Front Garden

Walk through the Front Gate along the driveway, past a planting of hostas in blue, gold and greens, with viburnums and rhododendrons. The house itself, once the home of the American artist, Eric Sloane, dates from the 1750‘s, with the first “new” wing added in the 1780‘s and then the later wings added by the Robinsons in 1990.

Continue past the house to look down the hill to the pond, created from an abandoned gravel pit in the late 1970’s. As Charlie began to sculpt the land, he had the pond built, then later moved a hill of woods and finally the town road. The hill was deposited on top of Barbara’s large vegetable garden (which is how she first started gardening). These Earthworks created a view of the pond, visible from the house so the Robinsons added onto the house to take advantage of the view.  The focal point is the distant brightly colored turquoise bridge, built by Charlie and spanning the out-flowing stream.

Enter through the garden gate adjacent to the 1950‘s Lord and Burnham greenhouse, originally owned by Charlie’s mother and moved from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania to Brush Hill in the mid 1990’s. Slightly reconfigured, it is full of flowering plants throughout the winter months and houses extensive propagation activities. Charlie did much of the greenhouse construction himself, and designed and built the garden gate to echo the arch over the front door of the greenhouse.