For Tom Gardner, there was never any question whether the broccoli rabe would jostle the bergamot in his garden. And he didn't think twice before slipping a pear tree seamlessly into the perennial border. By way of explanation, his wife, Marian Godfrey, says, "Well, he's always been a foodie."

Tom has brought together a heterogeneous cast of characters in the Berkshires. Romping side by side are hollyhocks, dahlias, heirloom apples, artichokes, and so much more in a series of seven massive, flamboyant beds behind the farmhouse of his dreams-a 1783 home on a 22-acre former dairy farm.

The garden is almost always in harvest, with caretaker Peter Martin ensuring that the leafing broccoli never occupies the same place twice and the amaranth is tucked in wherever it will shine that season. Visually as well as gastronomically, the garden is delectable.

Published: September 2008