A modern cottage garden at the foot of Mt. Mansfield.
Owners of a recently-restored 1850s Vermont farmhouse at the foot of Mt. Mansfield wanted a ‘modern interpretation of a cottage garden’ — informal, productive, layered, but not Victorian. They asked for a vegetable garden, a pollinator border, and gathering space for family events.
— The brief
What the clients wanted.
Owners of a recently-restored 1850s Vermont farmhouse at the foot of Mt. Mansfield wanted a ‘modern interpretation of a cottage garden’ — informal, productive, layered, but not Victorian. They asked for a vegetable garden, a pollinator border, and gathering space for family events.
The challenge.
Zone 4a (one zone colder than Burlington) constrained plant choices significantly. The site’s 8% slope toward the road needed managing for erosion. The clients wanted the garden to feel established within two years — meaning install size matters more than budget would normally drive.
— Project specs
— What we built
Project elements.
Three garden rooms terraced into the slope. Lower kitchen garden with 6 cedar raised beds (24″ deep), surrounded by a cedar-and-wire deer fence. Middle perennial border 200 ft long, sized for a pollinator strategy with continuous bloom April-October. Upper gathering space — bluestone terrace 18×20 ft, bordered by mortared stone wall doubling as seating, with a cedar arbor framing the view of Mt. Mansfield. Hand-built cedar gate at the entry.
Stone
Local schist + granite
Timber
Cedar gates + arbor
Location
Jericho, VT
Year
2024
Duration
7 months
Scope
Master plan + Hardscape + Cedar + Plantings
— How it came together
The Cairn & Cedar Method, this project.
Same Method as every project — site visit, design, quote, build.
Site visit
Two-hour walk with the architect. Light, slope, drainage, microclimate measured. We listen, you talk.
Design
Hand-drawn schematic, then full construction documents. Material specs, sections, footing detail.
Quote
Fixed-price proposal, line-itemed by trade. You see the math. Change orders signed before any change.
Build
Our in-house crew on site every working day. Architect at every milestone. Punch list closed before final invoice.
— The outcome
What happened after we finished.
— Project notes
Worth knowing about this project.
What was unique about this site?
Zone 4a (one zone colder than Burlington) constrained plant choices significantly. The site’s 8% slope toward the road needed managing for erosion. The clients wanted the garden to feel established within two years — meaning install size matters more than budget would normally drive.
What materials were specified?
Stone: Local schist + granite. Timber: Cedar gates + arbor. All sourced within 60 miles of the project.
How long did construction take?
7 months from first site visit to final cleanup. Construction phase varied based on the integrated disciplines.
What was the disciplines mix?
Master plan + Hardscape + Cedar + Plantings
What’s the outcome two seasons later?
Year-one perennial border filled in faster than expected (we installed at #1 and #3 nursery sizes for fastest establishment). The kitchen garden produced through October in year one. The arbor view of Mt. Mansfield is the family’s morning coffee spot.
Can we visit the project?
Some projects we can arrange property tours by appointment, with the owner’s permission. Ask during the site visit if a similar property is available to walk.