FINDING NARNIA

A pretty winter view of the backyard from our previous family home.

While living in Florida during the renovation, we experienced record-low temperatures in January.  I realize our lows pale compared to the freezing temperatures up North, but being without sunshine in Florida is like being without sleighing in the snow.  Just not fun.  So, I thought we would walk through the Butterfly House Garden within this blog.  Being outdoors in sunshine and nature always lifts my spirits and the garden is one of the top 3 reasons we bought the house.

When our youngest was near high school graduation and the housing market was at a record high, we knew it would be a smart move to sell our large family home.  It wasn’t an easy decision.  It was where Dan and I had our wedding reception and blended our family.  One of our friends nicknamed the home and our backyard Narnia because it was so picturesque, especially in Winter, reminiscent of the mythical land noted in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. When we decided to stay in Pennsylvania and started searching for an “empty nester home”, whatever that meant, our search focused on a great outside and inside with historical significance.  We wanted something magical, our Narnia II.

Brown Thumb(s)

Dan loves working in the yard.  I like sitting in it.  Although I have a tremendous appreciation for plants and their beauty, I do not know how to keep them alive for very long.  Our youngest likes to joke with me about the plants I have neglected and killed.  In my defense, I was working full-time and trying to keep five children alive and well, too.  As well as our dog.  The plants were low on my list of priorities. Remembering to water them is a minimal requirement that I could not meet. We have brought many plants back from the brink of death but some just didn’t make it. Now, I have more time to tend to a garden, yet I still have a lot to learn. I am excited to explore a new hobby and become a student of horticulture.

The stonework, fountain, and pergola were initially done in the early 2000s before Dan bought the home. We added a sitting area shown left to enjoy the sound of water and to smell the roses.

Our previous home came with an award-winning garden.  When Dan bought the house in Villanova at the end of 2009, it was a bit much to maintain for a single dad and his four young children.  The previous owner was retired and filled the yard with unique but high-maintenance plants.  By the time I met Dan in early 2012, the garden had too much time to run amuck.

We were about five or six dates into our courtship when Dan invited me to his home for a visit and a movie at the Bryn Mawr movie theatre.  It was early spring, and he told me about the beautiful garden that was there when he purchased the house, but it was getting a bit overgrown with weeds.  As a kind gesture, I decided to bring a little gift of Preen and Green weed killer and manly garden gloves to give him before our date.  I couldn’t believe my eyes as I pulled in and walked down the sidewalk.  The flowers and the weeds were taller than me.  And I am not short.  I rang the doorbell, he answered, I handed him the weed killer, and said, “You are going to need a lot more of this”.

There was always something blooming in the yard and there were quiet places to reflect (and hide).

Nature’s Therapy

Over time, and with the help of Dan’s hockey buddies who landscaped for a living, we wrestled the yard into something we could manage.  Although the original plants were beautiful, they were extremely expensive and difficult to maintain.  Also, the fast-growing vines invaded the wood deck and housed way too many critters that were rodents.  I love a chipmunk or two, but nests of mice aren’t my jam.  The deck was so damaged that we eventually replaced it with something more durable.

We were both working full time, paying for private schools, and facing five college tuitions. We needed to keep maintenance low and costs to a minimum. The yard required more care than two people could manage.  Howard, our landscaping friend, helped us rearrange some of the plants (yes, we tried to save as much as possible) and pick more maintenance-friendly plants.  He came twice a year for clean-up.  The rest was up to us.  The kids took turns mowing the lawn, earning money in the summer.

Besides caring for a family of seven, we had to restore all of the stucco on the home due to water damage. We took the opportunity to expand and repair the deck.

Although yard work and gardening can be unpleasant for some, Dan and I both enjoy being outside. We find peace as well as a sense of accomplishment working in the yard.  Dan might be defined as hyperactive.  He always needs to be moving.  When there was downtime in life, he loved to dig in the dirt, water the plants I forgot about, or use the leaf blower to clean up.  Since 2021, we have been living in a rental with no yard.  Until you don’t have a yard or garden, you don’t know how much you will miss it.

