Katrin Scharl was not a born gardener. Despite what Katrin describes as a trial-and-error approach, she and Moritz have utterly transformed their once weedy wasteland into a bountiful landscape, complete with orchard, walled flower garden, berry patch, vegetable beds, and chickens.
Photography by Katrin Scharl, unless otherwise noted.
Katrin Scharl among the raised beds of her vegetable garden. Katrin and Moritz’s first fall in the home was taken up by clearing 50 years’ worth of untouched wilderness.
Photograph by Nicola Holtkamp
With ambitious plans, the couple dug right in during their first full growing season in the home, planting the walled garden, completing a deck, clearing the vegetable patch and establishing a potato field.
In the walled garden, cheerful Rudbeckia is complemented by the cool color of purple phlox.
Nestled between the barn and house, the couple’s walled flower garden (shown here, year three) is divided into four perennial plots with walking paths in between.
Katrin traveled around the region photographing historic brick structures with painted doors, before settling on the perfect shade of blue for the barn door.
Completely enclosed by the house, barn, and a brick wall, this cozy garden has a rather Secret Garden romance to it.
Photograph by Nicola Holtkamp.
Katrin picks lettuce from her vegetable patch. After that the couple constructed raised beds.
Photograph by
A harvest of vegetables.
Katrin and Moritz’s chickens provide fresh eggs 11 months of the year.
Photograph by Nicola Holtkamp.
Katrin’s apple tree bloom in spring…
… and give her apples in the autumn, when the asters are in bloom.
Ever helpful, the couple’s dog, Ludwig, assists with the potato harvest.
A larger gate leads from the walled garden to the chickens, orchard, and vegetable patch.
Butterflies love Katrin’s flowers.
A border garden with soft pinks. Provisioning themselves for the winter means a lot of canning.
Often Katrin, who works from home as a PR writer, indulges in what she calls a “hippie lunch,” fresh pickings from the garden.
Hollyhocks climb the brick facade in the walled garden.
Pink poppies in the late spring.
Lupine and blooming garlic. Katrin’s hand-drawn plan shows the layout of the garden.
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