Connecticut Gardens: A Celebration of the State's Historic, Public, and Private Gardens 2022049057, 2022049058, 9781493067602, 1493067605

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Gardens

CONNECTICU T

i CARYN B. DAVIS 

Gardens

CONNECTICU T

A Celebration of the State’s Historic, Public, and Private Gardens Photography by CARYN B. DAVIS Writing by CHRIS LAWRIE

Essex, Connecticut

An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200 Lanham, MD 20706 www​​.rowman​​.com Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK Copyright © 2023 by Caryn B. Davis Photography © Caryn B. Davis unless otherwise noted Cover photograph and this page: River Road Farm All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Davis, Caryn B., photographer. | Lawrie, Chris (Landscape designer), writer of textual content. Title: Connecticut gardens : a celebration of the state’s historic, public, and private gardens / photography by Caryn B. Davis ; writing by Chris Lawrie. Description: Essex, Connecticut : Globe Pequot, an imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., [2023] Identifiers: LCCN 2022049057 (print) | LCCN 2022049058 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493067602 (cloth) | ISBN 9781493067619 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Gardens--Connecticut. | Gardens--Connecticut--Pictorial works. Classification: LCC SB451.34.C8 C66 2023 (print) | LCC SB451.34.C8 (ebook) | DDC 635.09746--dc23/eng/20221118 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049057 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049058 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

To Chris, who makes all things beautiful. Thank you for always reminding me to stop and smell the roses. And for Dawn, the sweetest flower of them all.



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Contents A Brief History of Gardens  viii Historic Gardens  1 An Introduction to Connecticut’s Historic Gardens  2

Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden  98 Hollister House Garden  102 Wickham Park  111 Laurel Ridge Daffodils  117

Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum  4

Sunflower Maze, Lyman Orchards  118

Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden  9

Lavender Pond Farm  121

Roseland Cottage  12

Wicked Tulips Flower Farm  126

Hill-Stead Museum  16 Promisek At Three Rivers Farm  22 Florence Griswold Museum  26 Stanley-Whitman House  30 Thankful Arnold House Museum  32 Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center  35 Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden 42 Harkness Memorial State Park  44 Butler-McCook House & Garden  50 Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden  55 Harriet Beecher Stowe Center  59 Weir Farm National Historical Park  62

Private Gardens  131 Why Do We Create Gardens?  132 River Road Farm  134 The Garden in West Cornwall & the Farm Garden  147 A Persian Inspiration  160 A Woodcarver’s Haven  170 Gitanjali 177 San Simian  186 Manor House Gardens  193 Widdershins Labyrinth  202 River Knoll  215 John Wade House Garden  221 Church House  228

Public Gardens & Flower Farms  67 Sowing the Seeds of America’s Public Parks  68

Brush Hill Gardens  235 Sleepy Cat Farm  244

Elizabeth Park  70 Goodbody Garden & Fort Stamford  80 Boothe Memorial Park & Museum  86 St. Edmund’s Retreat, Enders Island  93

Visitor’s Guide  258 Acknowledgments 260 Additional Photography Credits  261 About the Photographer and the Writer  262

A Brief History of Gardens Perhaps the most straightforward definition of garden is “a plot of ground where plants are cultivated.” The word cultivated brings us to the essence of a garden: a collaboration between humans and nature. This is an age-­old partnership integral to our relationship with the natural world, and its genesis marks a milestone in our time on earth. By the time Christians embraced the idea of a Garden of Eden, early humans had been collecting seeds and planting gardens for over 20,000 years. Those first rudimentary gardens signaled the conclusion of a nomadic lifestyle that existed for millennia. This budding practice of agriculture also exemplified the origins of the human civilization which grew around these early gardens. Over thousands of years, countless gardens have existed, yet the ethereal nature of plants makes capturing their history elusive. Unlike stone buildings, which can stand for centuries on their own, gardens are inherently fragile. The Great Pyramids predate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon by more than 2,000 years, but we can still visit the pyramids today, while the hanging gardens have entirely vanished. Without any physical evidence of their existence, many scholars contend that Babylon’s magnificent gardens grew only in the imaginations of our ancestors. So, while gardens are physically intertwined with nature, they remain uniquely human creations, and our collaboration with them must continue through time. Otherwise, nature reclaims itself, and the garden disappears. The oldest surviving garden in the world is the venerable botanical garden of University of Padua in Italy. Founded in 1545 by the Venetian Republic as a plant medicine dispensary and place of learning for aspiring doctors, Orto Botanico di Padova is a remarkable testament to our reverence for plants. As evidence, consider that this garden has been continuously tended through revolutions, wars, and five centuries of change. Today, this esteemed garden maintains its original design, boasts over 6,000 species of plants, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In North America, the first gardens were planted by Indigenous peoples, who, like the Venetians, held a deep reverence for nature. These original inhabitants generously taught the new settlers how to survive by showing them how to grow gardens. Without this help, there is little doubt that the seeds of the American experiment would have withered in the first few years. At first, transplanted newcomers grew gardens to survive. But over time, they began replicating the ornamental gardens of their homelands and planted gardens for pleasure. By the mid-1700s, ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean delivering essential items like spices, textiles, and hard goods also brought seeds and plants whose sole purpose was decorative. These same ships returned home with treasures from the Americas, including flora that must have seemed quite exotic to their European recipients. Besides carrying cinnamon, lace, and buckles, an accurate history of American gardens reflects that the ships coming to the colonies also contained human cargo. These unwilling immigrants were viii

destined to labor in bondage on burgeoning southern farms, which, over time, would evolve into massive plantations. The uncomfortable truth is that the impressive agricultural revolution that fueled colonial America’s rise was built on the backs and blood of enslaved people. The oldest surviving public garden in the United States is claimed to be the Bartram Botanical Garden, founded in 1728 by plant collector and global explorer John Bartram. Originally located on the outskirts, but now within present-­day Philadelphia, here you will find a vast selection of native plants and exotic interlopers collected by three generations of Bartrams. Notable among the collection is the oldest Ginkgo biloba tree in North America and the original Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha), discovered by John and William Bartram in the wilds of Pennsylvania and named for John’s friend, Benjamin Franklin. All the Franklin trees alive today descend from this single tree. Like the Orto Botanico at the University of Padua, the stature of the Bartram Garden hasn’t diminished with age. Over three centuries, it has only become more lush and vital. Today, it is listed as a National Historic Landmark and maintained as a public park with the help of the city of Philadelphia. The Bartram garden may have been the first garden in America created solely for botanical study and admiration, but it would be followed by hundreds more, first throughout the colonies, then throughout the entire United States. Our biodiverse geography means that today we can visit public gardens representing climates ranging from temperate to tropical, and for the avid gardener or admirer of gardens, there is no shortage of wonderful gardens to discover.



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x CONNECTICUT Gardens

Historic Gardens “Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.” ––Daniel Webster

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An Introduction to Connecticut’s Historical Gardens As you leaf through the pages of Connecticut Gardens, you’ll discover Connecticut has distinguished historic gardens of its own, including the first public rose garden in America and the first publicly funded city park in America. Ironically, you won’t find these two gardens in this section on historic gardens, though you can find them elsewhere in the book. The reason is that being officially designated a historic garden comes with a caveat in Connecticut. In 2004 the nonprofit, Connecticut’s Historic Gardens, was founded to promote historically significant public gardens. To establish guidelines for inclusion, it set up the requirement that to be represented by the organization, the property must include a historic home open to the public. Though this limits Connecticut’s official historic gardens to the 15 properties we will showcase in this section, these guidelines shouldn’t necessarily be considered exclusionary. On the contrary, they set the tone for what to expect when visiting a historic garden in Connecticut, which is a holistic understanding of how people lived and gardened in a given era. The houses and the people who dwelled in them are integral to this knowledge, and thus, we will describe those structures and their occupants in historical terms. The gardens are intended to be the main characters in the stories we share, but unsurprisingly, some historic properties are more house or history-­centric than garden-­centric. We should take this in stride, understanding that most colonial gardens were built for utility instead of beauty, and there is much to learn from even the most straightforward arrangement. But not all the gardens we’ll visit in words and pictures are from the colonial era, so you will still find stunning later gardens on the following pages. By the mid-1800s, American gardens began shifting from utilitarian to aesthetic purposes. We can observe this evolution firsthand by visiting Connecticut’s diverse selection of historic gardens, which date from the early 1700s to the mid-1900s. As a final note, here is a suggestion for your consideration: One way to look at visiting Connecticut’s historic gardens is as a potential meeting-­in-­the-­m iddle with friends and family. Let’s face it: not everyone appreciates gardens, and likewise, not everyone appreciates history. Historic gardens offer a compromise where dis-­similar interests can coexist. Since we’ve already established that a garden is a collaboration between humans and nature, it is only fitting to explore the shared history of people and plants. And that may be most enjoyable if you explore Connecticut’s historic gardens with a companion. 2 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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Webb-­Deane-­Stevens Museum, Old Wethersfield The Webb-­Deane-­Stevens Museum encompasses three properties and a garden that were built between 1752 and 1789 by Joseph Webb, a shipping merchant; Silas Deane, a member of the Continental Congress; and Isaac Stevens, a shoemaker. They exist as a museum today due to the foresight of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), a group of prominent socialite women who realized the importance of preserving our colonial past. Since 1919, the NSCDA’s Connecticut branch has owned and operated the Webb-­Deane-­Stevens Museum and is headquartered there. After acquiring the property, the NSCDA made improvements and decided a garden would be a worthwhile addition. In 1921, they hired garden designer Amy Cogswell. Cogswell was a member of a small group of women in a profession dominated by men. She had graduated from the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture, Gardening, and Horticulture for Women in 1916, although the school was not accredited and didn’t offer degrees. Still, Cogswell knew her craft and created a fine example of a Colonial Revival garden for the Webb House. Colonial Revival gardens differ from authentic colonial-­era gardens in function but not form. Gardens built in colonial times were primarily designed for their utility in provisioning food stocks, textiles, dyes, medicine, or fuel, while a Colonial Revival garden’s purpose is generally decorative. Both versions are laid out with straight-­sided beds and pathways, and both feature arbors, trellises, and sundials. But in the case of an authentic colonial garden, the arbors and trellises might be for pole beans or peas. In contrast, in a Colonial Revival garden, they might support climbing roses or morning glories, and the sundial would be for show, not for determining the hour. Cogswell’s design included 99 different plants, mainly hardy perennials with some flowering annuals to provide season-­long color. In true Revival fashion, some of the plants date back to the colonial era, while others are not historically accurate but have been deemed old-­fashioned over time. As attendance to the museum dwindled during the Second World War, changes were made to the garden to make it easier and less costly to maintain. With later alterations, the layout and plantings barely resembled Cogswell’s design. In 1996, Cogswell’s original plans were rediscovered in the museum’s archives, and the Colonial Dames commissioned a recreation of the design. Today, the garden incorporates the original plant palette of the 1920s garden which includes larkspurs, peonies, foxgloves, and other perennials in lush beds bursting with texture and color, surrounded by period-­correct pathways, fencing, and structures.

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Phelps-­Hatheway House & Garden, Suffield The earliest part of the Phelps-­Hatheway House was built around 1761 for Shem Burbank. As his wealth increased so did the size of the house which had 22 rooms and 14 fireplaces by 1795. Burbank was a prosperous merchant of British goods but was against the war for independence and sided with England. This decision ruined him financially and in 1788, he sold his home to Oliver Phelps. Phelps neither came from money nor was he formally educated, but for a time, he was one of the wealthiest men and one of the largest landowners in America. When the Revolutionary War arrived, Phelps, as a patriot, was befriended by George Washington, opening doors to financial and social opportunities. In 1794, Phelps renovated the property. Fortuitously for the future museum, he left the original colonial-­era “Burbank wing” mostly intact. He added a north wing in the neoclassical Federalist style, an elegant upgrade with imported Parisian hand-­block-­printed wallpaper, and other fine improvements. Unfortunately, the real-­ estate empire Phelps amassed proved to be a monumental misstep, and in 1802, facing debtor’s prison, he was forced to sell the estate. In 1811, Asahel Hatheway purchased the residence and for the next century, the Hatheway family farmed the land. In 1956, the property was donated to Connecticut Landmarks, and in 1975, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although some plantings dating back to Phelps’s ownership still exist, the most impressive garden came later. In 1964, landscape architect Mary Wells Edwards was commissioned to design a formal garden, capturing the historical era in part by using the hand-­printed Parisian wallpaper for inspiration. Combining two different design styles, one formal and one relaxed, she subtly reflected the house’s split personality within the garden. The Edwards Garden is straightforward, including flowering shrubs and a sea of perennials (on the Historic Gardens

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original plan, she specified 68 different varieties), symmetrically flanking a linear path from the house to an octagonal sitting area. While conceptually simple, the design is quite dramatic, extending 150 feet in length, paralleling the stately home. The long view down the path creates an impressive visual effect, and the extensive plantings, along with several other gardens featured throughout the property, have been under the ongoing care of the Suffield Garden Club since 1963. Thanks to their efforts, heirloom pink and white peonies that have been on the property for over a century are still thriving.

