MEMBER PROFILE 



BUNGAY JAR 

 Fanciful Habitat 



Bungay Jar" — the expression could be 

 Abenaki — or Scottish — or North Country 

 New Hampshire: "a mysterious rumbling 

 sound emanating from the depths of Mount 

 Kinsman, thought to have made early settlers queer in 

 the head;" "a phantom roar that accompanies a strong 

 spring wind moving up the Easton Valley toward 

 Franconia." And now "Bungay Jar" is a bed and break- 

 fast on the Easton Valley Road and these definitions 

 are part of the copy on a promotional T-shirt. 



The B&B is in a 200-year-old 40'x40' barn brought 

 from Littleton in 1967, set into a hillside, then aban- 

 doned. When bought in 1983 by Kate Kerivan and her 

 husband Lee Strimbeck, a patent attorney who brought 

 his practice to Littleton because he liked to hike, there 

 was no heat and ceilings were falling. 



Within this structure, they've created seven rooms, 

 each with a private bath, on four levels around a cen- 

 tral core. Each room is unique: "The Hobbit Room" has 

 an antique sleigh bed; "The Stargazer Suite," twig fur- 

 niture. And each is filled with decorative objects ac- 

 centing its special flavor. 



Kate's background includes a degree in plant science 

 from UNH and a graduate degree in landscape plan- 

 ning and design from the Conway School (Conway, 

 Massachusetts). She ran her own design business in 

 Derry and worked in city planning in Manchester. In 

 Easton, she began immediately to create a garden. 



Behind the B&B, the land slopes down to the Ham 

 branch of the Gale River before beginning its climb to 

 Kinsman Ridge. Most rooms open onto balconies or 

 terraces; all have fine views. 



But in 1983, woods came up to the back of the 

 building — branches touched the windows and the 

 ridgeline could not be seen. Kate started with the ba- 

 sics. She hired a logger to clearcut; the slope was re- 

 shaped into a series of gentle terraces. Trees — focal 

 points — were planted. 



The plan is simple: a walkway descends from the 

 building to a pool centered in open lawn. Three-and- 

 one-half-feet deep, butyl-lined, with a small pump re- 

 cycling the water — this small circular body of water, 

 framed by a patio on which guests can sit (which in 



turn is framed by plantings) is the garden's focal point. 



One line of plantings — nearer and parallel to the 

 B&B creates a sheltered upper lawn. Another group of 

 plantings cluster in a parallel area centered around the 

 pool. On the right, the lawn rises to a birch-shaded 

 path that skirts a wildflower meadow, then leads into 

 surrounding woodlands and to the river. 



Locally quarried granite is used in walks, stairs, re- 

 taining walls, sitting areas. Strimbeck did most of the 

 masonry work, placing larger pieces with block-and- 

 tackle. 



CRAB APPLES on either side of the main walkway 

 create a bower; honeysuckle climbs a rustic per- 

 gola, as does a native clematis. Climbing roses never 

 quite make it to the top in the brief growing season 

 (although shrub roses elsewhere — 'William Baffin,' 

 'John Cabot' — are a fine success). The walk beneath the 

 pergola leads to the path skirting the meadow. 



These shaded walks alongside areas of sun increase 

 the range of mood. The plant material is eclectic, but 

 feels natural — those surviving the winters work well 

 together. 



Some plants surprise (it's zone 3): a lotus survived 

 in the pool for six years, but finally succumbed — not to 

 cold, but to careful and sensitive repotting. Water lihes 

 (Nymphaea 'Pink Sensation') grow in tubs. 



Most material is less exotic. Kate uses natives: vibur- 

 nums, red-twigged dogwood, clethra. Canadian burnet 

 (Sanguisorba canadensis) borders the pool; Culver's-root 

 (Veronocastrum virginicum), mullein (Verbascum thapsus), 

 black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) and May apple 

 (Podophyllum peltatum) are scattered throughout. 

 Lowbush blueberry is groundcover. 



Near the pool, jack-in-the-pulpit and Ligularia 

 przewalskii 'The Rocket' flourish in a bog garden made 

 of peat and llama dung (there are several llamas on the 

 place, as well as dogs, horses, and at least one cat). 



Vines — all annual: cup-and-saucer (Cobaea scan- 

 dens) — her favorite, hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab), 

 morning glory — climb the rail fence around the cutting 

 garden; sweet peas are "planted faithfully each April 



A 'J GUST. SEPTEMBER. 1998 



