Buck Walters delights in the unexpected. As one of five partners of Walters Nursery in Point Pleasant, and a leading area landscape designer, he likes nothing more than stepping out into a garden and following it to a surprise focal point. Maybe it’s a trellis or just a bench where you can sit awhile, chat, look back on where you’ve just walked, and see it from an entirely new perspective.
A self-described “romantic gardener,” Buck says, “A garden has to have a certain feeling, coming from the surrounding landscape and architecture.” He loves the look of the British countryside, and he brings it to Bucks by using a combination of structures and backbones of the garden, such as stone walls, arbors and pathways, softened with surrounding greenery. In fact, Buck can often be found at flower shows in the affluent Chelsea section of London and in Charleston, South Carolina, where he says, “There are a lot of hidden gardens.”
But in addition to his love for romantic gardening, his background in architecture means that he is very interested in the garden being an extension of the house, rather than just curb appeal. “Even walking from the home to the garage, there should be a sense of aesthetics and function”
Working on the surroundings of a restored Tinicum farmhouse, Buck wanted to work around the existing structure. He added retaining walls around existing air conditioning units, then introduced antique bluestone patios and integrated a hot tub into the plan. As Buck says, there has to be “… a feel or essence of the house the landscaping surrounds. The key is picking the right stone.”
One of Buck’s pet peeves is using the wrong stone. “There are three types of indigenous stone in this region” he says, “Stockton Sandstone, Lockatong Argillite and Brunswick Shale.” The stones are layered, and depending upon location, different types of these stones will be visible. “You will notice the golden and gray tones of the Sandstone in Stockton, NJ; the black and blue tones of the Argillite in Pt. Pleasant, PA and the red tones of shale in Tinicum Township.”
In Lambertville the nursery worked on a converted school house on Main Street. The home, complete with an old Victorian bell tower sits on an in-town small lot. “Every inch is designed with detail. Every inch counts.”
Describing the school house project in detail, he says, “Flanking the front door, perched atop a stone wall are two large antique steel planters with Japanese Cloud pruned junipers. The entrance courtyard leads to a seating area on the left and a second seating area to the right. Going through the custom-made cedar wood arch, you enter the lush green and white south courtyard. Reclaimed antique bluestone was used for the path and steps. The wispy branches of the birch trees are overhead, while their papery white bark trunks contrast to the lush white-green carpet of vegetation underneath. A gate in the back of the garden leads to a hedged courtyard.”
Unlike projects on a small area, large properties let you make a circuit, where you can keep adding focal points, Buck explains. What a nice treat to have dinner, then take a nice walk through a garden. One of their biggest and longest running projects was Colts Farm in Buckingham. The property, having been on the New Hope Historical Society tour is known to many. Over a 10-year period, they landscaped every square inch of six acres of garden surrounding a 1770s stone house and barn.
“Whether it be a flowering tree or a million dollar garden, we have a reputation,” says Buck. Walter’s Nursery has long term relationships with builders, real estate brokers, and clients throughout the community. Even being located on River Road, with its many closings, doesn’t hinder them because of their sterling name.
Walter’s Nursery is a 90-year-old family business, with many Walters in residence. There’s Buck and Joey who are designers. Jim who is President, Seth, a financial guy and Jesse, who is a lead mason. Now beginning its fourth generation, with the addition of nephew J. Lee Walter, the 30 acre property on the banks of the Delaware is adorned by an enormous variety of trees and shrubs. And for good reason. In addition to landscaping some of the most beautiful properties in the region, the nursery also grows and sells stock both residentially and to the trade, which circles us back to their early beginnings.
The Walter’s family has roots in Bucks County that date to the 18th century. But it wasn’t until 1930 that John Willis Walter, Jr. began a legacy. With a degree in forestry from North Carolina State University during The Great Depression, he joined the ranks that helped with public works projects; namely reforestation. This training and experience would lead him to start some seedlings and begin a company. During a time when he was the only member of the family who had a job, he was able to hire some dozen local people, providing others with jobs. And thanks to those with country homes, he did some designs for them, including a project for Dorothy Parker, famous writer, poet and civil rights activist.
After the war years John focused his attention on ornamental trees, fruit trees and garden design using native plants—leaving much of his forestry training behind. For about forty years he built the business and in the 70s his sons came onboard. Forging ahead with the business, the focus is almost purely landscape design, patios and stonework. Brothers and cousins came aboard and now the business is about 30 people strong.
With in-house masons and carpenters, getting the perfect structure/framework for gardens is a fairly simple job for Walter’s Nursery. According to Buck, “Having masons and carpenters in-house has made it a seamless process from design to construction to installations. We are able to work out the designs easily.” Making some sketches that can be run by the craftsmen, Walters can easily discuss the viability of a project. “By not having to subcontract others, we alleviate all of the complexity of working around each other’s schedules. Having them on staff enables me to have ultimate control over the details, schedule and productivity.”
“You don’t want to give all of your secrets away,” Buck says. “You want something that gives you a new space or feeling.” Offering indoor views of outdoor landscapes is just part of the package. There’s nothing like being enticed into a garden by beautiful foliage, then walking through it and discovering some element of surprise that makes you want to go further, deeper into the garden. And the combo of soft and hard landscaping accomplishes just that.
As for now, Walter’s is celebrating nine decades of landscape services in Bucks County. And they’re anticipating a robust return to what they do best: making the region more beautiful, one project at a time.
For more information, contact Walter’s Nursery, 152 River Road, Point Pleasant, PA. For more information, call 215-297-5860 or visit www.waltersnurseryinc.com.