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Roseland Cottage, Woodstock In 1833, Henry Bowen left Woodstock for New York City, seeking fame and fortune. He joined the dry goods business of Arthur Tappan, who specialized in imported silks, and ultimately opened his own business. But it wasn’t just the silk trade Bowen learned during this tenure. Tappan was a fervent abolitionist and influenced Bowen’s worldview. Eventually, Bowen founded The Independent, a pro-­a bolitionist newspaper. Abraham Lincoln was a subscriber, and at one time, Henry Ward Beecher, brother to Harriet Beecher Stowe, was editor. In 1844, Bowen married Lucy Maria Tappan, daughter of Arthur Tappan’s brother, Lewis, another abolitionist who had won freedom for the captive Africans on the Amistad. The following year Lucy Maria had the first of their 11 children. This prompted Bowen to commission a summer cottage in his hometown. The Bowens’ bright coral pink, Gothic Revival– style house was designed by renowned architect Joseph Wells and influenced by the tastemaker of the day, Andrew Jackson Downing. Roseland Cottage became the place to entertain. Starting in 1870, the largest Fourth of July celebrations in the United States were held there, and among the luminaries attending were four consecutive sitting U.S. presidents. Though there is no definitive agreement on who designed the gardens at Roseland Cottage, it’s clear Downing’s ideas strongly influenced its landscape. Downing was an esteemed garden designer and horticulturist whom some called the father of American landscape architecture. His popular books on home design established him as a trusted arbiter of Victorian style, and his influencer role and social connections offered a status akin to a celebrity. An early advocate for the parks movement, Downing believed there was a direct connection between 12 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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the environment people lived in and their psychological well-­being and moral standing. For a devout Congregationalist like Bowen, this resonated. Consequently, there are views of the gardens from almost every window to nourish the soul. Since Downing considered color morally uplifting, bright colors are the norm inside and out. The parterre, with 21 individual flower beds of massed annuals and flowering shrubs bordered by boxwood, is perhaps the most significant feature. Though by definition it’s a formal garden, the layout is organic and curving, having dispensed with the straight lines typically seen in a parterre, for a more relaxed feel. Following Downing’s guidance, who preferred the English garden style of naturalistic plantings and asserted a country home should have trees, Bowen added hundreds of native and ornamental species to the property. Exploring this National Historic Landmark gives proof to Downing’s claims that when created with intention and regard for nature, the environments we live in genuinely do nurture our well-­being.

Constance Holt, Lucy and Henry Bowen’s granddaughter, was the last family member to reside at Roseland Cottage.

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Hill-­Stead Museum, Farmington Theodate Pope was the only child of wealthy industrialist and art collector Alfred Pope and his wife Ada Brooks. In 1886, she left her native Ohio to attend Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut. Falling in love with the countryside, she eventually purchased a house there. At age 22, she accompanied her parents on a Grand Tour of Europe, a rite of passage usually reserved for upper-­class males. Inspired by the historic buildings and her father’s encouragement, Theodate Pope decided to become an architect. Education in professional fields was limited for women, so she was forced to take an unconventional path, reading extensively and hiring tutors. Eventually, Pope earned the distinction of becoming one of America’s first female architects. Later she would associate herself with Beatrix Farrand, America’s first female landscape architect, and Mary Cassatt, the first female and only American to consistently exhibit with the French Impressionists. Pope convinced her parents to retire to Farmington and purchase a 250-acre parcel of land near hers, and eventually led the design process for their new residence. The result was a 33,000 square foot Colonial Revival, widely praised for its outstanding design, and aptly named Hill-­Stead. When the residence was near completion in 1901, Pope turned her talent to the expansive property, adding vegetable gardens and greenhouses. She consulted with landscape architect Warren H. Manning, whose naturalistic style is still evident in the pastoral simplicity of the grounds and the large swaths of lawn.

Ada Pope in the Sunken Garden at Hill-Stead.

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One garden that has changed over time is the sunken octagonal flower garden. Framed by stone walls and hedges, this garden was designed for Pope’s mother, who, in a letter to Cassatt, writes adoringly of her 1,000 roses. In the early 1920s Pope asked family friend Farrand to redesign the garden, but this wasn’t implemented, and the area was grassed over due to a wartime labor shortage during WWII. It remained that way for decades until the 1980s, when it was recreated to accurately reflect Farrand’s original plan, which includes cutting flowers, perennials, spring bulbs, and evergreen shrubs for four seasons of beauty. Heirloom plants are still present, including the heliotrope grown annually in greenhouses at Harkness Park in Waterford. In 1947, one year after Pope’s passing, the house and property became the Hill-­Stead Museum. Visitors can step back in time to experience the mansion as it had been when the Popes were in residence, while exploring the vast fields and gardens.

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Promisek At Three Rivers Farm, Bridgewater Promisek, which roughly translates to “Land that goes on forever,” is the name given by the Pootatuck Indians to the horn of earth that rises at the conjunction of the Shepaug and Housatonic Rivers where the tribe lived for millennia, in what today is Bridgewater. But by 1700, encroachment by Anglo-­Saxon immigrants forced the tribe to sell the land parcel by parcel for 140 pounds sterling, four shirts, and a gun. In 1728, Dr. Ebenezer Warner purchased the acreage. After the first Ebenezer Warner, three more generations of Ebenezer Warners occupied this land. All four were “doctors”; though none were formally trained, they treated the local population using natural remedies. After the Warners, the property passed through several owners who farmed it until 1906, when it became dormant. Ten years later, noted New York neurologist and poet Dr. Frederick Peterson was walking in the woods and rediscovered the dilapidated homestead. He subsequently purchased it, restored it as a country estate, and renamed it Three Rivers Farm. In 1921, he hired Beatrix Farrand to design a formal garden. When he died in 1938, the property entered another era of neglect. In 1976, Bridgewater resident Dawn Douglas learned an abandoned estate with 300 acres was to be sold and subdivided into building lots. She explored the property and decided it possessed a sacred quality and needed to remain intact.

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An amur cork tree is one of many specimens Dr. Peterson imported from overseas,

Together with other like-­m inded residents, she established a charitable land preserve to conserve it with a mission of hosting educational, cultural, and spiritual activities. After the group researched its rich history, the name Promisek was resurrected as the appropriate moniker. Three decades were spent restoring it. In 1992, a landscape historian discovered the significance of the overgrown garden. The original plan found in the Beatrix Farrand Archives at the University of California, Berkeley, was used to recreate it. Today, visitors can amble through the restored orchard and garden on its original fieldstone paths and observe Farrand’s genius for mixing plants of varying textures, bloom times, and forms. Though the formal walled garden, featuring Farrand’s signature pink, blue, purple, red, and white color scheme, is the main attraction, plant lovers will also find A portrait of preeminent landscape exotic ornamental trees Dr. Peterson introduced. architect Beatrix Farrand in 1943. Visiting Promisek reminds us, as the website so eloquently states, “that no one person can ever maintain the land over time as a personal domain. The land goes on forever, and we are merely stewards of it, given a time to come into relationship with a particular part of creation, and to learn from and be nourished by it.”

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Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme When financial desperation prompted Florence Griswold to transform her family’s Old Lyme mansion into a boardinghouse, she didn’t know the lasting effect it would have on her legacy, her community, and art in the United States. “Miss Florence” was born into a prominent family on Christmas day in 1850. Her father, Robert, a successful sea captain, purchased the homestead as a wedding gift for his wife, Helen Powers, who bore him three daughters. In the mid-1850s the captain was forced to retire as steam-­powered vessels replaced wind-­powered ships. He had many failed investments, compounded by ill health, and in 1881 died a poor man. Although all three Griswold sisters attended finishing school, a prerequisite for women of their social status to find a husband, none married. Nonetheless, their education proved invaluable. Along with their mother, they opened a school for girls in their home, which provided them a financial lifeline.

On the Piazza, circa 1908, by William Chadwick, a member of the Old Lyme Art Colony, who stayed at Miss Florence’s boardinghouse and drew inspiration from her gardens.

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Unfortunately, Miss Florence’s mother and one sister died prematurely while her other sister was institutionalized. She did what she could to stay afloat including selling plants from her garden. Then she had an idea that would change history. She converted her home into a boardinghouse to entice city residents to summer there. By chance, noted artist Henry Ward Ranger stopped in Old Lyme and was smitten by the pastoral landscape and Miss Florence’s hospitality. He returned with his contemporaries, and America’s largest impressionist art colony, the Lyme Art Colony, was born. Miss Florence became an advocate for the artists, selling their paintings in the mansion’s hallway and eventually managing the Lyme Art Association, which opened in 1921. But she was not a savvy businessperson, and as the number of artists dwindled, her debt increased. Fortunately, Old Lyme residents understood the value she added to their community and established the Florence Griswold Association, providing relief for this unintentional patron of the arts. Today, the late Georgian-­style house is part of the Florence Griswold Museum. Her home has been restored in the fashion of the 1900s boardinghouse, and with help from landscape historian Sheila Wertheimer, the gardens and orchard were reestablished. The central garden is in the Colonial Revival style, featuring a mass of flowering plants bounded by straight lines and pathways to bring some formality to what otherwise might seem chaotic. Within this garden is a variety of what we call today old-­ fashioned plants, including hollyhock, foxglove, heliotrope, phlox, and cranesbill. But it’s the expansive marsh and Lieutenant River that are the star, reminding us that as much as we humans can create attractive gardens, there is no more beautiful landscape than what nature provides.

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Stanley-Whitman House, Farmington The Stanley-­W hitman House is an impressive museum and learning center built around a circa 1720 home. Visitors can experience the early colonial lifestyle of English immigrants living during the pre–­Revolutionary War period in New England. The colonial-­era structure is designed in the Post Medieval style, closely matching the dwellings British settlers occupied in their homeland. In the mid1800s, the house was modified to include an extended roofline and first-­story addition, transforming the structure into a uniquely American architectural style, the New England saltbox. The house represents the period from 1720 to 1772. The gardens reflect that early colonial era and include a heritage stone wall from this period. Beyond the retaining wall wrapping around the back of the house is an orchard of mature apple trees and a series of raised beds. One reason raised beds were, and still are, popular is that the soil within them thaws sooner than the ground in the spring. This made it possible for the woman of the house to get an early start on planting, as women typically tended the gardens while the men managed the crops grown farther afield. The raised beds in the front courtyard were intended for what passed in that era as display gardens, and at the rear of the house are what was known as doorway gardens. Doorway gardens were essential to homemakers in colonial times for keeping a working supply of herbs and fresh vegetables close to the kitchen.

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There are also raised beds dedicated to plants used for dyeing fibers for weaving. Thomas Smith, one the home’s earliest occupants, learned weaving from his father who had trained in England. When touring the interior, you’ll see a loom similar to the one he would have used. Also passed on from English ancestors was the recipe for making the preferred beverage for starting the day, beer. As in many colonial households, there was ample room in the garden for growing hops. As expected, the gardens of colonial America during the 1700s were primarily utilitarian, so touring them is more of an educational experience than an aesthetic one. That said, there is knowledge to be gained in studying the plants of this era, and the museum has helpful information available for consumption—but not beer.

