Alligator Point

A gravel driveway winds through scrubby coastal woods arriving at a sunny clearing with a shingle cottage perched on a hill. Building renovations created opportunities for improving the arrival experience by foot and by car and engagement with landscape spaces around the building. The site design utilizes grading strategies to create a series of “flat” activity areas throughout the property while minimizing the need for building retaining walls. A frequently used herb garden is integrated into the upper terrace directly beside the front door. A fenced vegetable and cutting garden uses raised beds to mediate sloping topography. Circuit paths wind through groves of elderberry, rows of blackberries, and drifts of blueberries on the way to the dock. Dense blocks of dahlias are lovingly managed on a cyclical schedule by an expert gardener.