April 03, 2024

Best Spring Bulb Displays in the Northeast

April 03, 2024/ Jana Milbocker

HOlland ridge farms (photo courtesy of holland ridge farms)

Ready to welcome spring after a long Northeast winter? Nothing lifts the spirit like a stroll among masses of daffodils, tulips and other spring bulbs. Here’s my list of wonderful spring bulb displays to enjoy this year.

New England Botanic Garden

Mid-April to late May, Boylston, MA

Enjoy a changing bulb display at New England Botanic garden, beginning with Reticulated Iris and Hyacinths in mid-April, fields of 25,000 daffodils in late April to early May, and gorgeous tulip displays in mid to late May. nebg.org

Spring Bloom Fest at The Stevens Coolidge House and Gardens

Late April–mid-May, N. Andover, MA

Immerse yourself in the beauty of more than 175,000 tulips and other bulbs, filling nine display gardens with the exuberant colors of spring. the trustees

Naumkeag Daffodil and Tulip Festival

Late April–mid-May, Stockbridge, MA

Stroll through the 8 acres of our world-renowned gardens decorated with over 75,000 daffodil, tulip and minor bulbs as we celebrate spring in the Berkshires. the trustees

Nantucket Daffodil Festival

April, Nantucket, MA

Nantucket’s annual daffodil celebration includes the Nantucket Daffodil Flower Show, a window decorating contest, antique car parade, tours, and art shows. Come in costume to the Daffy Hat Contest and children’s parade. daffodilfestival.com

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Late April–late May, Boothbay, ME

Coastal Maine’s display gardens feature thousands of tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs from late April to late May in one of New England’s premier public gardens. mainegardens.org

Blithewold Daffodil Days

April through Mid-May, Bristol, RI

The Bosquet, a cultivated woodland, features more than 50,000 daffodils at Blithewold Mansion Gardens and Arboretum. You will also see many woodland wildflowers in bloom. blithewold.org

Wicked Tulips Flower Farm

Late April–mid May, Exeter, RI and Preston, CT

Wicked Tulips has the largest u-pick tulip field in New England, with 600,000 early, mid, and late blooming tulips. Enjoy the fields of color, and bring home a fresh hand-picked bouquet. The early tulips begin blooming in late April, followed by waves of later blooming tulips until Mother’s Day. The website Bloom Report provides important updates and allows you to see what is in bloom. Advance tickets are required and must be purchased online. wickedtulips.com

Green Animals

April–May, Newport, RI

Visit the nation’s northernmost topiary garden ablaze with the bright colors of tulips and daffodils!

Newport Daffodil Days Festival

April, Newport, RI

Now in its 8th year, the Newport Daffodil Festival has beautified the city with more than 1 million daffodils. The week-long celebration includes a garden party, classic car parade, concerts, tours, dog parade and much more. newportdaffydays.com

Elizabeth Park

Mid-April–mid May, Hartford, CT

Daffodils in mid-April give way to a beautiful display of 11,000 tulips that peak on Mother’s Day. elizabethparkct.org

ColorBlends House and Spring Garden

Bridgeport, CT

 Stroll through an evolving display of color as snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs come into bloom at the ColorBlends House and Spring Garden. Located in Bridgeport’s  Stratfield Historic Distric, the 1903 Colonial Revival  mansion is surrounded by an intimate garden designed by distinguished Dutch  garden designer Jacqueline van der Kloet for Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs. colorblendsspringgarden.com

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

Late April–mid May, Stamford, CT

Enjoy planting of early bulbs, daffodils and tulips blooming in 93-acres of formal gardens and natural habitats. bartlettarboretum.org

Meriden Daffodil Festival

April, Meriden, CT

One of Connecticut’s favorite celebrations, the Meriden Daffodil Festival features a juried craft fair, rides and food vendors, and an amazing fireworks show, all set against a spectacular display of 600,000 daffodils. daffodilfest.com

New York Botanic Garden

April–May, Bronx, NY

Explore the Rock Garden for tiny species daffodils, and Daffodil Valley, where the Murray Liasson Narcissus Collection is located. See the latest hybrids on the Daylily/Daffodil Walk, and antique cultivars planted in a seal of yellow and white on Daffodil Hill. nybg.org/garden

Reeves-Reed Arboretum

Mid April, Summit, NJ

Celebrate spring with a "host of golden daffodils," as poet William Wordsworth wrote, at Reeves-Reed Arboretum and enjoy one of the largest daffodil collections in New Jersey. The collection, planted in the Arboretum's glacially carved 'kettle' or bowl, was started in the early 1900s by the original owners of the property. Today the collection boasts more than 50,000 bulbs and the annual Daffodil Day brings visitors from all over the tri-state area. reeves-reedarboretum.org

Deep Cut Gardens

Mid-April–mid May, Middletown, NJ

Beautiful tulip and daffodil blooms are on display in this 54 acre formal garden. monmouthcountyparks.com

Holland Ridge Farms

April, Cream Ridge, NJ

Tulip Festival with more then 8 million tulips that you can pick. hollandridgefarms.com

Frelinhuysen Arboretum

Mid April-mid May, Morris Township, NJ

The formal gardens at Frelinghuysen Arboretum feature gorgeous bedding displays of tulips. arboretumfriends.org

Chanticleer

Early April to mid-May

Chanticleer is ablaze with spring bulbs from species tulips, miniature daffodils and grape hyacinths on the hillside, to formal bedding of tulips and daffodils around the mansion. A sloping lawn, punctuated by flowering shade trees, features 80,000 white or pale yellow narcissus running in two rivers to the bottom. Virginia bluebells, trilliums, grape hyacinths and camassias create gorgeous displays in the woodlands. chanticleergarden.org

Longwood Gardens

Early April to early May, Kennett Square, PA

Early spring bulbs like glory-of-the-snow, winter-aconite, and crocus first herald the season’s arrival, with gorgeous tulips, wisteria, and flowering trees creating a lush spring tapestry of color, fragrance, and warmth. longwoodgardens.org

January 28, 2024

Winterthur: A Glorious du Pont Garden

January 28, 2024/ Jana Milbocker

An excerpt from The Garden Tourist’s Mid-Atlantic: A Guide to 90 Beautiful Historic and Public Gardens by Jana Milbocker. Publication date: April 2024

Nestled in 1,000 acres of rolling hills and meadows in the Brandywine Valley, Winterthur is a historic estate with a magnificent 60-acre garden and a museum of American decorative arts. The collection of 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640 is displayed in a 175-room museum that was once the home of Henry Francis du Pont. Accompanying graduate degree programs and an extensive research library make Winterthur the leading center of decorative arts in the country.

