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| Early spring photo of post oak tree house axis is based on |
Last Friday ( March 18, 2012) I had the privilege of touring P. Allen Smith's Moss Mountain farm and home. He graciously led the tour of his home himself. This tour included all spaces including his master suite. He was highly influenced by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington as this was the focus of graduate studies in Great Britain. The house sits behind an almost perfect post oak and is built on an axis established by this tree. His love of symmetry is apparent not only in the layout of his house and gardens but in his placement of furniture and accessories. The main post oak tree in the photo above is one of what P. Allen calls the seven sisters on the farm.
I was so impressed to have P. Allen himself give us a tour of his home. He is so genuine and unaffected by his popularity. Welcoming folks into his home as if they are there at his special invitation. He is a true Renaissance man. My mother and grandmother would have loved his southern gentleman demeanor as much as I did. He even allowed folks to photograph his house and grounds. Had I been aware of this I would have brought my camera, as it was I had only my iphone so those photos I took leave much to be desired. Many of these photos were patched in from internet images.
The day was perfect; sun shining with a light wind. His beautiful farm overlooks the Arkansas River. He made full use of this view by adding both upper and lower screened in porches when building his home. These stretch across the back of the house. Now most of us that grew up in the South remember sleeping porches which were used for naps and sleeping at night on hot summer days. The sleeping porch at Moss Mountain is not the sleeping porch of my youth but one that I might have dreamed of. The upper porch is a sleeping porch complete with single iron beds and a copper tub with plumbing.
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| Iron bed on sleeping porch dressed for spring and summer |
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| Another view of the sleeping porch. |
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The downstairs consist of a foyer with stairway, living/dining area and at the back a cook's kitchen with a hearth room. Will post more and more photos later on the interior.
Now for the gardens. This is P. Allen Smith's Garden Home after all.
The entryway is a changing work of art. Every season represented by the flora it brings. His garden is divided into cool and warm sides. The cool side is full this time of year with bright orange and yellow tulips. The warm side with pink and blue flowers. His crew digs out the bulbs or plants of the season and replaces this with new plants as the season requires. This is a crew of five at this time. Simply amazing what their hard work produces.
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| Warm side of garden |
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| Another view of warm side. |
As you can see I am a fan of the warm side of the garden. Smith makes good use of every spot in the garden. An example of this is the way he has trained these fruit trees.
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| These fruit trees bear fruit and are artistic in shape |
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| Another view of fruit trees dividing areas of the garden. |
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| Jonquils blooming everywhere you look. |
Symmetry plays a key role in the layout of his garden. All is still on an axis with the post oak at the entry.
This fountain is at the back of the house and is directly in line with the post oak in front. It overlooks the beautiful view of the Arkansas River.
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| Big Fig |
This is what P. Allen calls the Big Fig. It is very old and was found on the original farm. It was moved to hold a place of honor in the garden and hopefully this summer will bear fruit.
The gardens go on and on as you can imagine and include his vegetable garden and his new rose garden which he is today showing off to Lord and Lady Ashbury after a talk at the Clinton Library.
I will be anxious to travel to the Moss Mountain Farm again to observe the progress and changes. I know I will feel welcomed as a friend by P. Allen and his crew. Thanks P. Allen Smith for sharing your home and gardens.
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