I don’t exactly love digging in the dirt or sweating for that matter, but I do enjoy growing beautiful flowers (when I remember to water them), seeing plants evolve over the seasons, listening to the birds, and feeling the sun on my face.  When life gets chaotic, the garden provides therapy and peace. We would have coffee outside in the morning, a cocktail some evenings, and a fire on cool nights.  Not to mention grilling, yard games, decorating for holidays, and our yearly Easter egg hunt.

At night this was the best place to be.

Narnia II

The first time we saw the Butterfly House was in late January/early February of 2024.  Not the best time to search for a home.  Our first visit was delayed twice by snow/freezing rain. A tree branch had crashed through the greenhouse glass ceiling and the owners thought it would be safer to wait. We weren’t in a terrible rush, so no problem.  Initially, we were interested in the house after discovering it on Zillow.  The house was a bit out of our price range, so we weren’t necessarily eager to fall in love with something we weren’t going to buy.  But we wanted to see that garden.  Even in bad weather.

We were not disappointed.  If you’ve grown up in the north and experienced the visible cloud of breath, the quiet in the air, and the crunch of snow under your feet, you can understand the peace that the outdoors can bring.  Even though I don’t like being cold, there are aspects of cold weather that can be so comforting.  It’s why I can’t give up living in a place where the cold air can hurt your face.  There is always cocoa and a fire somewhere.

The greenhouse in the winter. The gutter remnant is not staying.

Besides the amazing greenhouse, the unique plants, the random stone benches, and the winding creek below, the sounds of birds and running water had a hypnotic effect.  It was magical.  While we were walking through the house and yard, I could picture our stuff in the home, our family playing games, visits from our future grandkids, and new memories to be made.  When you know, you know.  Would Dan know?

Somewhere during our tour, we went our separate ways through the house.  I was falling in love like a naïve school child.  Any practical sense I had was flying out the window because I was focused on hardwood floors, historical character, a stone fireplace, snow-covered trees, a creek, a clawfoot tub, and on and on and on!  I digress.  Fortunately, as Dan was taking his time walking through, with a more practical sense of the work needed to be done, I think he felt it too.  This could be our new home.  Our Narnia II. If you have read the first few blogs, you know the rest of the story.

Future Plans

We are considering this area for a grill, seating area, and all-around gathering place.

We are halfway through our renovation/restoration and decisions are being finalized so we can move in by summer.  While we are still primarily focused on the inside, we took some time in December to meet with Terry Lemper, a landscape architect and horticulturalist. He is also another one of Dan’s hockey buddies.  No doubt the garden is beautiful already but some areas need to be reworked.  Nature is beautiful as is, but when it is cared for, it can thrive.

Like our previous house, the garden and outdoor areas were overgrown and in need of care.  So Howard is back! In the last year, he has come in for basic cleanup so we can uncover the beautiful plants that were hiding under overgrowth.  Unfortunately, some of the plantings suffered significant damage or have grown so much that they no longer fit the spaces where they live.  As before, we will save everything we can and make plans to incorporate more low-maintenance plants.

So many places to get creative! We are looking forward to landscaping plans for these open areas. Corn Hole, anyone?

We would like an outdoor eating and sitting area where we can grill and entertain.  The greenhouse needs some minor repair and updating.  The gazebo has some wood rot that will also need to be repaired and painted.  We would like a fire pit with the caveat that we live in a very wooded historical area and will have to choose something safe. 

We are also planning to keep the gravel lot put into the side yard for construction vehicle access.  When it was put in, we realized that this unpaved access gives us more parking and provides a better walk to our front door and the mudroom off the garden.  There are two small ponds that we will update so they can work again.  One of the ponds still has goldfish! They are alive and growing thanks to our neighbors Peter and Deidre, who have fed them intermittently while we are away.  These are some of the areas where the landscape architect will focus his plans and suggestions.

One of many stone benches and private places to be Zen.

Next week, we will travel back to Rose Valley to review construction changes and finalize flooring, countertop, and tile choices.  Once the trades complete HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work, our proverbial “Humpty Dumpty” will be put back together again. Very exciting, and we will have more fun sharing progress in the weeks to come as we prepare for spring.