The challenge presented by this magnificent Jabobethan home was unlike any we had experienced in our previous two years as Official Landscape Designers of the Symphony Designers' Showhouse. The strong Gothic elements of the architecture and the single-pale stone facing demanded accentuation, so we had to get right to work.

Nothing was going to give this house the color it needed except a grounds-wide floral display. So we initiated a plan that covered the weeks of the Showhouse in several movements, and named it the "Symphony of Color." Over 1500 tulips kicked off the open house, and these gave way to a bewildering array of floral types in the ensuing weeks, including Pansies, PJM Rhododendron, Azaleas, over 200 Liriope (a tall grass like plant), New Guinea Impatiens, Ornamental Spruce, Bacopa (a very classic plant/herb to compliment a classic home) and a variety of herbs. Xenias, Impatiens, Vincas, Coleus rounded out the picture.

The symmetry of the house demanded a focal point, but the front door was not at first able to fill that role. By planting some Blue Atlas Cedars near the front door space, and by filling some graceful planters from Nell Hill's with an extra splash of color, we were able to return this area to its rightful place as the centerpiece of the structure.