Southbury Heritage Garden

A lush garden with a mix of flowers and herbs is on either side of a brown gravel walkway with a bright blue sky above.

In a historic neighborhood, on the grounds of a home from the late 1770s, a vibrant flower garden had long been flourishing. The new owners, looking to enhance the space, envisioned a vegetable and herb garden that would seamlessly blend with the existing landscape.

After clearing some overgrown sections, we introduced a carefully selected variety of edible plants. Gershwin cucumbers now wind along the ground, while Patio tomatoes, and Rosa Bianca and Italian Little Fingers eggplant add structure and color. Herbs like sage, mint, and oregano are thoughtfully woven into areas between flowers.

A trellis of grape vines forms the garden's centerpiece, contributing to its lush and timeless beauty. Hand-built tomato trellises, made from simple wood and wire mesh, keep the focus on the plants themselves, offering subtle support without distraction.

The existing flowering plants—like Northern bayberry, Hydrangea, and Rhododendron—attract pollinators, whose presence benefits the vegetable garden, creating a harmonious and thriving ecosystem.

A large patch of sage plants is bright green in the sunshine with thin trellises supporting cherry tomato plants to the left.
A tree is featured in the foreground with light brown gravel around it and large mint and oregano plants visible in the background.
A close-up of a purple and white spotted eggplant still attached to bright green vines.
A close-up of tomato plants attached to a simple wood and wire mesh trellis has a mix of bright red and green tomatoes.
A white house in the background with eggplants in the garden shown in the foreground.
Cucumber plants with large cucumbers are strewn across a black mulch bed in bright sunshine.
A view of a lush garden filled with flower and edible plants with a brown gravel path down the center and a trellis covered in grape vines featured in the middle of the path.

FROM OUR CLIENT

“Kristen was an absolute pleasure to work with. My family and I have a well-established ornamental garden, and we wanted to integrate a food garden without expanding the footprint. She listened carefully to our needs, offered thoughtful options, and created a beautiful, functional space filled with the veggies and herbs my wife, kids, and I love. The entire process was seamless, and we couldn’t be happier with the results!”

- Kevin K.

recipe feature

eggplant caponata

A blue bowl sits on a brown gravel path outside and is filled with eggplant caponata decorated with a basil leaf.

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant (1½ lbs), roasted

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 stalks celery, diced

  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 red bell peppers, diced

  • 1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped, or 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

  • 3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

  • 3 tbsp coarsely chopped pitted green olives

  • 2 tbsp sugar

  • 3 tbsp sherry vinegar

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

instructions

1. Roast the eggplant, let it cool, then chop coarsely.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery, cooking until softened (5 mins). Stir in garlic for 1 minute until fragrant, then add peppers and ½ tsp salt. Cook for 8 minutes until tender.

3. Add 1 tbsp oil and eggplant, stir for 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Season to taste.

4. Add tomatoes, ½ tsp salt, and a pinch of sugar. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until tomatoes soften. Add capers, olives, sugar, and vinegar.

5. Cook on medium-low, stirring, for 20-30 minutes until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper, let cool and serve at room temperature.