FLOWERING AMBITION nine Olivier Award nominations to this day . “ We ’ ve been involved with about 20 different Broadway and West End productions , including Back to the Future : The Musical and TINA – The Tina Turner Musical . We have also produced several Off-Broadway shows and films , including Price for Freedom with Navid Negahban and Paul Sorvino . It was about Iran during the time when Ayatollah Khomeini took over . It showed exactly what was going on in those days .” ditches , and prepare the water system . There are probably about three or four miles of tubing underneath the garden . There ’ s a complex water , irrigation , and electrical system and a watering station every fifty feet .”
FLOWERING AMBITION nine Olivier Award nominations to this day . “ We ’ ve been involved with about 20 different Broadway and West End productions , including Back to the Future : The Musical and TINA – The Tina Turner Musical . We have also produced several Off-Broadway shows and films , including Price for Freedom with Navid Negahban and Paul Sorvino . It was about Iran during the time when Ayatollah Khomeini took over . It showed exactly what was going on in those days .” ditches , and prepare the water system . There are probably about three or four miles of tubing underneath the garden . There ’ s a complex water , irrigation , and electrical system and a watering station every fifty feet .”
1830 farmhouse , which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Continuing onward , guests will pass over a brick patio that provides a wonderful view of the surrounding gardens . A copper fountain with ornamental leaves stands catercorner to a waterfall , which feeds into a pond that runs underneath a bridge . The bridge is covered by Dutchman ’ s pipe vine and Akebia vine , offering a whimsical tribute to the nearby Chiselville covered bridge .
Origins of the East Arlington Oasis
Roger Cooper and his late first wife , Sandi Cooper , acquired the two houses that span the property where the Rogerland gardens now stand in 1989 and 1991 , respectively . When Roger and Sandi purchased the properties , the land was still cluttered with weeds . Over the following decade , Cooper dedicated a significant portion of his time to creating a Southern Vermont garden oasis . “ The back was really a hay field before we built the garden ,” recalls Cooper . “ We started working on the gardens in 1996 . The work began with the area by the roadside , and it continued from there .”
Cooper began designing the concept for the first part of the garden over the winter , which took on many characteristics of a traditional sunken English garden . According to Cooper , the first phase of the Rogerland garden project was focused on infrastructure and planting . “ For the initial planting , we brought in 18,000 perennials and 500 trees ,” says Cooper . “ We had a team that worked full time for a week to plant everything . Before anything came in , we had to prepare the soil , dig
Roger Cooper at the Tony Awards
Today , the garden stands as a mesmerizing , vibrant spectacle of idyllic beauty . During the warmer months , tours are available with advance booking . Individual visitors and groups can enjoy the gardens at their own pace , and a detailed Playbill brochure provides ample information for those who wish to learn more about the garden and the stories behind its most prominent features .
A Transcendental Tour
The tour begins at the main front entrance , which features an enclosed quatrefoil structure within the driveway complete with a Japanese maple tree , a juniper tree , and several spruce trees . Visitors will also notice abundant roses covering the south side of the
Crossing over the bridge , guests will see a small plot where six varieties of hops are grown for the beer that is made on-site . They will then approach what is referred to as the “ Yin-yang pond ,” which stands under an oak tree . The pond takes its name from the manner in which it incorporates both tranquility and movement . The relatively still waters of the upper lily pond feed into a sheet fall , which cascades down towards the turbulent waters of the pond below .
While passing the Yin-yang pond , visitors will notice a dual-leveled vegetable garden with solid granite raised beds . A strikingly-elaborate double-helix metal arch built by skilled Vermont metalworker Chaz Perkins stands over a sun-shaped stone . “ The helix symbolizes the double helix structure of DNA and the sun — life itself ,” notes Cooper . It also represents the years that Cooper spent studying the sciences and his work as a research chemist for Procter & Gamble . A metal fence surrounds the Yin-yang pond , the double helix arch , and the raised granite beds . A second vegetable garden outfitted with split granite raised beds and a raspberry cage is connected by a walkway to the nearby putting green . At the far end of the