When Henry Francis du Pont inherited Wintherthur in 1927, he had already been responsible for its garden for almost 20 years. The estate had been his family home, in the du Pont family since 1816. The du Ponts had a shared interest in horticulture and farming. At its height, Winterthur was its own town, with 2,500 acres of farms, vegetable and flower gardens, a sawmill, railroad station, a post office and its own zip code. Henry earned a degree in practical agriculture and horticulture so that he could successfully manage the family estate.

Henry had a life-long passion for gardens and plants. Influenced by the theories of William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll as well as his visits to gardens throughout Europe, Henry spent almost 60 years working on his gardens. The estate had second-growth oak-chestnut forests, typical of the Brandywine area. American chestnuts, tulip poplars, red maples, hickories, oaks and American beech grew in groupings in the woodlands. A trip to England with his father inspired them to add a pinetum of unusual conifers. In 1909 he began ordering spring bulbs by the tens of thousands and having them planted in large drifts throughout the property. When chestnut blight attacked the native trees in 1917, Henry began planting the newly available Japanese karume azaleas. This grew into the eight-acre Azalea Woods that fill the woodlands with dazzling color in early May. Adjacent to the house, the March Bank was planted a carpet of Glory-of-the-snow, crocus, snowdrops, Siberian squill, Winter aconite and Amur Adonis that greet early spring. The du Ponts used Winterthur primarily in spring and fall, so these were the important seasons for flowering displays.

When he added a massive nine-story addition to the house to display his collection of antiques and decorative arts, Henry hired his lifelong friend and landscape designer Marian Cruger Coffin to design a new garden that would integrate the house with the landscape. Marian created a series of terraces and a grand central staircase that descend to a rectangular pool with two charming changing pavilions. Shaded by ancient tulip trees, the hillside plantings include dogwoods, viburnums, azaleas and handkerchief trees. Twenty years later she also designed the Sundial Garden as a spring collection of lilacs, quinces, and cherry, crabapple and dogwood trees.

Azalea Woods was a garden that he worked on for 40 years. He was the artist, and this garden was his painting. Underneath the canopy of tall trees with their leaves unfurling in chartreuse green were waves of pastel colored azaleas in shades of pink, white, salmon and red. These in turn were underplanted with Spanish bluebells, white trilliums and Italian windflowers. Henry was fascinated with color, and would move mature blooming azaleas to achieve his ideal color harmonies. He also incorporated a few discordant plants in a grouping to “chic it up” or enliven the composition with an unexpected hue.

During the last part of his life, Henry focused on achieving a succession of bloom in his garden. As more and more visitors came to the museum that opened to the public in 1950 and toured the gardens, Henry added plantings to existing gardens to ensure that the flower display continued through all seasons. He kept meticulous notes with the bloom times of all of his plants, and adjusted accordingly. He added lilies to Azalea Woods, wildflowers to the March Bank, and more flowering shrubs throughout the gardens. Henry continuously sought out new varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers, and tested them for several years before incorporating them in the garden. He formed strong relationships with Charles Sprague Sargent and other prominent plant collectors, breeders, and botanical gardens, and consulted with them on plant cultivation and new plant varieties.

Other gardens of interest at Winterthur include a peony garden that is spectacular in late May and the Quarry Garden with its spring display of Japanese candelabra primrose and other damp-loving perennials. The newest garden is the three-acre Enchanted Woods on a site once occupied by the children’s play set. With its thatched Faerie Cottage, Troll Bridge, whimsical Tulip Tree House, giant Bird’s Nest and a Forbidden Fairy Ring with misting mushrooms, it is a fantasy garden for kids of all ages. A garden tram tour is available at Winterthur which provides a history of the property as well as an overview of the gardens and grounds.

Winterthur is featured on The Garden Tourist’s Spring in Brandywine Valley Tour, May 2024.

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

5105 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE 19807, 800-448-3883, winterthur.org

December 30, 2023

An Artist's Garden: Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens

December 30, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

The tranquil gardens at the Albin Polasek Museum are an integral part of the story of the internationally renowned sculptor. Many of the sculptures were created here by Polasek after he survived a debilitating stroke that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body. Yet he continued to paint, draw, sculpt clay, and, with assistance, carve stone. These gardens are not only beautiful to behold but part of Polasek’s inspirational legacy.

In 1950 Albin Polasek, then aged 70, retired to Winter Park after a successful 30-year career as a sculptor of public and private commissions and head of the Sculpture Department at the Art Institute of Chicago. He had been born in 1879 in Moravia (a part of the Czech Republic) and apprenticed with a woodcarver in Vienna before immigrating to the United States in 1901. After four years of carving ecclesiastical sculptures for churches throughout the Midwest, Polasek began formal training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and later at the American Academy of Art in Rome. Large public commissions in Europe and the US brought him success and an international reputation.

When he came to Winter Park, Polasek designed his home, studio, and gardens with Old World charm. The stucco home, with its tiled roofs, gentle rounded facade, and warm ochre color, is reminiscent of Moravian villages. The interior is filled with paintings, sculptures, a private chapel, and mementos from family, friends, and travels abroad.