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Thankful Arnold House Museum, Haddam Although Joseph and Thankful Arnold could trace their ancestry to aristocratic roots, those connections didn’t lead to wealth. Instead, the Arnold family life was fraught with financial hardship, and the modest but charming colonial home they lived in tells that story. When the newlyweds purchased their home in Haddam in 1798, it was already too small, but it was affordable and had an attached street-­level storefront where Joseph conducted his business ventures that included mercantile, stone quarrying, turnpike building, commercial fishing, real estate, and moneylending. As their prosperity increased, they enlarged their home and within a decade, the Arnolds were financially comfortable and welcomed into the elite social circles. Thankful Arnold’s ancestors were John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of the Plymouth Colony. She was also a “first American,” having been born after the Declaration of Independence and therefore never ruled by the king of England. But despite her lineage and having reached the upper rungs of local society, her life was typical of an 1800s housewife whose domestic obligations included food preparation and preservation, soapmaking, candle making, entertaining her husband’s clients, caring for children, and maintaining the garden behind the house. Like most family gardens of the colonial era, the Arnold garden was essential to provisioning the household with food and medicine. It occupied much of the backyard and included root crops like potatoes and hardy squash, which would have been stored for winter consumption, plus summer vegetables and greens. Thankful was well versed in canning and drying crops to extend the harvest throughout the year, and there would have been an abundance of native herbs for cooking, making medicine, and dyeing fabrics. The original garden she tended with her children’s help was strictly a working garden and in a more chaotic arrangement than what exists there today. The recreated garden, with well-­laid-out rectangular beds, edged in granite and separated by uniform river stone paths, contains historic plants that would have been in use during the 1800s. Neatly organized with botanical names visible on stakes, today the garden is primarily herbs and typical of the Colonial Revival–style gardens you might see in a place like Colonial Williamsburg. The house stayed in the Arnold family until the 1960s, when it was donated to the Haddam Historical Society and became a museum. It is a well-­deserved stop on the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail. 32 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby In 1867 Wilbur Osborne and his wife Ellen moved into a stately home in Derby and founded a dairy farm that became famous throughout New England for the quality of its milk. Ellen managed the farm while Wilbur worked in manufacturing, having inherited his father’s stake in a profitable brass factory. The Osbornes had four children, but only Frances survived childhood. When her father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1907, Frances Osborne refused to sell the many businesses he had founded by this time. Against the shareholders’ objections, the 31-year-­old woman ran the companies herself, increasing profits and establishing new overseas ventures. At 43, she married architect Waldo Kellogg, whom she had met years earlier when she commissioned his firm to design cottages for her employees in Derby. While she focused on the businesses, he ran the dairy farm developing a modern operation, setting records, and winning awards throughout New England. Frances Kellogg was both a successful industrialist and a dedicated conservationist. (She was director of the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association for 20 years.) After her husband’s death, and subsequently her own, her entire property was donated to the state of Connecticut. She also left a generous endowment for the creation of the Kellogg Environmental Center, a state-­of-­the-­art facility for nature education. Her experiences as a feminist pioneer and prominent businesswoman made her a staunch proponent of equal opportunities for women in Connecticut. This is why her home is one of the 13 stops on the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail. Visiting the Osborne Homestead Museum is a garden lover’s delight. The grounds are meticulously maintained, and the formal gardens, designed in 1911, are impressive and inspirational. Constructed in the Colonial Revival style, they beautifully complement the 12-room mansion, now open for tours, which was also redesigned in the colonial style when renovated in 1910. The rectilinear beds are neatly laid out with mixed perennials, ornamental shrubs, and flowering trees, and garden statuary is used appropriately and tastefully throughout. Beyond the house and garden are sweeps of lawn, glades of ornamental flowering trees, and a seamless integration with the natural landscape that harkens back to the park­like feel of the English garden style. Historic Gardens

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Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden, Woodbury By the end of the 18th century, Woodbury was considered a prosperous town and a hub for agricultural and industrial trade. Yet, in the 1920s its population severely shrunk, and Woodbury entered a period of decline. A symbol of that decline was the Glebe House, a Dutch colonial built around 1740, that had fallen into disrepair and was slated to be torn down as an irredeemable eyesore when local citizens stepped in. Forming the Seabury Society for the Preservation of the Glebe House, they saved it from demolition. It was restored in 1925 and opened as a museum, making it Connecticut’s longest-operating historic house museum. In 1926, a socially connected member of the Seabury Society board of directors scored a major coup when she convinced noted English landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll to plan an “old-­fashioned” garden consistent with the 18th-­century theme of the museum. Although Jekyll designed over 400 significant gardens in her lifetime, few were in North America. Perhaps because it was one of Jekyll’s smaller gardens, her design was not fully implemented, or she had not yet achieved broader recognition in the states, the famous Englishwoman’s Connecticut garden was largely forgotten in subsequent years. It wasn’t until the 1970s when the original plans were

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discovered in the Beatrix Farrand Archives at the University of California, Berkeley, that the museum board realized the significance of its neglected landscape. The garden has now been restored and completed following Jekyll’s original design and features mixed perennial borders, foundation plantings, and a planted terrace. In classic Jekyll fashion, the garden is in the English Cottage style of densely planted mixed beds, which at first sight can seem like a hastily arranged collection of random plants stuffed root to root into the ground. Thoughtful viewing reveals the initial chaos is a carefully choreographed dance of forms, colors, and growth habits, yielding a community of harmonious and balanced planting. Designing a cottage garden can be more complex Gertrude Jekyll at Higham Bury, Pulloxhill, Bedfordshire, in than creating a formal one. While a formal style her native England. can be more visually impressive with its mastery of structure and organization, a successful cottage garden requires a keen eye for design and a deep knowledge of plants. Jekyll possessed these traits and took a painterly approach to composition gained from her years of studying paintings and painters, leaving us to bear witness to the genius of one of horticulture’s historical giants.

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Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford Harkness Memorial State Park offers visitors a stunning example of an era when incredible wealth melded with exquisite taste to create coastal estates of rare distinction. Equally as impressive as the famed mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, Harkness Park features a 42-room Renaissance Revival-­ style mansion flanked by outstanding gardens and panoramic views of Long Island Sound. In 1907, Edward and Mary Harkness purchased the 237-acre property as a summer home and began making improvements, embarking upon a 10-­year relationship with America’s first female landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand. This estate offers commanding examples of her prowess. Between 1918 and 1929, Farrand designed four significant gardens for the family, beginning with the East Garden. With a vibrant palette of colors complementing a collection of Asian statuary enclosed by a tall granite wall, this garden so impressed Mary Harkness that she asked Farrand to turn her skills to reimagining the West Garden, which a few years earlier had been designed and installed by another firm. With the successful transformation of the West Garden, Farrand was tasked to create the formal Boxwood Parterre and the Alpine Rock Garden. These two gardens are a testament to her mastery. She placed completely different styles side b ­ y s­ ide with a seamless transition between them. Farrand’s ability to conceive the big picture is evident, but even minor details were crucial to her, so at Harkness she also oversaw the landscape construction after completing the design. But the gardens weren’t just for beauty. The estate had a working farm with 65 employees providing fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy for the Harknesses’ Waterford home and Manhattan residence. As lifelong philanthropists, the Harknesses gave their estate to the citizens of Connecticut after Mary’s death in 1950. It is a marvel to behold in any season, including the dead of winter when the bones of Farrand’s impressive design are most evident; in spring as sweeps of bulbs appear en masse in all varieties; and in summer when the heirloom heliotrope reveals itself in the East Garden. With its intoxicating vanilla fragrance and periwinkle color, heliotrope was Mary Harkness’s favorite flower, and the original strain has been continuously propagated in the on-­site greenhouses for over 100 years. While some of Farrand’s work has been altered for practical purposes, the spirit of her elegant designs persists with help from professional gardeners, park staff, and many volunteers who have meticulously maintained the grounds for decades.

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Butler-­McCook House & Garden, Hartford The Butler-­McCook residence stands out as the last remaining wood-­ framed structure on Main Street, a curious anachronism against Hartford’s modern skyline, which has grown 50 times larger since the house was built in 1782 and turned into a museum and historical garden. The furniture, artwork, and documentation belonging to the Butler-­ McCook House & Garden are almost entirely the collections from the four generations of the Butler and McCook families who lived there, with historical contents extend from the colonial era to the 20th century. Visitors can take a self-­g uided tour called “Witnesses on Main Street,” which uses the families’ own words to describe the transformation of their neighborhood from wood-­framed shops, homes, taverns, and churches to the multi­story brick, steel, and asphalt commercial center it is today. Equally impressive to finding an intact colonial-­era home in Connecticut’s fourth-­largest city is discovering that behind it, there is an expansive garden encompassing most of a two-­acre urban lot. Built in 1865, it was designed in the Victorian style by notable Swiss-­born landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann, the principal designer of Bushnell Park, constructed a few years prior. The Weidenmann garden is located directly behind the residence and features individual beds ringed with boxwood hedging edged in brick, surrounded by a bed of crushed stone. The beds contain heirloom roses, peonies, phlox, and an array of other perennials and shrubs. Following the Victorian garden style of including showy exotics, there are also bold flowers like red canna lily. A noteworthy yellow-­flowering Lady Banks rose rises through the top of an old greenhouse predating the Weidenmann garden. The rose, planted in 1853, is a vigorous species, growing up to 20 feet a year, with individual plants known to cover thousands of square feet. Formal pathways, arches, and a generous lawn make the Butler-­ McCook Garden a natural setting for private events. Given its location on a narrow city lot, picturing privacy outdoors in downtown Hartford may seem unbelievable. But upon visiting, you’ll find the creators of the Butler-­McCook Garden masterfully achieved spatial intimacy by lining the perimeter of the property with trees, now mature, giving the garden a feel of bucolic tranquility. It offers a lovely respite amid Hartford’s hustle and bustle.

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Bellamy-­Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem Reverend Joseph Bellamy was a prominent author, preacher, and teacher who became the first minister in Bethlehem. He was granted 104 acres of land and in 1754 built a house for his family and the students attending his theological seminary. That house, which stayed in the Bellamy family until 1868, became the present-­day site of the Bellamy-­Ferriday House & Garden. The second surname in this historic home belongs to Caroline Ferriday, who was a crusader for the people, championing human rights and social justice worldwide. Among other accolades, she earned the French Legion of Honor medal for tirelessly supporting concentration camp survivors after WWII. Ferriday’s parents purchased the Bellamy house as a summer residence. As an only child, she eventually inherited the house and became interested in collecting antiques and artifacts related to Reverend Bellamy. As an active philanthropist, it was she who began the process of creating the museum. In 1982, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and upon her death the five-acre property was left in the care of Connecticut Landmarks. Other than the mature trees on the property, the gardens were primarily designed by Ferriday and her mother Eliza. Both women enjoyed gardening, possessing a keen eye for design. The land surrounding the handsome 18th-­century house is lush and meticulously maintained. It features fragrant plants, a weeping willow said to have stood at the grave of Napoleon Bonaparte, and a mature apple orchard beyond a well-­manicured lawn. But the most impressive garden is the formal parterre. Designed by Eliza and lovingly maintained by Ferriday after her death, the parterre features neatly trimmed evergreens, well-­laid-­out beds, and a pure form that rivals comparable gardens designed by professionals. In this ambitious garden are legacy roses, peonies, and lilacs. Yews are the shrubbery of choice for the hedging and shaped forms organizing the parterre. These soft-­needled evergreens have fallen out of favor over the years, having been deemed old-­ fashioned, on the one hand, and “deer candy” on the other. But the dense and dark evergreen yew is still an excellent choice for hedges and formal gardens, especially with the arrival of the boxwood blight in Connecticut. Visitors to the Bellamy-­Ferriday House & Garden can wander the grounds, explore the 13-room mansion filled with impressive American and European antiques, and learn about the distinguished occupants who are the namesake of this charming property. Historic Gardens

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The lives of Caroline and Eliza Ferriday were the inspiration for two historical novels penned by Martha Hall Kelly titled Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.

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Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford Although Harriet Beecher Stowe’s iconic novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin became a worldwide success, she didn’t write her graphic portrayal of slavery to create a bestseller or chronicle history. Her goal was more progressive. She sought to change the minds of northerners who didn’t fully comprehend the brutal toll slavery had extracted from people of color. In keeping with the broad-mindedness of its namesake, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is a dynamic resource for research and activism with an abundant archive on this author, abolitionist, and crusader for equality. The center occupies the property where the author spent the last 23 years of her life. Although the gardens were produced after her death, the design is based on scholarly research to reflect her taste and the period she lived. Stowe had a deep affinity for the inherent beauty of plants and their ability to create healthy environments. She was a lover of nature and was fond of gardening, trading plants with friends, trying new varieties from seed catalogs, and gathering wildflowers. She had many houseplants and would collect bouquets from her gardens for indoor display. Outdoors, she embraced the dominant Victorian style, which included organized geometric beds of massed, sometimes highly ornamental, flowering plants. Stowe also had a penchant for cottage-­style gardens with their random assembly of forms to create a symphony of color. She certainly wasn’t a traditionalist and had no issue blending different styles. Hence, her Hartford home also included a vegetable garden, and consistent with her belief in the power of natural remedies, she grew plants with medicinal properties. Like the center itself, the gardens aren’t stuck in time. Instead, they reflect today’s social issues. For example, mass incarceration is conveyed in a visceral form in a garden commissioned in 2021 that mirrors the six-by-nine-foot shape and layout of a solitary confinement cell. Designed by New Orleans multi­media artist jackie sumell, the provocative garden lives up to the center’s mission to “inspire commitment to social justice and positive change.” Visitors can take a self-­g uided tour of the gardens, enjoying old-­ fashioned favorites like peonies, heritage roses, and hollyhocks, plus the exotic status plants of the Victorian era like caladiums, castor beans, and canna lilies. Noteworthy trees include Connecticut’s largest Merrill magnolia, and a venerable pink-­flowering dogwood purported to have been planted when Stowe lived there. Historic Gardens

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“The Solitary Garden” designed by artist jackie sumell.

