The gardens at 23 Pearl Street were designed by Lisa Jesmain to be cottage gardens, combining hardy seaside vegetation with traditional English garden perennials. The proximity to the water provides cooler summer temperatures that allow later and longer bloom times for many perennials. The gardens include many varieties of clematis, perennial geraniums, grasses, sempervivum [hens and chickens], and many low ground covers. Her most prized perennial is a thyme that she found still growing on her Aunt's property, 20 years after her aunt had retired from a lifetime of gardening. Lisa, who has been gardening for 13 years, designed and installed the cobblestone walkways. The walkways together with the gardens work to soften the divisions of space that otherwise dominate a smaller landscape. Lisa also designed and built trellises to fit specific areas in the garden. Birch trees are kept small by annual pruning. The gardens are a focal point for neighborhood pedestrian traffic and many often stop to say hello or ask for the name of a perennial.