Polasek designed the gardens himself as a beautiful setting for his artwork. More than 50 sculptures are carefully situated with groupings of tropical plants or a panorama of Lake Osceola as their background. Their themes are taken from history, mythology, and folklore.

Many are earlier works whose originals grace churches and museums all over the world. In front of the house you will find one of Polasek’s most famous pieces, Man Carving His Own Destiny, an homage to his personal struggle to establish himself in the world. Originally conceived in 1907, Polasek created 50 versions of it in his lifetime.

In contrast, the Forest Idyl is a tender reunion of a dryad and her wild forest companion. The Emily Fountain welcomes you in the courtyard. It is a sculpture of a young woman playing a harp, with streams of running water creating the strings. It was a romantic wedding present to his second wife, Emily Muska Kubat.

In the tranquil garden behind the house you will find The Victorious Christ and his Stations of the Cross that are mounted on a curved wall covered with ivy. Unfettered, a beautiful bronze of a woman reaching for the sky, is Polasek’s vision of a woman breaking through the clouds of ignorance and superstition into the full light of freedom.

The mysterious Water Goblin, based on a Czech folktale, perches at the edge of a pond in a dark grotto. The classical figurative, deeply religious, and whimsical mythological sculptures tell the story of Polasek’s life.

Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, 633 Osceola Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789, 407-647-6294, polasek.org

November 28, 2023

2023 Holiday Events for Gardeners

November 28, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

From beautiful light displays to Christmas teas and train shows, you will find a wealth of holiday cheer at historic mansions and botanic gardens in the region. Below is a list of holiday events in the Northeast and Florida. Please note that almost all of the events listed below require an advance-purchase admission ticket, and are selling out very quickly this year.

Maine

Gardens Aglow

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
November 18–December 31

New England’s biggest and brightest light display! With over 750,000 lights, the 14 acres of central gardens are transformed into a dramatic display of brilliant color.

Massachusetts

Holidays at Highfield

Highfield Hall and Gardens, Falmouth, MA
November 24–December 10, 10 am—4 pm

The Holidays are set for another year of spectacular decorating, seasonal activities, displays and Santa is expected to set up residence on specific days. The Gift Gallery will once again be alive with artisan gifts for all ages. Come on in and complete your Holiday shopping!

Festival of Trees and Snow Village

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA
November 24-December 31

The Festival of Trees, displayed in the Hunnewell Building, offers beautifully decorated holiday trees that are donated and decorated by local businesses, garden clubs, and individuals. Snow Village is an enchanting display of model trains winding through villages and vignettes, including Christmas in the Boston, Fenway Park, and hundreds of decorated houses and lights. Visitors can also enjoy the decorated buildings and grounds at The Gardens at Elm Bank with a stroll or a horse-drawn wagon ride.

Holiday House Tours & Nightwood

The Mount, Lenox, MA
Holiday House Tours: Saturdays–Sundays, November–December, 10 am- 3 pm
Nightwood: Thursday–Sundays, November 17–January 6, 5–8 pm

Tour Edith Wharton’s home decorated for the holidays and enjoy the second year of an ethereal winter landscape inspired by The Mount’s unique architecture and history. NightWood combines music, lighting, and theatrical elements to create unique scenes that evoke feelings of wonder, mystery, and magic.

Winter Lights

Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
November 24–January 6, Wednesdays–Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

Enjoy the spectacular garden of Naumkeag lit with thousands of shimmering holiday lights. Each weekend features performances and activities for the whole family, from the young to the young at heart.

Nightlights

New England Botanic Garden, Boylston MA
November 24–December 31, Daily 4:00–10:00 pm

Celebrate the season with a light display heralded last year as a top-five show in Greater Boston! Enchanting landscapes, fun experiences, and thousands of lightsawait. Enjoy s’mores, seasonal drinks, a model train, shopping for holiday gifts, and fun photo opportunities while creating memories for the whole family.

Connecticut

Holiday Magic

Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT
November 24–December 31

Enjoy the Griswold mansion decorated for the holidays. In the Krieble Gallery, over 250 painted palettes, including a dozen new ones created this year, adorn four stunning Artist Trees. Miss Florence’s Christmastime Teas are available December 1-30. In the art museum, enjoy the special exhibit “Revisiting America: The Prints of Currier and Ives.”

Rhode Island

Christmas at Blithewold & Sparkle

Blithewold, Bristol, RI
November 22–January 4, Wednesday—Sunday 11—3 pm

Visit the beautifully decorated mansion. This year’s theme, "All About Augustine," will focus on the youngest daughter and her interesting and adventurous life. The holiday season includes Jazz Brunches, Afternoon Teas, Wreath-making Workshops, Music in the Living Room Series, and a Sing-Along with Santa.

Outdoors, there is the Sparkle program. Explore Blithewold’s illuminated Gardens and Grounds as you collect scavenger hunt clues. Gather around cozy fires in the Enclosed Garden and listen while seasonal music floats through the air. Cocktails and hot beverages are available. Follow beautifully illuminated paths throughout the grounds to discover stunning, newly expanded light displays, handmade bamboo lanterns, and fun photo ops.

Holidays at the Newport Mansions

Newport Mansions, Newport, RI
November 17 - December 30
Sparkling Lights at the Breakers: Thursday–Sundays, 4:30–7 pm

A total of 28 Christmas trees will glow in various places throughout The Breakers, Marble House and The Elms, featuring ornate, themed decorations that reflect the room where they are located. As always, the 15-foot poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers – made up of 150 poinsettia plants – will provide a perfect holiday photo opportunity for visitors. Poinsettias, flowers, evergreens, wreaths and floral arrangements will decorate the fireplace mantels, tabletops and staircases of these Gilded Age mansions.

For the second year in a row, thousands of lights will illuminate the historic landscape at The Breakers. This year Sparkling Lights has been expanded to include both the north and south portions of the grounds. Stroll along a winding path and enjoy holiday music and displays including Peppermint Woods, Gnome Knoll, Snow People Corner and a Tunnel of Light, among others.

