The Meadow At Hill Top Cottage

Behind the greenhouse at Hill Top Cottage there is a little meadow. We do not mow most of the yard because it is so large and I like to leave the tall grass and wildflowers for the pollinators. To the right of the greenhouse there is a patch of tall grass that a family of deer likes to sleep in and to the right of that patch we have mowed a pathway to the end of the yard and another to the side street so that we can go for walks or ride our bikes without having to go onto the busy main road.

At the end of last summer, my husband Matthew mowed a meandering pathway through the meadow so that we could walk through the small field. It has the loveliest view of the hills behind the cottage and our neighbor’s farm. There are also pathways down the hill and behind the barn for my garden and a wooden swing that Matthew hung on the red apple tree as an early summer surprise.

The entrance to the meadow path is to the left of the greenhouse. I love how our little greenhouse borders the edge of the meadow, nestled between two bushes and against the tall grass. Summer is my favorite time of the year at the cottage because of the lush green landscape. It feels like a secret garden.

When we first ran the lawn mower through to make the trail, the grass beneath was prickly, but it has since grown in soft enough to walk on barefoot. I now like walking loops around the side yard. On foggy mornings it feels like a scene from the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. Once in a while I carry a book with me as I walk.

If you were to see the petite meadow trail in person, you may be surprised how small it really is. With the hills in the background it feels so vast. I’ll often water the plants in the greenhouse or on the greenhouse porch then walk through the meadow, yellow watering can still in hand.

We had so many snails this year at the cottage. I have seen them before, little things with soft sand-colored shells perched on leaves and blades of grass. I grew up in Connecticut and never saw one in my childhood. I saw snails at the beach of course, but not these landlocked snails. I have discovered that they are known as European Amber Snails (Succinea putris), although I have not found when they were introduced to New England. They are not native to the states and like wetlands.

While I rarely saw them my first two summers at the cottage (they like wetlands and while there is a little pond behind the house, we’re not near the wetlands of White Memorial on the top of these hills), they are thriving this year. They remind me of walking through the lavender fields in Provence. My only wish is that they would stay away from my raised garden beds as they feasted on my lettuce this summer.

Last summer we attempted to plant wildflowers in the field with only minor success. I would love to see lupines and bright poppies or even daisies sprout on the fields. I think that next spring I will try to plant them again. While we are only tenants of this lovely parcel of land, I am grateful for the time we have here. It’s a small cottage on a very wild plot of New England land, but it has been so healing to experience summers in these hills.

While summer is almost over, I’m cherishing these warm days in the sun and making the most of our meadow afternoons when I get home from a busy workday.