries to come. Terri

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  3. Hi Francine
    What beautiful photos. and how fascinating to see each wall and the style representative of each country... we have a huge asian influence here and that style of stone wall is much used.. and the top photo of your own gorgeous garden reminds me of the southern highlands south of Sydney... the iron gates are quite beautiful also.. nothing like a spot of nature to brighten a Monday... thanks for this lovely post!! xx Julie

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  4. dear francine...
    i am speechless over these amazing photos... simply magnificent...
    someday i hope to walk the grounds with you... your comment made me laugh... i had a great visual in my mind with the pic axe... he he
    xxxx pam

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  5. I love your stone wall! What a gorgeous view! I'd love to build one someday (although I need the property first!). There's something very attractive about them, that's for sure. I really like those iron gates too!

    P.S. I didn't get the chance to congratulate you earlier on the opening of your new store but I wanted to let you know it looks absolutely beautiful and very inviting. Wishing you the best! ~Monica

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  6. Francine, I live in Maine, it's like Ireland for rock walls, What a pretty post. The last gate is awesome (the maple tree)
    Thank you so much for this lovely post.

    yvonne

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  7. Francine, what beautiful photos! Thank you for stopping by my blog. Look forward to following yours!

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  8. Francine, everything you do is simply splendid. I love the iron tree with the little squirrel. In Texas we have our own stone but we don't often see stone fencing. Reminds me of the lovely homes in Europe with nothing but a gate for an entry way because everything is enclosed. Here, nothing is enclosed as you know. So 1/2 of our property is a front lawn which no one uses.
    xx's

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  9. Hello Francine,
    The pictures are indeed gorgeous! I so love the weathered wood of the fences! As well as iron fences!
    It is such a nice time of the year to walk around in our neighborhood and discover places we have never seen before!
    Have a nice week Francine!
    xx
    Greet

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  10. Hi Francine, is the first photo in your garden? Great to see different gates and stone walls, I am also always fascinated by them. Ciao.

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  11. Stone makes such a statement. It looks so timeless.... I loved seeing all the rock walls when I was in Ireland a few uears ago.....Enjoyed your images and love the new header on your blog page! Maryanne xo

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  12. Oh, Francine, this sounds perfect – biking along walls like this? Count me in, pretty please. I must find a vintage looking bike with a basket first, though, and then I would gladly join you. There are so many beautiful details here... thank you for sharing these lovely images. Now, you have me dreaming of the perfect Sunday afternoon outdoors :)

    Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

    xoxo,
    Sarah

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  13. Such beautiful images Francine, they are all gorgeous.

    Bon week-end a toi,

    Leeann

    p.s. smiled when I read the comment that you left on my blog today as I have been stuffing myself this afternoon with lovely French cherries that a friend gave me yesterday :-)

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  14. Francine,
    This post tugs at my heart. We love so many of the same things. I was inspired to stack old field stone for my raised beds here in Lexington. The Bluegrass Conservancy works tirelessly here to preserve the old "war walls" that line many of our country roads.
    Your wall is gorgeous the way it weaves across the landscape!
    Enjoy your weekend my friend.
    Lisa

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  15. Good post about garden wall fencing, British love our gardens and lawns. I believe people should give a lot more thinking in choosing Garden fencing and furniture in UK houses.
    Garden fencing panels Doncaster

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  16. Awesome! This blog post is really very informative as well as having wonderful pictures of fences and gates. I am feeling really very glad by reading and looking this excellent blog post. this is my best post in i have ever seen. Thanks a lot for sharing your great experience with us.

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