New York

Holiday Train Show & NYBG Glow

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
Train Show: November 17–January 15
NYBG Glow: November 17–January 13

Marvel at model trains zipping through an enchanting display of famous New York landmarks—imagine the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center, and other favorites—each delightfully re-created from natural materials such as birch bark, acorns, and cinnamon sticks.

Experience the magic of New York City’s longest outdoor illuminated color spectacle with NYBG Glow. See NYBG’s iconic sights and buildings come to life as dramatic, glittering canvases with the Haupt Conservatory and Mertz Library Building as the centerpieces. Colorfully lit paths and trees, thousands of dazzling LEDs, illuminated plant stories, and whimsical, picture-perfect installations reflect the surrounding gardens and collections—creating a spectacle not to be missed!

A Vanderbilt Holiday

Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, NY
November 24–December 31, Thursday–Monday

The first floor of the mansion is decorated for a Vanderbilt holiday house party, including an extravagant new holiday buffet.

A Gilded Age Christmas

Staatsburg State Historic Site, Staatsburg, NY
November 24–December 31

Staatsurg is a 65-room mansion designed in the Beaux-Arts style. Enjoy Staatsburgh's beautiful interiors, with their original furniture, art and décor, lavishly decorated for the holiday season.

Holiday Classic Mansion Tour

Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY
November 27–December 29, Thurs.–Mon. 9:30–3:00

See Lyndhurst mansion transformed into an extravagant wonderland of holiday splendor. Described as one of the “Ten Best Historic Holiday Tours” by USA Today, Lyndhurst goes all-out during the holiday season, filling the mansion with elaborate tableaus of décor, which change every year. Dozens of Christmas trees are expertly decorated and designed to complement the elegant period furnishings within the rooms of the house. During this month only, the curators bring out rarely-seen items that belonged to Lyndhurst’s former owners. This is a once-a-year opportunity to see many of the glittering possessions that are usually tucked away in the archives.

Pennsylvania

A Longwood Christmas

Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, PA
November 17–January 7, 10 am–11 pm

This holiday season, experience a radiance of retro, a bevy of bright, and numerous nostalgic moments with us. Marvel at playful trees draped in throwback baubles to shimmering tinsel to childhood-favorite toys. Stroll through a fab, festive holiday party scene decked out in mid-century magic. Reminisce amid a vintage Christmas street scene, make new merry memories amid dazzling, vibrant light displays—including some super-sized surprises—and revel in the retro fun at every turn.

Holiday Railway

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA
November 24–December 30

Visitors of all ages will be wowed by a quarter mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with fifteen different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under), and bustling model trains, all set in the lovely winter garden of the Morris Arboretum. The display and buildings are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with small streams. Philadelphia-area landmarks such as a masterpiece replica of Independence Hall are made using pinecone seeds for shingles, acorns as finials and twigs as downspouts.

Delaware

Yuletide at Winterthur

Winterthur, Winterthur, DE
November 18–January 7

The Yuletide tour at Winterthur showcases rooms in Henry Francis du Pont’s former home decorated in full holiday splendor, including specialty decorated trees that celebrate the garden, and du Pont family traditions. The displays are inspired by the traditions and festivities of the season as enjoyed by H. F. du Pont and his family. Special holiday programs throughout the season include Wonderful Wednesdays in December, evening events featuring live jazz performances, caroling, and workshops.

Noel at Nemours Estate

Nemours Estate, Wilmington, DE
November 14–December 30, Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm

Ever since 1910, when Mr. and Mrs. duPont began living in their newly built mansion, the holiday season has been a festive time at Nemours. The Christmas decorations at the Nemours Mansion are often inspired by the architecture of the home, the customs of the duPonts or the French influence.

Florida

Holiday Lights in the Gardens

Florida Botanical Gardens, Largo, FL
November 24 – December 31, 5:30–9:30 pm

The Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation invites you to attend its annual winter event, beginning the day after Thanksgiving and ending the first day of the new year. The Gardens will sparkle with 1 million, twinkling, LED lights in a multitude of colors. Vibrant laser lights and lighted figures round out our display to wow guests of all ages.

Lights in Bloom

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL
Select dates – December 8–January 3

Step into a tropical winter wonderland at our Downtown Sarasota campus featuring more than two million lights, festive photo opportunities, activities & entertainment for the whole family to enjoy!

Johnsonville Night Lights in the Gardens

Naples Botanic Garden, Naples, FL
November 24 – January 7, 6:00–9:00 pm

What better way to celebrate winter in the tropics than with an annual lighted extravaganza awash in color? Stroll through the Garden and marvel at the beauty of our collections illuminated in thousands of lights.

Dazzling Nights

Leu Gardens, Orlando, FL
November 24 – January 6

Dazzling Nights is a magical holiday experience for everyone. Over a million lights will immerse you into the wonder of the holidays.

NightGarden

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, Miami, FL
November 10 – January 8

Take a stroll through Miami’s breathtaking Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden at night! The beautiful 23-acre gardens have been transformed into an illuminated magical fairyland with technicolor flowers and unique sculptures. Step into this enchanted wonderland at NightGarden.

October 30, 2023

The Historic Gardens of Middleton Place

October 30, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

Middleton Place is the most famous plantation and oldest landscape garden in the Charleston area, set on a natural bluff overlooking the Ashley River. It has miraculously remained under the same family stewardship for over 300 years, and boasts an 18th-century garden planted with collections of camellias and azaleas.

First settled in the late 17th century, Middleton Place was acquired by Henry Middleton through his marriage in 1741. At its peak, the rice plantation was 7,000 acres in size. For 125 years, the property was the family seat of four successive generations of Middletons who played important roles in American History. Henry was the second president of the First Continental Congress; Arthur, an ardent revolutionary and signer of the Declaration of Independence, his son Henry became the Governor of South Carolina, and Williams was a signer of the Ordinance of Secession.

