gardenscapes
The Cooper garden includes a fountain, large formal lawn, and great swaths of Shasta daisies.
bounded by red annual flowers to simulate flames. An auspicious
planting of Wolf ’s Eye dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Wolf ’s Eyes’) keeps a
close watch over the precious installation.
Garden Club of Manchester
Gathering since 1920, the Garden Club of
Manchester is the first official garden club in the
While the greater garden writhes with complicated allegories
like these, some of its bestial features are more straightforward.
The Saguaro cactus topiary serves to remind Cooper of his
grandchildren’s Arizona birthplace. A pruned forsythia, in the
shape of a kiwi bird stands before a curtain of hardy kiwifruit
vines (Actinidia arguta). Cooper has selected Princess spireas (Spirea
japonica ‘Little Princess’) to offer a dignified regality to every entrance
and has chosen massive, hunch-backed weeping larches (Larix decidua
‘Pendula’) to serve as intimidating sentries over the main gate. The
gate itself, a decidedly inorganic feature of the garden, has certain
relevance to the concept. The winding strands of its archway
illustrate DNA’s double helix, and the radiating stones within the
lawn are depictive of the sun. The overarching theme of the garden,
Cooper will tell you, is “life” itself. •
70 manchester life | www.manchesterlifemagazine.com
state of Vermont. With a mission to “stimulate
interest in gardens and flowers; preservation; civic
beautification and education through programs,”
its members design and care for public container
gardens, maintain town greens, create and gift
holiday wreaths, and even clean up roadside
rubbish. The club also hosts garden tours and
lectures and offers scholarships to local seniors
pursuing study in horticulture or related fields.
Members meet monthly. For more information or
to contact co-presidents Carol Munson or Becky
Burke, go to www.gardenclubofmanchester.com.