Huckshorn Garden

Huckshorn Garden

Peonies, goldenrod, woodland flowers, white pine and native grasses embrace the lush gardens surrounding the home of Kevin Ann Huckshorn and Noel Mazade. The bucolic setting is a far cry from the barren site, only a house on empty land,  that they purchased in 2015. A former tobacco farm, the empty acreage had been denuded of all foliage. Developing the site wasn’t easy. The garden owners spent a year trying to eliminate invasive common milkweed. Poison ivy covered an impenetrable forest discovered at the back of the property. Foraging deer presented a persistent problem

A specialist in pond construction, Kevin Ann began rehabilitating the bare land by building a pond to lure wildlife. Later she added a stream and a second pond. Today birds, bees, lizards, nine species of frogs and wildlife abound. In addition to the two ponds, the land features a pollinator meadow, an English evergreen garden and dry and wet creeks. Now iris, water lilies and other aquatic plants blossom there, providing a welcome habitat for birds and insects. The entire acreage is under certification as wildlife and butterfly sanctuaries.

A series of separate gardens, including a meadow of native grasses, testify to the owners’ hard work. Clusters of bleeding heart, hostas, day lilies and other flowers and shrubs bloom throughout. Notable trees include redbud, weeping conifers, an American fringe tree, and a Japanese umbrella tree whose whorled green needles resemble the spokes of an umbrella. 

To the right of the house, vibrant towers of crimson roses clamber up a wall encircling a large community garden. Ten families of friends, neighbors and employees enjoy its bounty. The owners started the community garden as a way to “pay back” the community that had been so good to them.

Ongoing plans include providing a home for a flock of chickens and continuing development of the forest, now stripped of its pesky ivy, into a native woodland habitat for birds and wildlife. Begun in late 2024, the woodland forest garden features native trees, shrubs and flowers. It is designed as a habitat for local wildlife, as well as a shady place to escape the summer heat. 

Look for: 

• Japanese Umbrella Pine – Sciadopitys verticillata

• American Fringe Tree – Chionanthus virginicus

• Pasture Rose – Rosa Carolina

• *Blue Atlas Cedar – Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’

SUMMARY

The Hukshorn Garden is a far cry from the barren site, only a house on a lot of land, purchased in 2015. A former tobacco farm, the acreage was empty of all foliage when Kevin Ann Huckshorn and Noel Mazade bought it. Today birds, bees, lizards, nine species of frogs and wildlife abound. The land features two ponds, a pollinator meadow, an English evergreen garden, dry and wet creeks, and even a community garden that feeds 10 families of friends, neighbors and employees. This garden was begun to “pay back” the community that had been so good to them, the garden owners said. The development of a woodland forest garden of native trees, shrubs and flowers, designed as a habitat for local wildlife and a place to escape the heat of the summer was begun in late 2024. This site now has four chickens named Rosamund, Josephine, America and Hildegard.