This gate welcomes you to the historic plantation. The plantation house and several outbuildings were burned by the Union troops in 1865, and further destroyed in the 1886 Charleston earthquake. A flanker building survived, and provided a home for the family after the Civil War.

Middleton descendant John Julius Pringle Smith embarked on several decades of property restoration in 1916. He hired New York architect Bancel LaFarge to design a stableyard complex built of brick that was salvaged from the ruined main house.

His wife, Heningham Lyons Ellett Smith, restored the landscape that had been neglected for six decades following the Civil War. Her efforts led the Garden Club of America to describe Middleton Place in 1940 as the “most important and interesting garden in America.”

In the early 1970s, 110 acres, including the flanker house, the gardens, and several outbuildings, were placed on the National Register of Historic Places and opened to the public. Today you will find a living museum with stable yards, carriage house, textile, carpentry, coopering and blacksmith shops, a mill, and a spring house on an estate of historic gardens and grounds.

The Gardens, which Henry Middleton envisioned and began to create in 1741, reflect the grand classic style that remained in vogue in Europe into the early part of the 18th century. A long reflecting pool greets you at the plantation entrance..

Henry Middleton was determined to outshine his neighbors, who were laying out neat four-square parterres. He adopted the principles of André Le Nôtre, the designer of Versailles to create a design based on rational order, geometry and balance with stunning vistas, focal points, and surprises.

The most elaborate garden feature at Middleton Place is the terraced gardens with its parterres and “Butterfly Lakes.” With the help of an English gardener and a sizable crew, Middleton created a formal lawn bisected with a gravel carriageway leading to six shaped turf terraces with bowed centers. At the level of the river, a pair of "Butterfly Lakes" were excavated on either side of a turf causeway, further prolonging the axis.

The lakes were flanked by the river, Mill Pond, and a levee that flooded the rice fields. This stunning feature was installed to impress visitors when viewed from the plantation house and from the river.

Strolling gardens were created with allées of camellias, hollies and azaleas. The shrubs were sheared into green walls that partitioned off small garden galleries, green arbors and bowling greens.

Sculptures and benches were placed as focal points throughout the garden.

Here we see the Octagonal Sunken Garden, planted in spring with white tulips and blue pansies.

The wheel-shaped Sundial Garden reflects formal European garden design of the 18th century, and looks magnificent when seen from above.

An interest in botany continued in the Middleton family, and the gardens evolved as subsequent generations made their own contributions. Henry’s son Arthur befriended the French botanist André Michaux, who brought the first camellias to America in 1786. Three of those historic camellias are still growing in the garden, along with hundreds of others.

Arthur’s son, Governor Henry Middleton, planted many more camellias and introduced plants such as tea olives and crepe myrtles. He also filled greenhouses with exotics plants which gave the antebellum Middleton Place something of the air of a botanical garden.

Williams Middleton expanded the Gardens, incorporating romantic garden influences, and brought azaleas to the plantation, which now number over 100,000.

The azaleas are beautifully displayed on a hillside overlooking the Mill Pond. Although Middleton Place is lovely in all seasons, a visit in late March is particularly rewarding since both the camellias and azaleas are in bloom.

You will also find many historic live oaks on the property, including one that is almost 1,000 years old. As Andreas Feininger wrote in his 1968 book, Trees, referring to the specimens that he had seen at Middleton Place:

“No other tree combines as many virtues with fewer faults…the most beautiful, majestic, yet friendliest of all trees; the tree which as far as humans are concerned is the most rewarding not in terms of lumber and cash, but in the creation of an atmosphere of comfort, well-being and peace.”

Dripping with Spanish moss, these trees frame views of the river and of the pastures.

October 02, 2023

Longwood’s Chrysanthemum Festival: Horticultural Artistry at its Finest

October 02, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

As part of the Garden Bloggers Fling in September, our group of 100 garden writers were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the propagation greenhouses at Longwood Gardens. What a treat! I have been to Longwood Gardens many times in the past 10 years, and always wished to see the magic behind the beautiful displays.

Longwood’s annual Chrysanthemum Festival, held in October and early November, celebrates fall’s favorite flower in its many forms, hues, and varieties. During previous visits, I had marveled at the beautiful chrysanthemum displays, so was happy to see how they are created by Longwood’s designers and growers.

Chrysanthemum Festival is a distinct “season” in the Conservatory, when the Orangery, Exhibition Hall, and East Conservatory undergo a nearly complete transformations with an autumn color palette and thousands of mums. Preparations for the Festival begin more than a year in advance, when the designers finalize the appearance of the displays and choose the Chrysanthemum varieties that will be grown. The team is led by Jim Sutton, who has been at Longwood Gardens for more than 20 years. In addition to fall colors, Jim tries to incorporate Asian aesthetic touches since mums are native to Japan and China.

While most of us are familiar with the potted mums sold at nurseries and grocery stores, modern chrysanthemums are actually divided into 13 classifications based on their flower form. In the floral trade, the decorative, pompon, daisy, spider, and football mum are some of the more common types seen in floral arrangements. The Chrysanthemum Festival includes all of these varieties in amazing displays that require labor-intensive grafting techniques developed more than 400 years ago in Japan and China. To learn these techniques, Longwood’s growers traveled to Asia to train with specialty chrysanthemum growers who are skilled in this dying art form.

Jim considers the Chrysanthemum Festival to be the most horticulturally challenging exhibit presented each year. The special hybrids that are grown for the Festival are not the regular garden mums or hardy outdoor mums that we are all familiar with, and require a lot of attention. We met Jason who has been the Chrysanthemum grower for the past 20 years. With the assistance of 6 seasonal employees and 6 volunteers, he cultivates that hundreds of mums that amaze visitors each year.