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Weir Farm National Historical Park, Wilton When American artist Julian Alden Weir decided to build a rural retreat in 1882, art collector Erwin Davis showed Weir his 153-acre farm in Branchville, Connecticut. Weir bought it for 10 dollars and a painting. This happenstance purchase would create an enduring colony of artists sustained for 100 years. Once settled, Weir began inviting his artist friends to visit. The outcome was akin to what occurred at the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme—an artist’s colony was born. Weir’s farm played an essential role in the American Impressionism movement with notable artists like John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, and John Twachtman visiting. When Weir died in 1919, his daughter Dorothy took over. Like her father, she was a successful artist, and was determined to maintain Weir Farm as an artist’s colony. In 1931 Dorothy married Mahonri Young, religious firebrand Brigham Young’s grandson and a successful sculptor with a national reputation. The sculptor built a studio on the property, and the Youngs spent the rest of their days there. After their death, the couple’s friend, artist Sperry Andrew, purchased the farm. He collaborated with Dorothy’s younger sister, Cora Weir Burlingham, to preserve the property. Together they formed the Citizens to Preserve Weir Farm, resulting in a designation as a National Historic Site in 1990. While her father and sister created paintings, Burlingham’s canvas of choice was the farm grounds, and her palette was irises, peonies, bleeding hearts, and the whole panoply of colors expressed in the flora of New England. Burlingham had a significant role in creating the Sunken Garden, which, together with the Secret Garden, 62 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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makes up the farm’s defining horticultural elements. But by the time the property became a National Historic Park, the gardens and surrounding landscape had fallen into disrepair. After years of effort by corporate partners, volunteers, and the Ridgefield and Wilton Garden Clubs, it was restored. The Sunken Garden is once again a whimsical but formally symmetrical space contained by a fieldstone retaining wall. Besides flowering plants, it features a central lawn flanked by undulating dwarf boxwood hedges punctuated by arborvitaes. Although the Secret Garden’s original sundial and fountain have been replaced, painstaking attention to detail ensured this garden’s original character was not compromised during renovation. As much as possible, original heirloom plants were saved, and the remaining plant palette was researched to recreate the garden accurately. The landscape now mirrors how it appeared to the first three generations of artists who ambled through it in search of an ideal location to set up their easels.

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Public Gardens & Flower Farms “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” –Greek proverb

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Sowing the Seeds of America’s Public Parks By the mid-1800s, America was forging its reputation as an industrial powerhouse. Agrarian commerce was yielding dominance to manufacturing, and factory towns became burgeoning urban centers with highly concentrated populations. A natural by-product of the emerging industrial age was the factory worker. For these Americans, conditions in the factories were marked by long hours in dark, poorly ventilated, and sometimes toxic environments. At the end of their workday, these low-­wage earners retreated to cramped row houses built in the shadow of the buildings they’d just left. As this beleaguered population grew, social activists and religious leaders echoed the Victorian penchant for “passionate reform.” Their persistent lobbying persuaded upper-­class landowners and municipalities to create open spaces where urban denizens could enjoy nature, recreation, and fresh air to improve their health and moral standing. This idea steadily gained traction, and within a few decades, modern cities were measured not only by their architectural and economic progress but also by their commitment to providing public spaces for average citizens. This cultural shift became known as the American urban parks and recreation movement. Two hundred years before the American parks movement took root, Boston Common in Massachusetts became the country’s first public park. Established in 1634 by the Puritan founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the “Common” functioned as a traditional town square. Located on 50 acres near the city’s center, it served many purposes, including use for civic gatherings, public hangings, and livestock grazing. During the Revolutionary War, it was a military camp and also served as one of Boston’s first public graveyards. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that its primary function became recreational. Today, respite can still be found among its shade trees, benches, and fountains. While Boston Common was built with private funds, Bushnell Park in Connecticut was the first publicly funded park in the United States. When Reverend Horace Bushnell first shared his vision of a verdant refuge for the city’s urban dwellers in 1853, he was met with stiff resistance. Politicians and business leaders didn’t see value in repurposing productive taxable land in the heart of the city into a public good. At the same time, disbelieving citizens couldn’t imagine that land surrounded by tenements, train tracks, the polluted Park River, and home to tanneries, pigsties, and a garbage dump could be transformed into a recreational A portrait of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, sanctuary. circa 1895. Born in Hartford in 1822, Olmsted is considered It was an uphill battle, but Reverend Bushnell the “father of American landscape architecture.” Among persisted, eventually winning over the various others, notable works in Connecticut include the Pomfret constituencies and getting unanimous backing School, Walnut Hill Park, and Beardsley Park. 68 CONNECTICUT Gardens

from the city council and from Hartford’s voters. Although it took several years to complete, Bushnell Park sowed the seeds for Hartford’s and our nation’s publicly funded parks. With over 40 million visitors a year, Central Park in New York City is one of America’s most widely recognized public parks. Designed by the Olmsted and Vaux firm and nestled in the heart of Manhattan, this iconic 843-acre green space opened in 1858. Visiting Central Park evokes the feeling of moving through an idyllic countryside estate, which, in considerable measure, reflects Frederick Law Olmsted’s design aesthetic. Olmsted had a lifelong admiration for the simple beauty of natural landscapes. He was also greatly influenced by the English style of creating pastoral settings that mimicked nature in idealized forms. Olmsted and Vaux’s clever design fuels the perception the park’s picturesque setting existed naturally when in reality, most of the topography, woodlands, and waterways were created by human hands. Unsurprisingly, Central Park became a template for other urban parks throughout the country. Today, the value of public parklands is well understood. Connecticut is fortunate to have an abundance of public parks, and no matter where you are in the state, a public park can usually be found nearby. In the following pages, we will highlight several of Connecticut’s parklands, some owned by the state, others owned by municipalities, and a few privately funded. One thing they all have in common is that they are ours to enjoy, offering an opportunity to recharge and recreate in a natural setting beyond the shadow of our workaday world.

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Elizabeth Park, West Hartford & Hartford When Charles Murray Pond inherited a 33-acre cattle farm in Hartford in 1869, he was already a successful financier and state politician. The following year he did two things that sowed the seeds for his future and our present. First, he married Sarah Elizabeth Aldrich. Second, he asked preeminent landscape architect and Hartford native Frederick Law Olmsted to walk his newly acquired property to determine its suitability as a public park. The Ponds shared a love of the land. Charles pursued his passion for breeding horses, while Elizabeth pursued hers for flowers, using the present-­day site of the Helen S. Kaman Rose Garden as a plant nursery for her many gardens. In 1891, she passed away and when her husband died three years later, he bequeathed the farm, now totaling 90 acres, to the city with the stipulations that it remain a park and be named for his beloved wife. Elizabeth Park officially opened on July 8, 1897. Swiss landscape architect Theodore Wirth designed the grounds while consulting with the distinguished Olmsted firm to blend his formal European style into the otherwise natural landscape. Wirth’s impressive rose parterre opened in 1904, making it America’s first municipal rose garden and the park’s main attraction, although today Elizabeth Park boasts several other spectacular gardens. Despite being the park’s crown jewel, the rose garden was almost plowed under in the 1970s when the city of Hartford encountered fiscal challenges. Fortunately, a group of passionate volunteers formed the Friends of Elizabeth Park (now called the Elizabeth Park Conservancy) and saved this horticultural treasure while making it even grander. Today, the two-­acre garden boasts over 15,000 rosebushes in 800 varieties. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the oldest rose garden in the country. 70 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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The Robert A. Prill Tulip Garden blooms in early spring with annuals peaking in late summer.

Goodbody Garden & Fort Stamford, Stamford In 1972, the city of Stamford, together with the town of Greenwich, had the foresight and good fortune to acquire the estate of Marcus Goodbody. The Goodbody property consisted of 300 picturesque acres along the Mianus River and contained a parcel that was the original site of a Revolutionary War fort. In anticipation of the 1976 Bicentennial, this historic site was transformed into Fort Stamford Park, and within this park sits Goodbody Garden. As a young man Marcus Goodbody immigrated from Ireland to the United States, eventually founding his own trading firm on Wall Street. In 1928, he and his wife Virginia moved to Stamford and purchased a Colonial Revival mansion. Shortly after that, Virginia Goodbody commissioned a formal garden in the Italianate style. The hallmark of this landscape style is a focus on formal structure through hardscape elements like walls, columns, and fountains. In these gardens, plantings are most often tightly pruned into hedges, geometric shapes, or topiaries, and as in other formal styles, there is an emphasis on straight lines, axes, and long views. Traditionally, Italianate gardens were built for wealthy landowners as outdoor rooms bordered by low walls or columns, allowing a view from within the formality of the man-­made garden onto the rustic countryside beyond it. When the Stamford Garden Club was enlisted to renovate and maintain the Goodbody Garden in the mid-1970s, much of the original plantings had to be replaced. Still, the garden’s bones remained intact, including an impressive granite pergola, limestone balustrade, sunken garden, fountain, and formal paths. This existing hardscape provided an opportune template for the garden club, whose members have done a marvelous job restoring it. While it takes over 30 volunteer gardeners to care for Goodbody Garden, the result is stunning. 80 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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Boothe Memorial Park & Museum, Stratford If learning about unusual people, exploring unorthodox architecture, and viewing rare roses appeal to you, Boothe Memorial Park & Museum is waiting. This idyllic 32-acre property is located on one of the oldest homesteads in America. It was continuously inhabited by a member of the Boothe family from the early 1600s to the mid-1900s until the last two Boothes, Stephen and David, left it to the people of Stratford upon their death. Stephen and David Boothe were born just after the end of the Civil War and died a few months apart in the middle of the following century. Through their unique combination of ingenuity, humor, practical jokes, and generosity, they created an idiosyncratic property with a collection of architectural oddities scattered throughout their ancestral home. The brothers never ran out of quirky ideas for adding new structures, usually undertaking the design, engineering, and construction on their own, often to the consternation of local officials. The brothers loved flowers and planted large beds of iris and peony along with roses. When the Boothe homestead became a public park in 1955, the original rose garden was significantly enhanced by the Friends of Boothe Park and other volunteers. Additionally, a wedding garden was added using red, white, and pink roses aptly named Love, Honor, and Cherish. Today, the extensive collection of 400 to 500 roses features many rare varieties, putting Boothe Park on the bucket list of serious rosarians. With the help of John Mattia, a nationally renowned rose grower and one of the founders of the Connecticut Rose Society, and Frank Kecko, who has been tending the roses for 25 years, the garden continues to evolve.

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This rose, known as White Touch, was grown by John Mattia, one of the top rosarians in the country. This is the only public garden in Connecticut where it can be found.

St. Edmund’s Retreat, Enders Island, Mystic To witness firsthand one of New England’s most extensive collections of dinnerplate dahlias, visit Enders Island. Aptly earning their name, these horticultural giants can sport 12-inch diameter flowerheads, making them seem so unreal that their beauty stops us in our tracks. Located in Mystic, Enders Island features dahlias of all varieties partnered with an explosion of annual bedding in bold colors. To catch the dahlias in maximum bloom, the best time to visit is between the end of August and the end of September. Conveniently, you won’t need a boat since the island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The striking design of the gardens reflects the unique tastes of the original owners, Dr. Thomas Enders and his wife Alys. Their penchant for concrete led to a series of cement pathways, while their desire to protect the island from hurricanes resulted in erratic rows of huge boulders placed along the water’s edge. These hardscape elements create what might be described as brutalist design, but the rough look is tempered by the addition of statues and vibrant gardens. Rejecting the typical New England color palette, which tends toward cool pastels, these gardens feature bold reds, oranges, and purples. The “hot” colors offer a solid counterpoint to the rugged hardscape. Besides annuals, there is an abundance of roses, fruiting trees, and grapevines. While the gardens cover about a third of the 11-­acre island, most of the property is home to the Society of St. Edmund, an order of Catholic priests and brothers. Along with a cadre of seasonal volunteers, the brothers maintain the gardens and sometimes have pies, jams, and jellies available for purchase.

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Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden, New Britain In 1870, the city of New Britain hired eminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design Walnut Hill Park. Before his involvement, the sprawling 90-acre parcel of land was primarily a barren hillside surrounding a man-­made reservoir used as a water supply for the city’s fire department. In typical Olmsted fashion, the proposed design included reforesting the land with hundreds of native trees organized around winding drives and sweeping lawns. This transformation reflected Olmsted’s penchant for creating idealized countrysides. A century and a half later, Walnut Hill Park is one of New Britain’s most prized attractions, and one of only five public parks in Connecticut included on the National Register of Historic Places. As is typical with many of Frederick Law Olmsted’s projects, which are known for their bucolic simplicity, over time others would come forward to flesh out the design horticulturally. Fortunately, in the case of Walnut Hill Park, these subsequent modifications enhanced rather than sullied the master’s work. In 1929, prominent New Britain gardener James Burke added the original Rose Garden and devoted himself to his prized creation by personally overseeing its ongoing development and care. Throughout his lifetime and under his stewardship, the rose garden drew thousands of visitors annually and garnered praise at the national level. But later in the 20th century, the cherished garden fell into neglect and was removed, though thankfully it was not forgotten. Recognizing that one of the most popular features of the city’s flagship park had been lost, the Friends of Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden was formed, and eventually, the rose garden was restored. There is little doubt that today’s improved version of James Burke’s original garden would make him proud. 98 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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Hollister House Garden, Washington Many of us experience seminal events that definitively shape our future selves, and for George Schoellkopf, seeing the iconic Sissinghurst Castle Garden in England firsthand, would mark the beginning of a significant chapter of his life. Though he was born in Texas, Schoellkopf came to Connecticut as a teenager to attend boarding school and college. He became enamored with the state, eventually buying the circa 1770 home of Gideon Hollister in the rural town of Washington. When he purchased it in 1978, the hilly acreage surrounding the handsome saltbox was mainly native forest, but after his trip to England in the late 1970s, Schoellkopf became inspired to take the landscape in an ambitious new direction. Decades later, after wholeheartedly committing to achieving his goal, Schoellkopf had created an astounding formal landscape in the English style. Though Schoellkopf carefully states that his creation isn’t a true English garden, it certainly is a fitting homage with its combination of structured formality and controlled informality, and of course, much of the plant palette echoes the flora found in English gardens. True to English form, transitions from built to natural plantings appear seamless and the connection to the grandeur of the surrounding native landscape is inherent. Moving through the expansive landscape past tightly clipped hedges, overflowing flower beds, and informal vistas is pure delight, especially as one “room” flows into the next and one elevation yields to another. Additionally, the painstaking attention to using period methods and materials makes it easy to believe this garden was built in the 18th century by Gideon Hollister. With its flawless integration into the rolling landscape, plus the stunning beauty and meticulous construction of the gardens themselves, it is not hyperbole to suggest the Hollister House Garden is a horticultural masterpiece worth visiting.

