Beach Zen

There are lots of reasons I like to go and stay with our friends at the Jersey Shore but one I know Beach House readers will appreciate is Betty's garden. It's actually a series of vistas executed in a beachy zen way that is and, once she has planted it up each summer, very low maintenance.


There is no lawn to take care of, instead stepping stones embedded in swathes of pea gravel lead you from sitting area to pond, from shady tree to pergola and to the wide hammock beyond.


Each area has some sort of water feature: a pond, a waterfall, or fountains in stone and copper; and there's art to look at too: sculptures, driftwood, even a painting and a mirror almost hidden within the climbing plants.


On the upstairs deck outdoor curtains filter the light and keep the house cool.


It's an oasis of calm and beauty, the perfect getaway for stressed city types.