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In the beginning, the owners of the four-acre property wanted the garden to be a slightly mysterious and aesthetically intriguing environment in which their large extended families could gather. Twelve years later, the garden has become that and something more: an outdoor gallery for a growing collection of contemporary sculpture. The clients' home, designed by Philadelphia architect Michael Ryan, is a sleek, contemporary interpretation referencing a traditional Pennsylvania farmhouse, comfortable enough in its setting to accommodate Roth's primary modus operandi: to let the land speak for itself. “With this garden, I was able to be free of the stereotypes of suburban landscaping,” she says, “the grand entries, objectionable gates, the foundation beds, the boundary marking.” Roth exercised that freedom by creating an environment that is subtly overlaid with intellectual and artistic ideals.