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A view of Hollister House and its gardens.

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Wickham Park, Manchester Clarence Wickham was prominent inventor and businessman from Manchester. While traveling in Europe he met his future wife Edith Farwell McGraft. They married in 1900, and throughout their life they generously contributed to worthy causes, including bequeathing their 130-acre estate, known as The Pines, as a private park open to the public. They developed the property with this goal in mind, and when Clarence died in 1945, he left a trust fund to finance the park’s continued operation. In 1961, Wickham Park officially opened. Through donations and acquisitions, the property has grown to 280 acres extending from Manchester to East Hartford, with 10 distinctly different gardens. This unusual feature allows students of garden design to experience firsthand several styles side by side. Visitors can tour an English garden in the traditional formal layout one would expect, complete with hedges, a knot garden, a bed of roses, and perennials. A short walk away is the Oriental Garden, the park’s oldest and largest garden. Like every other garden in this park, it is a visual and horticultural triumph. It includes several classic features of Asian-­style gardens such as a torii archway, a rising moon bridge, and a traditional teahouse. Catering to the background of the workers who helped build the gardens, the Wickhams included an Italian Shrine as a place for worship. Set on a private knoll with plaster columns and religious statues, this garden is a testimonial to their thoughtfulness. The park also features the largest sensory garden in New England; an Irish Garden with shrubs, perennials, brick shamrocks, and decorative metal fencing; a Scottish Garden with statues related to Scottish history and mythology; a Wetlands Garden; a Lotus Garden; an expansive arboretum; and more. If you decide to explore this Connecticut gem, bring your camera. The beauty is abundant. Public Gardens & Flower Farms

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A view of the Oriental Garden in spring and fall.

Laurel Ridge Daffodils, Litchfield Shortly after marrying in 1939, Remy and Virginia Morosani bought 100 acres in Litchfield and started Laurel Ridge Farm. On it, they discovered a patch of land that was rocky and uneven, making it unsuitable for cultivating produce. Inspired by the William Wordsworth poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” which references glimpsing 10,000 daffodils, the Morosanis transformed the problematic parcel into a field bursting with yellow and white daffodils. Since that first planting of 10,000 bulbs in 1941, these self-­propagating flowers have blossomed into tens of thousands in over 50 varieties. Every year visitors from Connecticut and beyond descend upon the 12-acre parcel to witness the coming of spring. The property is now overseen by the Laurel Ridge Foundation. It’s free to wander and enjoy the blooms, but the foundation requests no picnics, no picking, and no dogs.

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Sunflower Maze, Lyman Orchards, Middlefield In 1741, John and Hope Lyman crossed the swamp from Durham into Middlefield and purchased 30 acres of farmland from King George II. Like most early settlers, they grew crops to sustain their family and sold animals for slaughter. Now, nearly 300 years later, the original land parcel has increased to over 1,000 acres, and a variety of fruit-­bearing trees and bushes have been added. Through necessity and ingenuity, Lyman Orchards has remained a working farm, making it the 12th-oldest family-­owned business in the country. They have also transformed themselves into one of the state’s leading tourist destinations with an on-site produce market and bakery, two world-­class golf courses, pick-­your-­own fruit orchards, and an annual sunflower maze. For over 15 years, Lyman Orchards has planted 350,000 boldly colored yellow, orange, and red sunflowers to create a three-­acre thematic maze. Visitors can wander the labyrinth amidst towering stalks that average 12 to 16 feet in height. While trying to navigate a way out of this surreal flower forest, there are places for visitors to pause along the winding pathways to read engaging signs containing trivia and educational tidbits related to that year’s theme. One dollar from every ticket sale is donated to the Connecticut Children’s Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, a non­profit foundation providing health care exclusively to children. Thus far, the proceeds from the maze have yielded over $162,000, benefiting those children battling cancer.

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Lavender Pond Farm, Killingworth Revered for its medicinal, spiritual, and therapeutic properties, lavender has been cultivated for over 2,500 years. The ancient Egyptians utilized it for mummification and as a perfume. The Romans added lavender oil to their bathwater and culinary creations. The Greeks used it to combat insomnia and ease back pain, and in medieval and Renaissance France, clothes were washed in its fragrant scent. Lavender is a member of the mint family with a color palette that ranges from soft white to brilliant violet. It is still valued today for its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and calming qualities but also for its beauty, which is one reason why Chris and Denise Salafia started Lavender Pond Farm in Killingworth. They wanted to create a sanctuary of beauty for people to enjoy as their way of giving back to the world. Visitors to Lavender Pond Farm can experience this fragrant flowering herb in all its glory. The farm boasts over 10,000 plants across 25 acres, offering a sensory immersion in sight and smell. In addition to an on-site shop where lavender products for the body, home, and kitchen can be purchased, the farm has walking paths around a scenic pond, an authentic covered bridge, and a whimsical purple train for taking tours of the property.

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A game of chess can be enjoyed in the formal garden.

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Wicked Tulips Flower Farm, Preston Wicked Tulips Flower Farm is almost as impressive as any tulip field you might find in the Netherlands. This isn’t surprising since Jeroen Koeman, who started the farm with his wife Keriann, comes from a Dutch family of tulip growers who have been farming this flower for three generations. The Koemans started their first New England farm in Exeter, Rhode Island, before establishing a second in Preston, Connecticut. Initially, they planted over 60,000 bulbs by hand. Now with the aid of a tractor, that number has grown to over one million between the two locations. The vibrant flowers bloom in April and May. Visitors are encouraged to sign up online before coming to pick their 126 CONNECTICUT Gardens

own from the glorious bounty, which features 75 varieties spread out in neat rows across five acres. Some flowers are more commonly known, while others like Apricot Parrott, White Prince, Double Fringe, and Queen of the Night are not, but are all stunning in color and characteristics. Every year the Koemans like to surprise their guests by adding lesser-­k nown varietals to this dazzling display. The sheer volume of tulips and their brilliant shades make it nearly impossible to experience anything but awe and joy when wandering this luminous landscape.

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Private Gardens “A garden is not a place. It’s a journey.” —Monty Don

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Why Do We Create Gardens? Mother Nature is the creator of earth’s incredible plant world. Although its fantastic complexity is still beyond our comprehension, nature’s motivation is simple and easy to understand. Against impossible odds, create an ecosystem that will evolve and succeed. Humans aspire to recreate our own unique plant worlds within our gardens. Though ours are perhaps a million times simpler than nature’s, our motivations can still be surprisingly complex. We first built gardens to survive, and as we evolved, so did our gardens. We transplanted medicinal plants into our rudimentary plots and added plants we could use for making dyes or weaving baskets over time. Over millennia, we moved away from our hunter-­gatherer lifestyle and became farmers and herders because we learned to grow food reliably for both ourselves and the animals we kept. Eventually, we no longer needed our own gardens because we could trade and barter with neighbors who were natural farmers. As civilization evolved, we gained the luxury of making gardens simply for beauty and pleasure, and when we emigrated to faraway lands, we brought plants to produce gardens not just to sustain us but in remembrance of our homelands. By then, gardens had evolved into status symbols, and a decorative garden meant you were a member of the upper classes. A larger garden came to imply you were an important person, and merchants and politicians parlayed their gardens as evidence of wealth or power. The finest gardens in Europe were built to impress cardinals, popes, and kings, and the higher one rose in the social hierarchy, the more impressive the gardens had to be. Gardens even garnered recognition and status in the afterlife as the rich and powerful established them as legacies. Today, we garden for all the reasons mentioned above, plus many more. Human motivation is complex, and there are undoubtedly multiple motivations in play for each of the impressive gardens featured in the following pages. But having come to understand the people behind the creation of these remarkable spaces, it is evident that the common denominator among them is the joy and satisfaction of building something beautiful that is meaningfully crafted and shows reverence to our natural world. And that is something we can all understand. 132 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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River Road Farm People are passionate about things that bring them joy. For some of us, it’s our children; for others, it’s pets; for some, it may be our vocation. For Robb Nestor and Bill Reynolds, it is their garden. Over nearly two decades, the pair has invested tremendous time, energy, and resources into creating an exquisite house and garden that merit inclusion in any conversation of beautiful properties in New England. Though this bold statement reflects the stunning landscape and elegant home, it’s primarily a well-­earned acknowledgment that most of the work was done by Nestor and Reynolds. While great gardens are often built with great wealth, it’s rare for such a substantial endeavor as River Road Farm to reach fruition as a DIY project. To this day, the two are the sole caretakers of their impressive masterwork, often working from dawn to dusk. It may be with a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the afternoon, but whether it’s pulling weeds, planting bulbs, or trimming hedges, this dynamic duo embraces their gardening chores with joy. For both men, the horticultural journey that led to a historic farmhouse in Hadlyme began in childhood. Nestor grew up in Connecticut and became enamored with gardening early, eventually graduating with a degree in horticulture and establishing a landscaping business in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he met Reynolds, whose southern roots run deep into the realm of plants, imbuing him with a green thumb and a natural reverence for nature. In a moment of kismet, the couple became smitten by a book on New England gardens, which brought them back to Nestor’s home state in search of the perfect property to create their masterpiece. It took nearly two years to find it, but there was no doubt that when they saw the circa 1732 farmhouse, they were home. The house was in good shape and unspoiled by ill-­conceived improvements, and so was the land, 11 private acres of rolling hills and woods which would become their horticultural canvas. As they had no choice but to continue working in Atlanta, it would be another decade until they could live full-­time in Connecticut. In the meantime, they dreamed of the possibilities and made weekend trips north in their car or a rented box truck. Whatever the mode of transportation, the constant was a vehicle chock-full of plants. Beginning with a central fountain, the landscape grew organically as parterres, hedging, pathways, and bedding were added. Today, the gardens are complete and include several beautifully conceived structures and outbuildings, bringing the impressive design full circle. As for many of the gardens in this book, a few hundred words cannot convey the elegance and artistry you’ll feel in the presence of this incredible garden. Thankfully, the images offer a visual feast worth thousands of words for our hungry eyes. Still, like a photograph of fantastic cuisine in a gourmet magazine, the visceral experience of being there and tasting it firsthand can only be imagined. 134 CONNECTICUT Gardens

The Garden House is the first folly constructed on the property. It has a small resource library, a garden journal, tools and supplies, and doubles as winter storage for citrus and fig plants. Private Gardens

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The Grotto features a 17th-century Flemish floor, Ming furniture and a Roman altar.