The process begins more than a year in advance with cuttings from stock plants. Some cuttings are grafted on two different stocks—either on chrysanthemum stock or Artemisia (Artemisia annua) stock. Artemisia is used because it has strong root system for summer heat, disease and insect resistance. Others are grown on their own roots. Once rooted, these young plants are potted in mid- to late-summer, depending on when they are scheduled to bloom. From then on, plants are fertilized, pruned, pinched, trained, and grown under lights to create various forms that are needed for the displays. Some are trained to be “single stems,” so that side buds are continuously pinched off to produce one giant flower. Others are disbudded to produce plants with five medium-sized blooms. The mums that require the least amount of work are the spray-style mums, which are allowed to retain all of their buds.

Cascade chrysanthemums have long been at the heart of the Chrysanthemum Festival. Longwood grows specialty mums (Chrysanthemum x moriflorum) that originated in China and Japan and are selected for their ability to create beautiful and lasting forms. These amazing plants can grow six feet in a season, are extremely flexible, can be adapted to many shapes and forms, and produce an abundance of small anemone-type blooms. They are used in the three-dimensional pieces such as columns, globes, swags, and cones. We saw them trained into spirals, on v-shaped supports and obelisks, which have been fabricated by Longwood’s in-house welders. These mums are capable of being grown down a metal frame, and then removed from the frame, brought into the Conservatory and hung from their pots down the columns.

An interesting training method is stem-breaking, which is used for creating spirals and cascade curtains. This ultra-meticulous method requires nerves of steel, because it is easy to snap the plant in half. First, the pants are wilted, and then, using both hands, the stems are broken in multiple locations without rupturing the surface layers. The stems are then bent in the desired directions, wired to their frame and the plants are watered. Within hours the plants have mended with no lasting damage! Stem breaking is used throughout the entire vegetative growing season to create the incredible forms that you see on display.

A star feature of the Chrysanthemum Festival is the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum. This is always a show-stopper, and takes more than 1,800 labor hours of growing, pruning, pinching and training. The plant reaches a diameter of 12-1/2 feet, barely able to fit through the Main Conservatory’s doorway. We did not get to see this plant during our tour, but you can read more about its cultivation on Longwood’s blog.

The Chrysanthemum Festival is definitely worth a visit! This year, it runs from September 30–November 12. Visit longwoodgardens.org for more information.

August 18, 2023

Autumn Splendor at Stonecrop

August 18, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

Stonecrop Gardens has become a destination for gardeners and students of landscape design since it opened to the public in 1992. I have visited several times in different seasons, and find it particularly striking in the fall.

Its founder was Frank Cabot, a financier and self-taught horticulturalist who began gardening to relieve the pressures of venture capitalism and ended up creating two of the most celebrated gardens in North America—Stonecrop in New York, and Les Quatre Vents in Quebec. He also founded the Garden Conservancy, and served as chairman of the New York Botanical Garden and advisor to botanic gardens in Brooklyn and Ontario.

the gravel garden with alpines and dwarf conifers

Stonecrop began as a private garden in 1958, when Frank and his wife, Anne, built their home on 60 acres in the Hudson Highlands at an elevation of 1,100 feet. They began to garden on the rocky site and soon developed a passion for alpine plants. Since choice alpines were hard to come by, they started their own alpine mail-order nursery. Although the nursery no longer operates, you will see many alpines in Stonecrop’s gardens and greenhouses, that available for sale.

Tufa troughs with alpines and dwarf conifers

Over the years the Cabots’ garden grew to 12. In the mid-1980s, they began planning for Stonecrop to become a public garden that would inspire and educate other gardeners. They engaged English horticulturist Caroline Burgess, who had studied at Kew Gardens and worked for Rosemary Verey. Under Caroline’s direction, Stonecrop’s gardens have expanded in scope and diversity and now contain an encyclopedic collection of plants. Caroline continues to serve Stonecrop as its director today.

Caroline Burgess in the systematic garden

A visit to Stonecrop is a serious immersion in plants and design ideas. Plan to spend several hours with a plant list in hand. Some of the highlights include a cliff rock garden, woodland, and water gardens, an enclosed English-style flower garden, and systematic order beds representing over 50 plant families.

Asters, dahlias and persicaria in bloom in the flower garden

The flower garden is an english-style cottage garden with color-themed beds

Inspiration may be found in all seasons, from the spring show of bulbs and the explosion of color on the cliff ledge, to summer’s profusion in the flower garden and the subtleties of fall foliage and fruit in the woodland. In late September when I visited, the flower garden was bursting with tall dahlias, asters, love-lies-a-bleeding, persicarias and other perennials and annuals.

The rock ledge was built from stone on the property as well as blasted rock from a road construction project. A lovely stone bridge lies across the pond, which is surrounded by weeping katsuras and cherries and a grove of metasequoias. Rock crevices are planted with dianthus, dwarf Lady’s Mantle, bergenia and sedums. A wisteria-covered pergola offers beautiful views of the pond and woodland.

The woodlands are carpeted with ferns, hostas, Goat’s Beard, Solomon’s Seal and sedges. In autumn, the acteas are lovely. Rodgersia frames a second pond with a 2,000-square-foot conservatory housing tender specimens, and display greenhouses of alpines, tropicals, and succulents.

Stonecrop, 81 Stonecrop Ln., Cold Spring, NY 10516 (845) 265-2000 www.stonecrop.org

July 21, 2023

Bartram's Garden: The Home of America’s First Botanist

July 21, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

John Bartram was America’s first botanist, plant explorer, and collector. He compiled a stunning selection of flora at his home garden and nursery from plant collecting expeditions across eastern America, as well as through his trades with European collectors. Located on the west bank of the Schuykill River, Bartram’s Garden covers 45 acres. It includes his 1728 home and the historic botanical garden and arboretum that showcases North American plant species collected by three generations of Bartrams.

