A Pint-size Paradise

The first things you need to know about Fred and Linda Lipton: They’re sworn do-it-yourselfers and their outdoor space is a number-one priority. “When we were looking at this property,” Fred says of the historic Salem, Massachusetts, house they bought 11 years ago, “we started thinking about a garden from the very beginning.” The next thing you need to know: The Liptons were previously neighbors of legendary garden guru Roger Swain, who gave them the confidence to try advanced horticultural feats.

So when Linda and Fred bought the 70-by-30-foot lot with a nightmarish back yard, they immediately began laying plans to turn the train wreck around. Before applying shovel to soil, they delved