The Garden in West Cornwall & the Farm Garden Imagine an old hand-­painted wooden sign so weathered by time that its faded letters are barely visible between the rusty nails holding it together. Then ask yourself what makes this sign a treasure to some and trash to others. Next, consider why a homemaker might prefer a contorted piece of bleached driftwood for a centerpiece instead of a beautiful crystal vase of cut flowers. Lastly, why does a worn and faded Oriental rug appear more interesting than a bright new one? The answers are found in the wabi-­ sabi nature of these things. Wabi-­sabi is the ancient Japanese philosophy of aesthetics that explores our complex relationship with beauty. In essence, it revolves around an appreciation of imperfection and impermanence as qualities that should be revered rather than rejected. Though most Westerners may have never heard of wabi-­sabi, many intuitively understand its principles. Gardens can provide a telling visual study of how this Eastern concept of beauty collides and aligns with Western sensibilities. Generally, garden styles rooted in European aesthetics favor order and precision, with hedges clipped into tight rectangular forms and trees chosen for their straight, uniform trunks. By contrast, in an Asian garden, the more twisted and gnarled a tree is, the more it is cherished. Likewise, an asymmetric moss-­capped boulder is preferable to an exquisite marble statue of Aphrodite. Sophisticated gardeners appreciate both aesthetics and consciously combine elements of each in their designs. That’s why among these pages, you may see a precisely trimmed boxwood parterre, and at its center sits an ancient-­looking urn with a chipped rim and cracked glazing. Michael Trapp is one of the great masters of merging these seemingly opposite aesthetics. Feast your eyes on the images of gardens at his Sharon home or his shop in West Cornwall, and this mastery will be apparent. Of course, as a purveyor of great finds from his international travels, including unique and antique garden accessories, Trapp has an ample selection of interesting objects for his designs. At the same time, the abundance of what might be called his wabi-­sabi wares is incidental to his business, and the defining trait that makes his designs exceptional is his creative eye. Proof of Trapp’s innate skill at blending styles is represented in the images on these pages, but let’s focus on just one: the swing hanging from a limb at his Farm Garden in Sharon. This simple homemade swing has undoubtedly brought joy to its users, but it also doubles as a subtle metaphor for impermanence . . . a child was swinging, and now they are grown. Notice the apparent imperfections of the tree that supports the swing; its asymmetric form and its leafless branches. To some, this tree represents a blight on the landscape, while to others, it possesses a unique character because of its flaws. Now look beyond the crooked tree to the straight lines of the neatly stacked stone wall and the precisely shaped evergreens flanking an opening into the field behind it. Before your eyes are Eastern and Western aesthetics balanced in poetic harmony.

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“The Cabinet of Curiosity” includes an English egg collection, German animal tracks, Naga spears, a lama’s hat, and other treasures Michael Trapp has collected.

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A Persian Inspiration Like a Renaissance period oil painting, a classically designed garden resonates with our accepted aesthetic values. We admire the work, respecting its adherence to tradition and its mastery of form. Finding comfort in its familiarity confirms our perception that we understand what constitutes good design. Then there is modern art. Viewing it can jostle our aesthetic sensibilities, force our minds to contemplate new ways of understanding artistic merit, and even make us uncomfortable. One way to bridge the gap between simply reinforcing what we already know and exposing ourselves to what seems foreign but potentially evocative is to combine the elements of both styles, allowing us to investigate new ways of seeing without feeling like a fish out of water. There is a garden in Greenwich that does this beautifully. Blending elements of European garden style with Middle Eastern symbolism, this garden is engaging at every turn and seems to offer us a fresh vocabulary for inspired design. Of course, “fresh vocabulary” is somewhat of a misnomer since Middle Eastern gardens predate European gardens by millennia. Still, the point is that it’s refreshing to move beyond Western design principles, which are primarily used to impose a formal template over a garden, to instead explore water, geometry, and plants as symbols of nature, culture, and spirituality. Water signifies purity and life force and is well-­ represented in this garden. It is the central element, from rills to fountains to still pools, and Anahita, the Persian goddess of water and wisdom, would be pleased. A particularly enchanting water element features a raised pool at its center in the shape of a lotus, a flower that represented rebirth in ancient Persia. The lotus basin cleverly expands into the lawn using inlaid stone, giving the impression of petals unfolding. A different water element comprises four raised squares, forming four fountains in a grid pattern, each gently overflowing its sides, referencing abundance and 160 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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paying subtle homage to the four-­part garden called the Charbagh. Finally, the rill, with its source close to the house, symbolizes the connection between indoors and outdoors and the cosmic ocean nourishing the entire garden and the world beyond it. Geometry is also a common element in this garden. Still, it is mainly in the form of grids created by crossing perpendicular lines rather than the rectilinear patterns of parterres and hedges we are accustomed to. This feature also dates back to the ancient gardens and symbolizes the intersection of heaven and earth, among other convergences. In this space, the grids organize the gardens and create visual interest. Symbology aside, this is a genuinely imaginative and inspiring garden. Its design and execution are flawless and beautiful, making it easy to admire on an intellectual level, or in different words, through a Western lens. Still, perhaps more importantly, this Persian inspiration surely brings its creators a sense of tranquility and joy on a different level, one that is more emotional and spiritual.

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A Woodcarver’s Haven Weymouth and Gloria Eustis moved to Chester in the early 1970s, where they found a quiet town to enjoy a pleasant life with their two daughters. Weymouth was a math teacher, and Gloria a librarian, and while raising a family and working, Gloria found joy tending to her garden, while Weymouth dabbled in woodworking. Eventually, when they retired and their girls were grown, the couple found a clever way to combine their two hobbies into a single project. It was less a plan than a serendipitous occurrence, but the result was delightfully impressive. It all began with Weymouth spraining his ankle on vacation in Maine. Not wanting to lay around while he recuperated, he decided to up his woodworking ambitions and create a life-­size sculpture. Inspired by a metallic statue of Saint Francis of Assisi he had recently seen at a museum in Ogunquit, Maine, his subject would be the ascetic. Soon Weymouth was hobbling around his woodworking studio, working on a modernistic representation of Francis. Once finished, the question was, “where should it go?” Well, the garden in Chester seemed the perfect location for a man who revered the natural world as much as Saint Francis. In that first life-­size sculpture, Weymouth found his passion. With Gloria’s blessing, he began a journey of carving other famous individuals to plant in the couple’s Chester garden. Meanwhile, the character of the garden shifted to suit the wooden characters who were moving in. Soon Madame Butterfly found her way into a Japanese garden, and Claude Monet decided he would find artistic inspiration in the cottage garden. Weymouth’s sculptures are more caricature-­like than lifelike. Still, as an artist, he accurately captures the essence of each subject in a creative and entertaining manner. Painting his life-­size sculptures in simple color palettes adds to the charm and presence of his characters as you encounter them throughout the garden. What fun it must be to invite guests into the backyard to meet William Shakespeare, a Maasai elder, and Don Quixote hanging out among your rhododendrons, hydrangeas, lupines, foxgloves, and poppies.

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Connecticut’s own Leather Man.

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Gitanjali Gitanjali is a Bengali word that translates as “song offerings” and is the title of a collection of poems by mystic, poet, and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. For Dinyar Wadia, who was raised in Mumbai, Tagore’s epic poems connect him to his place of birth and inspired the epic transformation of his home and garden in Connecticut. When Dinyar Wadia first showed his wife Gool the deserted and dilapidated cottage in New Canaan he wanted to purchase to create their home, she broke down in tears. But as a renowned architect known for seeing possibilities where others saw irredeemable wreckage, Wadia knew the property had potential. As he surveyed the overgrown 10-acre lot and eyed the mature trees being strangled by vines, he was confident a hidden gem was waiting to be uncovered. It took a year and a half for two arborists working full-­time to liberate the landscape from the overgrowth of poison ivy, bittersweet, and wild grapes, and then several more years to nurture the trees back to optimal health. Still, the result was that Wadia had saved the essential bones of the landscape and could flesh out his gardens around them. The house, an English-­style guest cottage originally connected to a large estate, was in equally desperate need of saving. At first, Wadia thought it might be better if he tore it down and started from scratch, but after realizing he would probably lose some of his treasured trees in the process, he decided to reconstruct it from foundation to roof instead. The restored house now brings his wife joy instead of tears, and looking at it today, it is unimaginable that this impressive home could have ever been considered a tear­down. The gardens at Gitanjali are appropriately designed in the English cottage style, meaning there is a looser arrangement with extensive annual and perennial bedding. This vibrant floral landscape is an intricate tapestry of color and texture, with layer upon layer of plantings. That same style extends into the trees, with beeches, blue atlas cedars, and Japanese maples creating their own complementary tapestry to the flowers below them. The beds change seasonally, and between them and the rest of the diverse plant palette, there is always something in bloom, and in winter, the landscape at Gitanjali brings its own charms to the property. Though with a less formal style than most of the gardens in this section, the large size of the landscape and the number of bedding plants it requires make this a reasonably labor-­intensive property needing two full-­time gardeners to help the Wadias keep it beautiful. Nonetheless, gardening among the sweet and fragrant songs of this enchanting property is not work for them. Instead, it is a labor of love, and they take great joy in the creation and care of Gitanjali. Private Gardens

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While the flowering corkscrew vine is native to South and Central America, it thrives in the Wadias’ garden.

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San Simian In 1925, American sculptor George Grey Barnard sold a vast collection of medieval artifacts and sculptures to John D. Rockefeller, who, in turn, donated the works to establish the Met Cloisters in New York. Barnard evidently used some of the proceeds from that sale to buy 12+ acres of waterfront farmland in the Oswegatchie district of Waterford. From there, Barnard’s daughter Vivia, a noted interior decorator and industrial designer, in partnership with Renee Prahar, actress, architect, and sculptor who studied under Auguste Rodin, took on the challenge of developing the property, which at that time was meadows and apple trees. Beginning in the late 1920s, Barnard and Prahar designed several Tudor-­style residences with accompanying outbuildings and gardens, ultimately creating a bohemian enclave they called Petite Normandie. In its heyday, this unconventional waterside compound was a favored gathering place for international actors, artists, and academics, and during this freewheeling period, a troupe of minstrels lived on the property, and Albert Einstein visited occasionally in the summer. Resident cats, dogs, geese, chickens, Shetland ponies, and a donkey rounded out the diverse entourage, and we can imagine the festivities at Petite Normandie must have been splendid. By the time the property was purchased in 1999, it had fallen into extreme disrepair. But rather than tear everything down and start anew, over the next two decades, the new owner respectfully restored

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Petite Normandie to its original character, guided by the unspoken question, “What would Vivia and Renee do?” Recently these efforts have been validated by elderly residents of the historic neighborhood stopping to comment on how wonderful it is to see the property just as their parents described it, sometimes recalling stories of how their father helped care for the gardens or, as a child, their mother rode the ponies. Today Petite Normandie is called San Simian, a name paying homage to Prahar’s penchant for incorporating monkey sculptures into her architectural designs and a tongue-­in-­cheek poke at the excesses of William Randolph Hearst’s California estate. Though San Simian indeed boasts a commanding view of Keeney Cove and has a colorful history, it is anything but excessive. The main house retains its old-world charm, featuring original exposed timber framing and stucco walls, with a rustic, short-­ statured front door that looks like it could have been lifted from a Hobbit house. The dilapidated pony stable has been converted into a charming pavilion, and the waterside cabana is now a writing studio. Still, every change reflects and respects the original aesthetic of Barnard and Prahar. The gardens have been restored in the same conscious manner, and wherever possible, original plantings have been saved, including heirloom peonies, lilacs, and roses. The sunken Poetry Garden has been thoughtfully resurrected, the dovecote has been repaired, and the original garden gateway has been moved to a place of distinction. There are new gardens too, and based on passersby’s observations, these additions keep with the bucolic history of this unique property. Even the winged and four-­legged visitors who find sanctuary at San Simian seem to approve. It is fair to say that Vivia Barnard and Renee Prahar would be pleased. Private Gardens

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Manor House Gardens Webster-­Merriam defines a tastemaker as “a person who establishes or strongly influences what is considered stylish, acceptable, or worthwhile in a given sphere of interest.” It was a title reserved for those widely recognized for their expertise and knowledge in a given subject. They were the ultimate arbiters, and people generally considered their opinions gospel. But with the advent of social media, the role of the tastemaker has been supplanted by influencers, and today, the two terms are practically interchangeable. This is mildly unfortunate since, unlike sophisticated tastemakers who cultivated prestige by giving informed advice, modern influencers are ordinary people and minor celebrities with a knack for making compelling videos promoting products or lifestyles. Sadly, rather than sharing something of genuine merit, they are mainly motivated by behind-­the-­scenes monetary gain. With that in mind, it hardly seems a compliment to label the inimitable Bunny Williams a tastemaker. Still, it is a title ascribed to her many times over a long career as a trendsetting designer. Though a tastemaker in the original sense, perhaps a better word to describe Williams is classicist, implying her aesthetic is grounded in culture, art, and literature. In practice, it focuses on form, clarity, and balance. Considering her background working at prestigious design houses before starting her own company in 1988, coupled with numerous awards, accolades, and best-­selling books, Williams has been on a journey of mastering the creation of distinctive spaces for most of her life. Tellingly, her designs appeal not just to our eyes but also our intellects and our emotions. But while she may approach her work with a classicist’s eye, Williams isn’t afraid to take risks and move in new directions. In considerable measure, her ability to reinterpret classic design into a modern aesthetic is what still defines her as a tastemaker. We can see this firsthand at Manor House, Bunny Williams’s country home in Connecticut, where her charming gardens and elegantly appointed outbuildings are deeply rooted in classical architecture. There are boxwood parterres, crisp hedges bordering outdoor rooms, a formal sunken garden, and a fabulous conservatory. Plant compositions within these spaces are a pleasing balance of structure and informality combined with tasteful ornamental accents. Still, Williams adds a fresh spin even as she takes inspiration from the work of Rosemary Verey, Russell Page, and other notable designers and gardens. Her pool house offers an excellent example. Designed in the Greek Revival style and looking like a smaller version of the Parthenon, this is a classic temple with a distinction. Instead of marble, the appropriately scaled columns are unhewn logs supporting a pediment made from similarly rough timber, and the entire structure is as rustic as it is elegant. This is Williams bending classicism into responding whimsically to its arboreal setting while gently reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously. She playfully does the same in her Bird House Village only to take a 180-degree aesthetic turn in her sunken garden by dispensing with a classic parterre pattern in favor of a powerfully modernistic grid. Pure Bunny Williams, tastemaker extraordinaire.

