BDG 27th Edition 2024

FARM TO TABLE
A revitalized suburban landscape brings home the bounty
in more ways than one.
To the imaginative mind, wide open spaces signify limitless potential. Such was the case for landscape
designer Jim Douthit when he first assessed this 53 acre property located in the suburbs northwest of
Boston. Greeted by vast open fields, a historic farmhouse dating back to 1773, and a barn awaiting
renewal, the stage was set for a grand transformation.
The new owners, who yearned for an interactive relationship with the land they now called their own,
approached Douthit, lead designer and owner of a Blade of Grass, with a shortlist of desires. “What they
wanted from the property was pretty simple,” says Douthit, who teamed up with builders at Adams +
Beasley Associates to execute the project. Although simplicity was at the heart of the client’s requests,
with a focus on vegetable gardens and fruit orchards from which they could pick their own produce, the
team presented a plethora of ways to maximize the use of the property. Enthralled by their proposals, the
owners entrusted the experts to manifest a luscious and dynamic landscape that would harmonize the
built environment with nature’s splendor.
“They really let us be as creative as we wanted,” Douthit recalls. “We developed concepts for spaces that
they didn’t know they wanted until we showed them it was possible.” Given the green light, Douthit set
out to transform the open fields into a series of functional and picturesque areas. A nod to centuries past,
split-rail fences and fieldstone walls were incorporated to define each zone while seamlessly blending with
the landscape. The result is a captivating tapestry of distinct spaces, including a bountiful orchard of fruit
trees, a flourishing vegetable garden, a chicken coop, a sheep barn, and an intimate outdoor seating area
nestled graciously beside the farmhouse’s newly added screened porch.
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