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Bartram was a Quaker, a denomination that produced many naturalists at that time. He taught himself about plants through books and his own observations. His curiosity fueled a desire to collect plants from all over New England, as far south as Florida, and west to Lake Ontario. He collected seeds and plant specimens and established a relationship with another plant collector—London merchant Peter Collinson. Their plant swaps led to a burgeoning business. Prominent patrons and scholars in Britain were fascinated by the native American species, and were eager to purchase from Bartram’s Garden. In 1765 King George III appointed Bartram Royal Botanist. At home in Philadelphia, Bartram received both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Bartram’s international plant trade and nursery business thrived under his descendants. Son William accompanied his father on most of his expeditions and became an important naturalist, author, and artist. William’s drawings of birds and turtles were used in publications in 1758. He transformed the garden into an educational center that trained a new generation of botanists and explorers. Granddaughter Ann Bartram Carr built a successful nursery business that introduced Asian plants to the American public.

The Bartram garden has many distinct areas to explore. In front of the house is the Ann Bartram Carr garden, which celebrates her Asian plant introductions such as peonies and dahlias. Behind the house are the kitchen, flower, and medicinal plant gardens. And beyond those are woodlands of trees and shrubs that were collected, grown, and studied by the Bartrams from 1728 to 1850. These are primarily native plants of eastern North America: flame azaleas, highbush cranberry, Carolina allspice, sweetbay magnolia, and more. A bog garden illustrates the Bartrams’ fascination with carnivorous plants. A separate area is devoted to plants William Bartram collected in the South, including bottlebrush buckeye and oakleaf hydrangea.

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The garden also contains three especially notable trees:

Franklinia alatamaha: John and William Bartram discovered a small grove of these trees in October 1765 while camping by Georgia's Altamaha River. William eventually brought seeds to the garden, where they were planted in 1777. The species, named in honor of John Bartram’s friend Benjamin Franklin, was last seen in the wild in 1803. All Franklinia growing today are descended from those propagated and distributed by the Bartrams, who saved this tree from extinction.

Cladrastis kentukia (Yellowwood): A notably old tree, possibly collected by French plant explorer Andre Michaux in Tennessee and sent to William Bartram in 1796.

Ginkgo biloba: The Bartrams’ is believed to be one of three original ginkgos introduced to the United States from China in 1785.

The property continues to the edge of the river, where there are opportunities for water recreation. Native plants and those discovered by the Bartram family are available for purchase year-round in the Welcome Center.

Bartram’s Garden 5400 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19143 (215) 729-5281 bartramsgarden.org

May 12, 2023

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum

May 12, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum is a wonderful place to visit from June to September, when the exquisite rose garden is in bloom.

The three families whose names were given to the Rotch-Jones-Duff House all shared close ties to New Bedford’s dominance of the whaling industry in the 19th century. The beautiful Greek Revival mansion was built in 1834 for William Rotch Jr., one of the wealthiest and most influential citizens of New Bedford. Rotch was a Quaker who had distinguished himself by helping to found several banks and schools. He built his house on a hill overlooking the port, with room for expansive gardens on the south-facing side of the property. Rotch had a tremendous passion for horticulture, with a particular interest in the cultivation of pears, which were a popular fruit in New Bedford at that time. He created a bountiful garden of vegetables, fruits, and exotic ornamental species brought back from whaling voyages. Rotch founded the New Bedford Horticultural Society. He shared his horticultural interests with his son-in-law James Arnold who would later become benefactor of the Arnold Arboretum. (Below: William Rotch, Jr and James Arnold and family)

Edward Coffin Jones, a successful whaling agent, purchased the mansion in 1851. The Jones family expanded the garden and added the Victorian pergola situated at the main axis of the ornamental gardens. Jones’s daughter Amelia Hickling Jones lived in the house for 85 years. Photographs of the garden from the late 19th century show the pergola covered with wisteria and parterre beds edged with boxwood and filled with roses, hollyhocks, and calla lilies. Amelia became a prominent philanthropist in the community supporting the arts and founding a children’s hospital. With no heirs, the property was offered for sale when she died in 1935.

In 1936 the property was purchased by successful businessman and politician Mark M. Duff whose fortune was made in whale oil, coal, and oil transportation. Duff hired Mrs. John Coolidge, a Boston landscape architect, to enhance the garden with ornamental beds, reflecting pools, and graceful walkways. Duff was extremely fond of tulips, and more than 7,000 bulbs were planted during the Duff tenure, which concluded in 1981.

Today elements of all three residencies remain. A massive copper beech, planted by Amelia Jones in the 1880s, greets you at the front entrance of the mansion. On the left side of the house, stone steps descend to the formal boxwood rose parterre garden, the star of the property. The best view is from the porch of the house, where you can clearly see the pattern. The 19th-century wooden lattice pergola punctuates the garden, and its intricate lattice work casts lovely shadow patterns on the ground below. An heirloom apple orchard is sited nearby.

The Garden Club of Buzzards Bay has been involved in restoring these and other gardens on the property since 1982. In the southeast corner, the club has created the kind of naturalistic woodland garden that might have existed on the site in the late 19th and early 20th centuries while referencing modern horticultural and environmental practices. Here you will find trilliums, Tiarella, trout lilies, and Solomon’s seal in early spring. The club also operates the historic greenhouse and maintains an adjacent historic collection of about 50 boxwood specimens.

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-1401, rjdmuseum.org
Hours: May–Oct.: Wed.–Sat. 10–4, Sun. 12–4.

May 11, 2023

June Garden Tours 2023

May 11, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

June is the ideal garden tour month for the Northeast! Below is a listing of several tours open to the public. Please note that the information was provided by the organizations listed below. There are many additional Open Garden Days sponsored by the Garden Conservancy in New York, New Jersey and other states. Please visit https://www.gardenconservancy.org for more information.

Massachusetts

Highfield Hall and Gardens

Falmouth, By appointment
Highfield Hall and Gardens, http://highfieldhall.org
Ticket Price: $12
We invite groups to coordinate private tours of our gardens with our Landscape Director, George Chapman.