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The Conservatory overlooks the Parterre Garden and offers a beautiful setting for entertaining.

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The Pool House

The Vegetable Garden provides Williams and her husband John with fresh produce.

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Widdershins Labyrinth Widdershins is an archaic German word meaning “to go in a contrary direction.” This usually involves moving to the left or counterclockwise, which implies going against the grain and is generally considered unlucky. An alternative view of widdershins is taking the less traveled path, allowing us to experience the world from a different perspective. In this understanding, a widdershins choice offers liberation from traditional expectations and constraints. This is the norm at Widdershins Labyrinth. Hoping to escape the escalating suburban sprawl throughout eastern Connecticut in the 1990s, Paul and Fred purchased a wooded lot in rural Lyme. In buying the 50-acre parcel in a town where much of the land is dedicated open space, or otherwise prohibited from development, they ensured their getaway would succeed. Over the next 25 years, they built a one-­of-­a-kind house and garden nestled in the middle of an undisturbed forest, and today, the two live contently within nature’s embrace. In true widdershins fashion, their garden doesn’t follow the customary rules of horticultural design and instead takes its own direction. Having dispensed with the usual structure imposed by adhering to man’s penchant for straight lines and geometric form, theirs is a garden created in honor of plants. There is no lawn, parterre, tightly clipped evergreens, axis, or long view. There are just plants, and if it weren’t for the narrow meandering paths and thoughtfully placed sculptures, a visitor might suspect they’ve been transported to a tropical, almost primordial, jungle, albeit one with a tasteful Asian flair. The prime mover of the garden is Paul, a botanist and educator possessing a lifelong fascination and affinity for plants. One of his many horticultural passions is testing the limits of what can grow in Connecticut. Thus, he takes a scientific approach to placing unusual plants into a theoretically suitable microclimate while simultaneously using his keen aesthetic to create a captivating tapestry of form, texture, and color. There are nearly 200 plant species in the Widdershins Labyrinth garden, including one of the largest Franklin trees in Connecticut. None of the plants are common and many are quite rare like the Cunninghamia, southern magnolia, hardy citrus, and Metasequoia glyptostroboides “Gold Rush.” It is a lot to manage, but their intrepid gardener is up to the task, and fortunately, his clients are true naturalists who aren’t obsessed with pristine expectations. It is truly about the plants, and if milkweed appears uninvited in the pathway, it is welcomed into the garden as a gift to the monarchs. The property’s namesake is a simple labyrinth; naturally, it also digresses from traditional design. Rather than following a path that eventually leads to its center, akin to a winding-­up as each concentric pathway becomes smaller the closer you get to the goal, Widdershins Labyrinth leads you to the center first and then unwinds from there, which feels more like a release than a constriction. This is an apt metaphor for the garden, which unfolds as you turn each corner, leading you to discover a new horticultural vignette while inviting you to emotionally melt into the flora just inches from your fingertips.

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Coppiced catalpa, hardy southern magnolia, and variegated dogwood grow above ostrich and hay-scented fern communities 208 CONNECTICUT Gardens surround Ishmael overlooking the pond.

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River Knoll Connecticut garden design is deeply rooted in the colonial era. It’s a style possessing a comfortable charm that stems from this region’s overall architectural consistency and the historical familiarity of our New England aesthetic. Here, a newly installed landscape often mirrors the look of a landscape designed 100 years ago, which is appropriate and desirable in a place that values tradition and continuity. Fortunately, a vast diversity of plants grow well in our temperate climate, so even though the majority of our gardens are stylistically similar, creative designers still have an opportunity to distinguish their work from others. Also, to our benefit, our region possesses an incredibly diverse natural landscape, so gardeners here can also take advantage of the “borrowed” landscape around us. The bottom line is that Connecticut is a beautiful place to have a garden, particularly if you value historic design. River Knoll is a 1748 colonial-­era home in Lyme set high on the bank of the Connecticut River. The current owners extensively renovated the property over several years, making substantial modifications while constantly being mindful of maintaining the New England aesthetic they value. This challenge of not compromising the historic vernacular became even more significant when it came to including a swimming pool. Still, the pool was seamlessly integrated into the project thanks to the homeowner’s design savvy and professional assistance from a talented builder, mason, and landscaper. An essential element to successfully making the swimming pool seem like a natural extension of the architecture was the inclusion of a tiny colonial-­style building nicknamed the “birdhouse,” a charming little structure sited at the corner of the pool that functions both as a cabana and a folly. The decking around the pool and in the adjacent terraces was built with fieldstone consistent with the original stone foundation of the house, and the new plantings are quintessential Colonial Revival. As you move away from the home, the landscape transitions from informal to natural, and the extended landscape becomes woodland with a sweeping meadow down to the river. Even after substantial renovations, River Knoll looks like it might have if you had visited it 100 years ago. What better tribute could there be to the homeowners and workers who understood the value of historical consistency and were committed to honoring the original spirit of the property as they renovated? Private Gardens

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Following the design of the Olmsted Brothers this beech allée was planted in 1922.

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John Wade House Garden When you visit a historic house, the past is always speaking. To know what it is saying, you must value history and have the patience and intellectual curiosity to listen. Otherwise, you might not hear what the house wants to tell you. Sometimes in a historic house, there is a cacophony of different voices; the older it is, the more competing voices there are. In dwellings containing many different households over the centuries, it takes patience to understand who is speaking. But if one family owned it through multiple generations, it usually communicates with more clarity. If the people who occupied it respected the place, then the house’s voice will be easier to hear, but if the people who inhabited it viewed it only as a dwelling meant to serve their needs, then most likely, they stifled its voice by changing the house to suit their purposes. Finally, even if the house had a continuity of ownership and its original creation has been respected through time, it may not be easy to hear because although history sometimes shouts, it often whispers. If you noticed hash marks carved into the attic beams of your home, you might not give it a second thought. But suppose you have the curiosity and patience to listen. In that case, you may discover that Hessian soldiers made those marks as they measured the days of their deployment during the Revolutionary War. Through the whispers of history, we know this is the case at the John Wade House in Old Lyme. Rosemarie Padovano and Marcello Marvelli were not country people. When they decided to step back from a cosmopolitan lifestyle and move to Connecticut, they may not have been sure about many things, but they were confident in one . . . they knew they wanted to live in a historic house. After a long search, they found the 1755 colonial-­era house that once belonged to John Wade. With backgrounds in art and history, they valued the house as it stood and took the time to understand its history before respectfully beginning restoration. The same was true when they turned their attention to the garden. To their delight, they discovered their landscape was designed by the esteemed Olmsted Brothers firm in the early 1900s. As a succession of Frederick Law Olmsted’s firm, the Olmsted Brothers’ designs are stylistically similar, less interested in creating complex horticultural masterpieces than crafting aesthetically pleasing green spaces. In other words, they developed spaces more like a park than a formal garden, but with a mastery of both and the perfect blend of each. We see this in Padovano and Marvelli’s landscape, which was overgrown and overplanted when they got there, but since then has been meticulously restored by their own hands. Even though they didn’t arrive in Old Lyme as gardeners, it’s fortunate that Padovano and Marvelli are this garden’s owners. Under their stewardship, a keen aesthetic keeps them from making one of the cardinal mistakes of gardeners: adding more plants where no more are needed. Simple elegance rests on its own merits, and history deserves to be heard.

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An impressive espaliered saucer magnolia dating back to the early 1920s.

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A gardening shed doubles as a cozy dining room.

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Church House Relationships take work. If we want them to last, we nurture them, support them in times of stress, allow them to grow in unanticipated directions, and always remain committed to their success. Simply put, we must be passionately invested in the relationships we value. But sometimes, despite our sincere efforts and intentions, relationships we thought would last a lifetime come to an end. It may be by mutual choice, unexpected circumstances, or any number of reasons, but suddenly they’re over. What follows is a mixture of sadness, regret, longing, and even relief, but eventually, after mourning and reflection, a new chapter begins. It may take a while, but we find fertile ground to start anew, bringing the triumphs and failures of our previous relationships with us, sometimes as baggage, sometimes as lessons. With work, our garden grows once more. Page Dickey is a respected author, lecturer, and designer who has been active in the New England gardening community for most of her life. She has served on countless boards that celebrate and promote the importance of ecological conservation, historic preservation, and horticultural education. Considering her role as a champion of garden preservation, it seems an ironic tragedy that her marvelous garden at Duck Hill, which was lovingly created over 33 years, showcased in multiple publications, and visited by multitudes of admirers, would be leveled by thoughtless development. But after listing Duck Hill for sale, its future was beyond her control. As much as she wanted that relationship to last a lifetime, she and her husband had reluctantly agreed they needed to downsize. And though she had hoped the buyer would hold the acclaimed garden in high regard, it wasn’t to be. Duck Hill may have been gone, but Page Dickey was still Page Dickey, and before long, she was creating a new garden at Church House in Falls Village. You can read about this journey from an unexpected loss to a new beginning in her inspiring and beautifully written book Uprooted. Starting again wasn’t easy, especially having not exactly downsized, as Church House is 17 sprawling acres. Nonetheless, Dickey embraced the challenge of her new space with lessons learned at Duck Hill. At Church House, so named because it was once a Methodist church, there is a much greater focus on using native plants and relying on the natural landscape as her collaborative partner. Thus, you’ll find fewer boxwood parterres to care for and more woodland paths to entice you into the surrounding forest. Ever the passionate horticulturalist and seasoned designer, Page Dickey still ensured there were beautiful ornamental plantings and formal elements to complement her new home in the Connecticut hills. It seems clear from reading Uprooted that now Dickey takes as much pleasure in watching the change of seasons as she does working the garden. This implies that at Church House, she has struck a balance between what she has built and what she can care for, and this last point offers a valuable lesson for all of us.

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Brush Hill Gardens Very few of us are born with a well-­worn trowel in our hand. Most initially follow other paths, later finding our way into a garden and discovering a hidden passion. Barbara Paul Robinson is one such person. During her successful career as an attorney, Robinson became the first woman partner at a prestigious New York law firm and the first female president of the New York City Bar Association. Then in 1971, on a weekend visit to a country property she and her husband, Charles Raskob Robinson, purchased to expose their young sons to life beyond the city, she found herself in a nascent vegetable garden planted by her spouse. Marveling at the first sprouts of vegetables poking their delicate green forms through the soil, Robinson was unwittingly initiated into the fantastic world of plants. After that first groundbreaking encounter, she began applying the same work ethic she had mastered during her law career, using her innate talents and energy to propel the Connecticut garden community and her horticultural education forward. On a sabbatical from her law firm in 1991, Robinson traveled to England to work and study with Rosemary Verey, later writing a book about the legendary gardener. More recently, Robinson published the insightful Heroes of Horticulture: Americans Who Transformed the Landscape. She has also written articles and book reviews for the New York Times, Fine Gardening, and the Wall Street Journal. Among many volunteer positions are past vice president and director emerita of the Garden Conservancy, as well as an instrumental role in getting non­profit status for Hollister House. Being modest to the core, it is hard to know which of these accomplishments Robinson is most proud of. Still, Brush Hill Gardens in Washington, Connecticut, must be near the top of the list. With the help of her husband, who is an accomplished marine artist, Robinson has devoted herself to creating a collection of unique gardens throughout Private Gardens

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the sprawling acreage surrounding the couple’s 1750s farmhouse. Most impressive is that she has cleverly woven multiple garden styles and settings into a cohesive master plan that flows from one garden to the next while taking full advantage of the land’s natural elements. After a half-­century of creating gardens together, Barbara and Charles Robinson have settled on a mutually satisfying division of labor. Barbara is the chief designer and gardener, and Charles is the erstwhile equipment operator and engineer. In an ironic twist, Charles steps away from the canvases in his studio to create landform canvases for Barbara to add new gardens on. He has made other contributions like building an intricate network of waterways, bridges, and whimsical structures. Though private property, Brush Hill Gardens is open by appointment and as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. If you have the privilege of visiting, you can experience firsthand horticultural excellence seamlessly woven into a multi­faceted tapestry that combines formality, naturalism, and whimsy. At Brush Hill Gardens, a cornucopia of perennial borders, woodland walks, orchards, water features, meadows, rose gardens, and fanciful follies awaits.

Inside the Woodland Garden, Charles Robinson has created a series of 14 cascading pools.

