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16 7th St. NE is a great example
of understated elegance.
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Our annual spotlight on five must-see gardens
Capitol Hill provides ample eye candy for every flavor of garden aficionado. The formal gardens are meticulously maintained. The lush, English inspired, cottage gardens often overflow their bounds as if beckoning passers-by to slow down and take in the show. There are immaculate formal entries, wraparound corner gardens, and hidden pocket gardens that crouch behind towering shrubs or brick and mortar garden enclosures. The gardens on the Hill are special, established, and always changing.
Every September and March, the Hill Rag puts out a home and garden issue. And picking five great gardens out of the many that exist is a daunting task. I must admit we could have a great garden feature every month and the inventory of suitable gardens would be more than ample. In fact this is also the time of year I get to thank all the gardeners of the Hill for making my job as a garden writer very enjoyable.
These five gardens chosen for this issue are illustrative of the many different garden styles that we can enjoy along the streets and avenues of our great neighborhood.
16 7th Street NE
With its formal federal façade leading the way, 16 7th. St. NE is a tribute to the art of formal simplicity. The patina on the lions and the formal front planters, the single dogwood and backdrop of an evergreen hedge all combine to create an orchestrated formality. The fleeting enjoyment of lush summer annuals and the ornamental grass tucked in the corner of the front stairs remind us that, no matter how small, our gardens must have year-round interest and flow. The footpath of random fieldstones indicates thoughtfulness and an appreciation for good garden design. The overall sense is of a garden that fits its space and a space that through good design fits its garden. Understated elegance perfectly executed.
325 A St. SE
This home has been wonderfully restored with every attention paid to detail and a bit of whimsy tossed in along the way. This is what makes the cottage, cutting garden’s informality all the more striking. Zinnias and phlox collide with basil and balloon flower. Volunteer annuals pop along the crevices. Spent lilies and a specimen acer add to the green backdrop of this riotous, explosive garden. The home’s traditional colors of white and a ghostly blue help to enhance and vault the garden at passers-by with a subdued backdrop of elegant architecture that helps the cottage feel not be misconstrued as messy. Well done.
120 4th St. SE
This house is architectural perfection. Every detail has been restored to its Victorian era splendor. The sconce lighting frames the formal entrance and staircase. Shutters and iron balconies usher in all that is wonderfully historic of Capitol Hill. The garden’s formality with central, cast iron urn filled with a dwarf date palm and the half moon plantings of privet and viburnum, echinacea and coleus are charming and inviting. A few herbs and a tomato plant remind us of the utilitarian approach to gardening of several centuries ago. The wide staircase joyfully shares its prominence with terracotta planters overflowing with cheerful flowers. The tree box in front is filled with herbs and hosta, liriope and impatiens and adds the lace and trimmings to a stunning home and its garden.
700 East Capitol St. NE
The homes on Washington’s East Capitol St. west of Lincoln Park, not only have prominent addresses but most of the gardens are long elegant ladies perfectly situated in their life of pomp and circumstance. With the Capitol as a backdrop just how does one of these grand dames of a garden stand out from the pack? Well, to appreciate the answer to that question, take a journey to the four-season wonder that is 700 East Capitol St. The garden wraps from East Capitol St. to 7th St. with numerous garden rooms and specimen after specimen of well-executed plant stars. It is hard to decide whether the mature Japanese maple or the newer weeping birch is vying for more attention. Do you sit and people-watch on the East Capitol St. bench or opt for enclave sitting area on the 7th St. side. Is it the formal, weathered flagstone path or the L-shaped sheered boxwood hedge that lures you to peer in and enjoy a true gardener’s garden. In any case you are sure to find something enjoyable in this well-done example of what makes East Capitol St. gardens grand.
101 8th St NE
We have all taken a trip to Baltimore and marveled at how in many urban neighborhoods there is no front garden at all. In fact you don’t have to travel that far. We have examples of zero front gardens right here on the Hill. And in many cases the folks who have these homes a perfectly ok with not having a front garden. The house at 101 8th St. NE is a great example of making lemonade of lemons. This garden is all containers and in the height of August’s heat wave the owner’s commitment to their potted wonderland has not waived. The garden of mixed planters and plants is a tribute to the European potted gardens that line many streets in the cities of Europe where all earth has been paved over and anything living and green has to be done in a container. This wraparound potted oasis is filled with the usual and unusual; geraniums and citrus, blend with palms and sages, gardenias and miscanthus, collide with vinca and petunias, cosmos and dracaena merge with verbena and boxwood. This is a garden that embraces the spirit that is Capitol Hill, a spirit of survival and excellence in spite of the conditions. Superb.
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