When the stewards of a historic home in the village center of Yarmouth called on Ted Carter for a total rehab of their green spaces, the reception was met with the embrace of an old friend. “I designed this landscape 20 years ago,” says Ted. In the span of those two decades, the once bustling family home found itself void of youngsters and in need of a more sophisticated expression. “The exteriors were scraped and repainted, the period-style fencing installed 20 years prior was replaced, and the patina that had pleasantly made itself known on existing hardscape was preserved,” explains Ted, noting how some lichen had added a few smile lines to earlier-installed vintage stone.
Now, clad in a refreshed and sunny coat of mustard yellow that pops against darker window treatments, the home’s exterior character is accentuated by a thoughtfully introduced perennial garden that borders on playful. Winking black-eyed Susans, basking day lilies, gentle daisies, and more sway in the summer months and make way for blooming asters and bellflowers come autumn. A unique brick-paver pathway carves a walking route through the garden. “I staged this project—like most of my work—with multi-season flowering plants so the visual interest extends year-round,” Ted says.
Riffing off the home’s corner lot, Ted seized the opportunity to decorate the front door for show, while asecondary door beckons with a seductive akebia vine draping over the lintel. “The fencing placementwas strategic as well, creating a sense of intimacy within the private domain. Inside the fence, onecompletely forgets the public area beyond and is instantly embracedby the interior garden,” says Ted.
Clients find themselves in good hands with Ted. “I try to be sincere and authentic to the client, thehome, and the land—to integrate their needs with the arch and nature of the property,” Ted says.“When a place exudes a timeless, grounding aura, I know the job is complete.”
