a new leaf

A rugged Ridgeland landscape is transformed into a blossom-filled vista

- KELLI BOZEMAN

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What might be considered a drawback to some was a selling point for Carolyn McIntyre when she and her husband Buddy first toured the property in Ridgeland that they now call home.

At the rear of the 10-acre lot was a “very, very deep ravine with a lot of native pine trees,” says Carolyn, “a fabulous ravine.”

When she saw the sloping landscape feature, childhood memories came rushing back—memories of playing for hours with a friend in the ravines of the Woodland Hills neighborhood in Jackson.

Never mind that the rest of the acreage was basically “just an open field,” except for a single Southern red oak tree that was nearly two centuries old. To the McIntyres, this vast expanse had the potential to be their own personal paradise.

That was more than two decades ago. At the time, the McIntyres lived in Jackson, where they raised their family. “I just wanted more space to piddle outside,” Carolyn says.

Today the property’s past as a neglected grassland is hard to imagine—not when a visitor is greeted by such charming features as a picket-fenced flower patch, a brick courtyard, and a sunken woodland garden.

The garden plan for the area near the house was drafted by landscape architect Overton Moore to complement the couple’s Louisiana-style cottage, which was designed by Baton Rouge architect Al Jones. The home design included a raised front porch and a covered gallery in the rear, along with a fenced-in courtyard. It was critical that both the structural design and the landscape design complement each other. “We wanted to bring the feeling of the outside into the house,” says Carolyn. “So we wanted lots of large windows. I don’t like to be stuck inside.”