The barn burned down a long time ago. The original stone well in front of the barn, right at our doorstep, provided water for over 200 years. During a long drought, it was replaced with a drilled well and filled in, leaving a large mounded scar right next to the house entrance.

For several years I have been digging in front of the barn foundation, removing the old well hump. Gradually I unearthed the north wall of the barn foundation. The large granite slabs are beautiful, with steaks of pink, gold and silver running like little rivers all through the wall. There are several gorgeous boulders with bits and pieces of glacial grandeur molded into them.

My plan was to plant a small welcome garden with old-fashioned herbs and flowers to greet those who came to my door. At first I set aside a small area to sit on­the pinkest, flattest stone. The mountains on the other side of the valley look lovely when seen though a mass of dark-red bee balm dancing with bees.

However, the more of the granite foundation I exposed, the larger the project became. I spent evenings and weekends on my hands and knees with a bucket and hand trowel, picking through the earth like an archeologist. During the years of digging, weeding and planting, I discovered lovely marbles, whole and broken bottles, forged garden tools, pieces of livestock tack and kitchen plates, crocks, and more. Untold stories at my doorstep.

As a Master Gardener, I dutifully had the soil tested. I dreamed of home-brewed teas from my front yard­mmm. The results came back from the UNH Analytical Services Lab with the following: Lead, Mehlich 3… 159 ppm Medium. Contact your local health care professional and have children under the age of six checked for lead in their blood. Do not grow leafy vegetables or root crops….Because lead levels are usually highest in areas near buildings painted with lead-based paints prior to about 1970….it may be possible to re-locate your garden to a less contaminated site.

My hopes of tasting and sipping from the welcome garden dashed, I’ve concentrated on plants chosen for their beauty and aromas. Although I brought in some new plants I had to have, most of them are transplants that thrived elsewhere in the yard. I often divided crowded plants, transplanting the divisions to the edges of the garden and assigning them the work of holding back the ever-creeping lawn.

Now dozens of multi-sized bees, brightly colored butterflies, and iridescent hummingbirds feast on this huge garden full of mature perennials. Their squeaks and buzz bring the joy of sharing to this garden. It's become too wild to sit in, so crowded I can't even get in to weed or water. The entire front of the barn foundation is just the backdrop glimpsed behind stems and leaves. My husband refers to the living colors mirroring the hues of the stone foundation as my “garden palette.” The perfumed mix of Anise, lemon thyme, spearmint, phlox, coreopsis, yarrow, and geraniums encourage you to stop a moment and sniff.

This spring, in the back, right next to the barn foundation, where I started the garden so many years ago, a large pink digitalis appeared. Many-stalked, it grew tall and proud all through the early summer. Someone must have planted it long before I moved into this colonial cape. I felt connected with this previous gardener, part of a continuum of all those who came before me and appreciated this garden spot in front of the barn foundation.

By Stephania Pearce, Master Gardener

Drawing by: Pamela Doherty,UNH Cooperative Extension