Rejuvenating A Garden

This post featured in Village Town Crier, September 2025.

Laura and Travis Derico are busy restoring and rejuvenating the spacious terraced garden behind their historic stone home—known locally as the “jailhouse” on Pickwick Road

This on-going process began with removal of the aluminum tubs placed by the former owner as raised beds.  Under these beds, they discovered a trash dump on the lower level below the intact stone terrace wall, while the upper level presented a healthy growth of weeds including purslane and spotted spurge

Plastic sheeting was placed over both sections to amend the soil through a process called “solarization.”  This process uses the heat of the sun to kill unwanted growth and organisms.  The plastic sheeting will be in place for several months, with grass seeding to follow

Laura is planting at the front edge of the terrace wall to control erosion. Her deer resistant plants include flowering vinca, sedum, moss, ajuga and juniper. Existing mature plants around the property lend stature including two large fig trees, a giant oak leaf hydrangea and a lovely butterfly bush.

The rejuvenation plan includes repairing the privet hedge surrounding the garden.

Kudos to this ambitious couple for their vision and dedication to this garden restoration project