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Sleepy Cat Farm The ability of the human mind to imagine is boundless, making us capable of conceiving fantastical creations, at times conjuring them out of thin air. But what if we consciously seed the thin air of imagination with the outstanding accomplishments of those who have gone before us, the men and women, the cultures and civilizations, the artists, architects, builders, and teachers? Then the fantastical creations we imagine become ever more refined, elegant, and grander. And what if we join our mind with other creative minds to focus on a unified vision of a place that aspires to be the crown jewel of American gardens? In that case, we imagine a world-­class landscape that blends history, architecture, horticulture, art, and living into one amazing space. And what if the man who creates the spark that sets this thought experiment into motion has the will, resources, and vision to make this imagined crown jewel a reality? Well, that would describe the chain of events that led to Sleepy Cat Farm. After purchasing a handsome Georgian Revival house in Greenwich in 1994, Fred Landman was inspired to create a complementary landscape worthy of his new home. But his aspirations soon grew, something he attributes to his motto as a CEO to always think big. To achieve this more ambitious goal, Landman enlisted the help of two heavyweights in their respective fields, architect Charles Hilton and landscape architect Charles Stick. Together with a team of skilled craftsmen and horticulturalists, they embarked on the 25-year journey of building Sleepy Cat Farm. The project progressed organically, and the design expanded to meet the opportunity as Landman acquired more of the land surrounding his original property. Today, Sleepy Cat Farm encompasses 13 acres of stunning architecture and gardens. Words fall short in describing the ambitious grandeur, impeccable details, and outstanding design of Sleepy Cat Farm. You need to be in its presence to grasp what this special place has achieved, but on these pages, you can get a tantalizing glimpse of its breathtaking accomplishment. Still, Sleepy Cat Farm is a bit like the Grand Canyon; images barely touch its surface, and to truly comprehend it, you need to physically experience the space. Fortunately, through the generosity of its creator, you can do just that. Landman opens Sleepy Cat Farm to the public a few times each year. Visiting it should be on the bucket list of anyone who appreciates important gardens. Drawing inspiration from his extensive travels to the great gardens of the world and to the important historical places in Europe and Asia, from studying the great masters of design, and finally, from his own reservoir of knowledge on art, culture, and history, Fred Landman was uniquely suited to creating such a place as Sleepy Cat Farm. And yet, if you get the privilege of meeting Landman, you’ll find that amid his epic creation with all its brilliance, his humble nature is pleasantly disarming. 244 CONNECTICUT Gardens

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Marlon is but one of 14 felines that reside at Sleepy Cat, inspiring the farm’s name.

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The rare and common vegetables found in this garden are used by Landman’s wife, Seen Lippert, who is a professionally trained chef.

This gray cat, Maillol, is named after the French sculptor Aristide Maillol who created five of the statues that grace the property.

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“Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with a dream.” —Josephine Nuese

Visitor’s Guide Historic Gardens Bellamy-­Ferriday House & Garden 9 Main St. North, Bethlehem, CT 06751 ctlandmarks​​.org/properties/bellamy-­ferriday -house-­garden (203) 266-7596

Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center 500 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, CT 06418 portal​​.ct​​.gov/DEEP/Education/Kellogg/Kellogg -Environmental-­Center-­and-­OsborneHomestead-­Museum (203) 734-2513

Butler-­McCook House & Garden 396 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103 ctlandmarks​​.org/properties/butler-mccook -­house-­garden (860) 247-8996 x 11

Phelps-­Hatheway House & Garden 55 South Main St., Suffield, CT 06078 ctlandmarks​​.org/properties/phelps-­hatheway -house-­garden (860) 668-0055

Florence Griswold Museum 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT 06371 florencegriswoldmuseum​​.org (860) 434-5542

Promisek At Three Rivers Farm 694 Skyline Ridge Rd., Bridgewater, CT 06752 promisek​​.org (860) 930-8278

Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden 49 Hollow Rd., Woodbury, CT 06798 glebehousemuseum​​.org/home (203) 263-2855

Roseland Cottage 556 CT-169, Woodstock, CT 06281 roselandcottage​​.org (860) 928-4074

Harkness Memorial State Park 275 Great Neck Rd., Waterford, CT 06385 portal​​.ct​​.gov/DEEP/State-­Parks/Parks /Harkness-­Memorial-­State-­Park (860) 424-3200 Harriet Beecher Stowe Center 77 Forest St., Hartford, CT 06105 harrietbeecherstowecenter​​.org (860) 522-9258 Hill-­Stead Museum 35 Mountain Rd, Farmington, CT 06032 hillstead​​.org (860) 677-4787

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Stanley-­Whitman House 37 High St., Farmington, CT, 06032 www​​.s-­wh​​.org (860) 677-9222 Thankful Arnold House Museum 14 Hayden Hill Rd., Haddam, CT 06438 haddamhistory​​.org (860) 345-2400 Webb-­Deane-­Stevens Museum 211 Main St., Wethersfield, CT 06109 webb-­deane-­stevens​​.org (860) 529-0612 Weir Farm National Historical Park 735 Nod Hill Rd., Wilton, CT 06897 nps​​.gov/wefa/index​​.htm (203) 834-1896 x0

Public Gardens & Flower Farms Boothe Memorial Park & Museum 5800 Main St., Stratford, CT 06614 boothememorialpark​​.org (203) 381-2046 Elizabeth Park 1561 Asylum Ave., West Hartford CT 06117 www​​.elizabethparkct​​.org (860) 231-9443 Goodbody Garden & Fort Stamford 900 Westover Rd., Stamford, CT 06902 goodbodygarden​​.wordpress​​.com Hollister House Garden 300 Nettleton Hollow Rd. Washington, CT 06793 hollisterhousegarden​​.org (860) 868-2200 Laurel Ridge Daffodils 164 Wigwam Rd., Litchfield, CT 06759

St. Edmund’s Retreat, Enders Island 1 Enders Island, Mystic, CT 06355 endersisland​​.org (860) 536-0565 Sunflower Maze, Lyman Orchards 105 South St., Middlefield, CT 06455 lymanorchards​​.com/events/sunflower-­maze (860) 349-6000 Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden D7A, First St., New Britain, CT 06051 friendsoftherosegarden​​.com Wicked Tulips Flower Farm 382 Route 164, Preston, CT 06365 wickedtulips​​.com (401) 297-3700 Wickham Park 1329 Middle Turnpike West Manchester, CT 06040 wickhampark​​.org (860) 528-0856

Lavender Pond Farm 318 Roast Meat Hill Rd. Killingworth, CT 06419 lavenderpondfarm​​.com (203) 350-0367

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Acknowledgments I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all the garden owners, flower farms, parks, institutions, and museums whose gardens are represented in these pages. Without their trust and gracious participation there would be no book. I’d like to give special thanks to all those who answered my many texts and emails and sent updated photos while juggling their own busy schedules. This information was invaluable for capturing the gardens at their peak. This includes, in no particular order, Fred Landman and Alan Gorkin (Sleepy Cat Farm); Bill Reynolds and Robb Nestor (River Road Farm); Kathleen G. Kraczkowsky and Stephen Scanniello (Elizabeth Park); Jeff Maron (Wickham Park); the gang at Wicked Tulips; Sharon Larsen, Mary Trehan, and Dianne I. Farley (Goodbody Garden); Michael Trapp (The Garden in West Cornwall and the Farm Garden); Page Dickey (Church House); Bunny Williams and Shannon Anderson (Manor House Gardens); Peter Michalsky (Gitanjali); Andrew Lyons (Widdershins Labyrinth); the volunteers at the Walnut Hill Rose Garden; Doreen Jaekle and Frank Kecko (Boothe Memorial Park); and Barbara Paul Robinson (Brush Hill Gardens). I’d like to thank Connecticut Landmarks for their generosity in the making of this book, and the many site managers and gardeners who oversee the historic properties of Connecticut Landmarks and Connecticut Historic Gardens for all their help, who include Andres A. Verzosa, Lynn Mervosh, Tammi Flynn, Elizabeth G. Burgess, Jill Hogan, Irene Skrybailo, Barbara Kaplan, Kristin A. Lessard, Melanie Bourbeau, Paula Brisco, Beth Brett, Susan D. Robinson, Donna Kingston, Peg Shimer, Jana Colacino, Joshua Torrance, Rose Riley, Laurie Masciandaro, LoriAnn Witte, Elizabeth Malloy, and Erin Farley. A special note of thanks to Frank Kecko for meeting me at 6 a.m. to show me around; to Barbara and Charles Robinson for their hospitality and for feeding a hungry photographer a splendid breakfast; and to Bill Reynolds and Robb Nestor for the many early mornings they greeted with hot coffee and warm smiles, and for their beautiful garden gracing this book’s cover. I want to thank my friend Donna Moore, for introducing me to Colette Rogers from the Green Fingers Garden Club of Greenwich, and Colette, for her wonderful insight on stunning gardens to photograph. I want to thank Lisa Beebe from the Greenwich Botanical Center for suggesting Dinyar and Gool Wadia’s breathtaking garden Gitanjali. I’d also like to thank Judy Davies from the Lyme Garden Club for recommending River Road Farm and Widdershins Labyrinth. The inclusion of these gardens greatly enhanced this book. Thank you to my mother, Sue Davis, a gardener in her own right, for lending her artistic eye with regards to image editing and for proofing the manuscript prior to submittal. I am grateful to Chris Lawrie for writing such an eloquent, well-researched text that brings the story of these gardens and the people behind them to life. But mostly, I’d like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all the amateur and professional gardeners, landscape designers, landscape architects (both past and present), volunteers, garden gangs and homeowners for all their deadheading, weeding, trimming, and pruning prior to my arrival, and for creating, maintaining, and in some cases restoring, these glorious horticultural gems which are truly a beauty to behold. It has been a privilege to explore these gardens in the early quiet hours and a pure joy to record their unfolding and ever-­changing splendor with my camera. 260

Additional Photography Credits Photo on title page, Hill-Stead Museum Photo preceding the Table of Contents, The Garden in West Cornwall Photo on page ix, Gitanjali Photos on pages 1, 50–53, Courtesy of the Butler-McCook House & Garden in Hartford, CT, owned and operated by Connecticut Landmarks, Hartford, Connecticut, © Caryn B. Davis Photo on page 3, Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center Photos on pages 8–11, Courtesy of the Phelps-Hatheway House in Suffield, CT, owned and operated by Connecticut Landmarks, Hartford, Connecticut, © Caryn B. Davis Historic Photo of Constance Holt in Roseland Cottage Garden on page 14, Courtesy of Historic New England, Haverhill, Massachusetts Historic Photo of Ada Pope in Sunken Garden on page 16 by Gertrude Käsebier (American, 1852–1934), ca. 1902. Archives, #98, Courtesy of the Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, Connecticut Historic Photo of Beatrix Farrand on page 25, Courtesy of the Beatrix Farrand Society Painting on page 26, William Chadwick, On the Piazza, ca. 1908, oil on canvas, 24 in. x 30 in., Florence Griswold Museum, Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth Chadwick O’Connell, 1975.7.1 Historic Photo of Gertrude Jekyll on page 43, Courtesy of the Jekyll Estate Photos on pages 54–57, Courtesy of the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden in Bethlehem, CT, owned and operated by Connecticut Landmarks, Hartford, Connecticut, © Caryn B. Davis Photo on pages 66–67, Irish Garden, Wickham Park Historic Photo of Frederick Law Olmsted on page 68, Courtesy of the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Photo on page 69, Hollister House Garden Photos on pages 92–97 Courtesy of St. Edmund’s Retreat, Mystic, Connecticut, © Caryn B. Davis Photos on page 130–131, River Road Farm Photos on page 132–133, Gitanjali Photo on pages 256–257, Harkness Memorial State Park Photos on back cover Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center (left), Sleepy Cat Farm (right)

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About the Photographer and the Writer Caryn B. Davis is an award-­w inning photographer specializing in architecture, interiors, hospitality, landscape design, and travel photography. Her career has spanned the globe taking her to over 50 countries and still counting. She is also a prolific writer and often combines her images with words resulting in 400+ articles that have appeared in the New York Times, Lonely Planet, Condé Nast Traveler, Town & Country, Travel + Leisure, New Zealand Geographic, and other publications. She has two commissioned photography books, A Connecticut Christmas: Celebrating the Holiday in Classic New England Style, and Connecticut Waters: Celebrating Our Coastline & Waterways. Connecticut Connecticut Gardens is her third book.

Noelle Marsh Guzman

About the Photographer

As a child, Chris Lawrie possessed an innate affinity for nature. Growing up in rural Connecticut, the state’s forests, meadows, and wetlands were both his playground and schoolhouse. Following his passion, he studied environmental sciences in college, furthering his deep knowledge of the plant world which began with his early immersion in nature. Eventually, he turned his passion into a lifelong career first as a licensed arborist, and later by creating a successful landscape design/build firm which he owned for 35 years until selling it in 2015. Today, he is a landscape designer and project management consultant who resides in Lyme, Connecticut.

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Caryn B. Davis

About the Writer