SIX GREAT CAPITOL HILL GARDENS
The Hill Rag Chooses Some of the Best on the Hill

The diverse gardens of Capitol Hill are the pride of many homeowners. This summer the Washington region has been hard hit by a relentless drought. Many gardens have sizzled and fried in the absence of regular soaking rains. Yet throughout Capitol Hill there are signs of well-tended, lush gardens. How have these gardens thrived through this challenging summer? The simple answer is that the gardens’ owners have taken an active role in caring for their green gems.

Through regular maintenance there are many gardens on Capitol Hill that are lush and inviting even in the most trying of seasonal extremes. We want to acknowledge six of these shimmering jewels and discuss some of the principals of good garden design and proper garden maintenance that they exhibit. Since the fall is the perfect time for garden revitalization, these gardens can serve to inspire anyone planning on garden greatness.

Basic Principles of Garden Design
These six gardens are not only well maintained, they were well designed. The rules of landscape design are the same that are applied to any artistic medium. When designing your garden, you are the best person to decide on its basic elements. You should first make the choices of size, shape and color. Once you are clear on those aesthetics, you can consult a professional to choose what plant works where and which plants will give you the best results in your garden. The design principals to consider are: balance, repetition, sequence, proportion and contrast. Applying these principals will not only create an appealing space, but will add to your overall comfort psychologically. Whether you decide to tackle the design yourself or consult a professional, there should be some thought given to the design prior to installation.

The following gardens are six of the best examples the Hill has to offer of good application of design principles combined with proper care. From the traditional to the English, the cottage to the publicly secluded sanctuary garden, these six stars are well done, well maintained, and worthy of being recognized as some of the best on Capitol Hill.

Hopefully the inspiration will flow from these pages into your own garden. Perhaps from there, yours will be spotted on next spring’s tour of some of the Hill’s great gardens. Enjoy.

Master gardener Derek Thomas is principal landscape designer of Thomas landscapes and Maintenance. He can be reached at www.thomaslandscapes.com or 301-642-5182

The Gardens

1100 East Capitol St. NE
This garden is on the corner of a very busy street, yet the feel is that of a retreat far away from Capitol Hill. There is a simple winding path that leads to a wonderful patio area. The plants have been chosen to give four-season interest. The birch trees are beautiful in any season with their delicate foliage and wonderful peeling bark. The evergreens are interesting and well placed, with laurel and conifers used throughout. The bamboo has been artfully used to screen out prying eyes while reducing street noise with their constant rustle as the wind passes through their leaves. There is a welcoming flow that moves you from the front through the garden and onto the patio.

633 East Capitol St. SE
This garden has a tranquil park-like feel. The viburnum hedge creates a private screen and adds an air of mystique to the space. The gracious flowing flagstone path adds a division to the flowing garden rooms contained within. There is a flowering dogwood and weeping cherry that act as beacons of spring while shading the garden retreat in the harshest of summers. The pastel-colored flowering plants are delicate and well-placed and add soft color throughout. There are roses and lilies that add color and scent. There is a spruce planted in a large stone planter, and an ivy topiary fills a matching planter. Once you step into this garden, the bustle and rush of Washington life quickly slips away.

630 East Capitol St. NE
Wow! What a perfect formal English garden in miniature. This garden has used all the design demands that the largest of formal English gardens must apply and perfectly juxtaposed them into a space one-fortieth the size. The shrubs are placed in perfect symmetry. Each one has been pruned to within an inch of its life. The overall design resembles the crest of an important family. There is color, contrast and symmetry throughout. This is perhaps the best example of formal garden design that Capitol Hill has to offer. There are holly and boxwoods, euonymus and lavender, gardenia and palms. A Victorian urn makes for the perfect centerpiece. The flagstone walk is a dramatic milky cream and adds contrast to the plants. The conical boxwoods along the walk add interest and repetition. There are several planters perfectly placed in the background and along the stairs. This garden is truly one of the most unexpected, well thought out gardens of East Capitol Street.

626 A St. SE
This garden is a tribute to traditional Capitol Hill gardens. The lawn is the background that the rest of the garden flows from. There is a charming well-pruned dogwood in center stage. The evergreen holly, yew and abortive are meticulously pruned and add a green background to the garden. The border beds are planted with peony, candytuft, ilex and boxwood. The beds have color and interest from the formal caladiums and traditional impatiens. Three planters accentuate the formality and add seasonal interest. The home’s traditional federal façade flows into and back out of the garden with a seamless flair. Well done.

616 North Carolina Ave. SE
Another fine example of a well-executed formal front garden. The flagstone walk is perfect. It flows to and around an urn that helps break the straight lines while maintaining the formality of a time gone by. The columns of the front porch are done in a granite base that blends wonderfully with the stone walk. There is a flowing border bed that wraps the porch and flows down to the street. Within the bed, a bench provides seating to a whimsical bronze statue of two children at play. The garden has a 12-foot holly and a large Heritage Birch. The urn is filled with geraniums, and vinca surrounds its base. The border has plants chosen for color and contrast, and the overall flow is one of charm and allure.

226 South Carolina Ave. SE
This garden illustrates cottage gardens at their best. Perfectly placed lantana and chrysanthemum in the foreground soften the granite wall. Several varieties of rudbeckia add to the color and give a calculated unkempt look that is one of the charms of a cottage garden. Sunflowers add height, and the fountain grass flows and fills the corners. The vinca placed along the walk adds a riot of color and conformity to the scattered flow. Roses and a Japanese maple add foliar interest. Nice.