6/3 90th Anniversary Garden Tour

Holliston, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, Rain or shine
Holliston Garden Club, http://Hollistongardenclub.org
Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 on day of tour
Tickets available to purchase on our website. Pre tour price $25. Day of tour $30. Pick up tickets at the Holliston Library. Magnificent display and variety of 7 gardens in Holliston and one in Millis. Drawing at each garden for a $40 gift certificate to Fiske’s General Store.

6/4 Norfolk County Open Garden Day

NORFOLK COUNTY, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/norfolk-county-ma-open-day\
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 2 private gardens in Needham and Milton

6/9–6/10 Artistry in Nature

Carlisle, 10 am–4 pm
Carlisle Garden Club, https://www.carlislegardenclub.org/
Tickets: $Seniors, 65+ $20, Adults $30. After June 5th, tickets are available at $35 online or in person.
Artistry in Nature features 6 fabulous private country gardens and 2 beautiful public gardens. Come experience the country and get fabulous ideas for using native plants in your garden!

You can pick up or purchase your tickets at Carlisle Town Common on both days of the tour between 10:00am-3:00pm. At that time you'll receive your booklet/guide to the gardens!

6/9–6/11 Boston Bonanza Weekend with the Conifer society

Massachusetts, various locations
American Conifer Society, https://conifersociety.org/news-events/event/ner-rendezvous-wakefield-estate/
The majority of the events for this weekend sponsored by the American Conifer Society are free - with a few workshops and Saturday night progressive dinner as paid ticketed events. 4 private gardens, a nursery, a local Arboretum will be featured as well as topics of interest to gardeners and people interested in learning more about conifers.

6/10 South Shore Open Garden Day

Cohasset, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/south-shore-ma-open-day-2
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 3 private gardens in Cohasset

6/23 Secret Gardens of Marion

Marion, 10am – 3pm. Rain or shine
Marion Garden Group, http://mariongardengroup.org/secret-gardens-of-marion/.
Tickets: $35 in advance, $40 on day or tour

A self-guided walking tour of 8 stunning public and private gardens throughout Marion, on the picturesque shores of the Southcoast of Massachusetts. Visitors will enjoy a variety of garden styles including expansive waterfront vistas, intimate cottage gardens, hardscaping, container gardens and more. Additionally, two gardens will feature local plein air artists, Jay Ryan and Barbara Healy from the Marion Art Center.

Secret Gardens of Marion tour starts at Bicentennial Park, 1 Spring Street, Marion,MA. Tickets and tour maps will be distributed at Bicentennial Park. Marion is located one hour south of Boston and 20 minutes northwest of the Bourne Bridge.The event is organized and managed by the Marion Garden Group (MGG). Those wishing to include lunch are invited to purchase a boxed lunch from partner restaurant, Kate’s Simple Eats. A prompt to purchase lunch is conveniently accessible on the ticketing webpage. Please note dogs are not permitted.

The Marion Garden Group is an organization of Marion-area residents interested in gardening. Its goals are to assist in the enhancement of the town’s parks and landscape projects and to further expand members’ knowledge of gardening through discussions and presentations by experts in the field. The Secret Gardens of Marion tour is a bi-annual event that raises money for the beautification of town public spaces.

6/24 June In Bloom

Mattapoisett
Mattapoisett Woman's Club Garden Group, http://Mattapoisettwomansclub.org
Tickets: $30 before 6/23, $35 on day of tour

The public is invited to view several fabulous gardens selected for a variety of gardening styles. Inspirations will await attendees who visit the various gardens— from formal to informal, woodsy to cottage, seaside to secluded. The gardens will highlight the use of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, shrubs, trees, and beautiful container plantings.

6/24 Garden Oasis

Roslindale, 11 am to 4 pm
Roslindale Green & Clean, http://www.roslindalegreenandclean.org/
Tickets: $20

Roslindale Green & Clean hosts Garden Oasis, the seventh Roslindale Garden Tour on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Join us as we feature gardeners who have created oases of calm in each unique space. Each garden is a unique blend of perseverance and creativity, particularly impressive given the challenges of an urban setting. All of these private gardens will inspire you with their stories, design, and genuine love of nature. The proceeds of the tour benefit continued improvements to the public green spaces in Roslindale.

Connecticut

6/10 Through the Garden Gate

Manchester, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm, rain or shine
Perennial Planters Garden Club of Manchester, http://manchestergardenclubs.org/perennial_planters.htm
Tickets: $20
Through the Garden Gate Grab your sun hat and join Perennial Planters Garden Club of Manchester for their biannual garden tour, “Through the Garden Gate.” Visit six beautifully designed private backyard gardens in Manchester, including a secret garden near Case Mountain with a landscaped hillside with stone boulders, seasonal perennials, and a beehive collection. Check out an historic Greek Revival home with a hidden swimming pool, including a stone patio and sweeping gardens with roses and hydrangea. Another charming garden is graced with trellises covered in fragrant heritage roses. On a quiet street, wander around a large part-shade, part-sun perennial garden with an extensive collection of hostas. Also view a vibrant farmhouse herb garden and newly restored flower garden with beautiful stone patios. Date: Saturday June 10, 2023, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, rain or shine. Advance Tickets - $20 Day of Tour Tickets - $25 Tickets will be available starting mid-May at the following locations: • Garden Sales, 308 Oakland Street, Manchester • Woodland Gardens, 168 Woodland Street, Manchester • Highland Park Market, 317 Highland Street, Manchester • Highland Park Market, 1320 Manchester Road, Glastonbury Or, reserve your ticket online here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/manchestergardentour2023 Proceeds from this garden tour fund local horticulture-related non-profits and scholarships.

6/10–6/11 Art & Garden Tour

Northeastern Conn: Mansfield, Willington, Coventry, Ashford, 10 am–5 pm
Connecticut Art & Garden Tour, https://artgardenct.com
Tickets: Free

Visit nine professional artists' private gardens, many with additional guest artists. Bring your camera or sketch book. Find inspiration and discover treasures for your own gardens. Experience paintings, sculpture, pottery, woodwork, pyrography, photography, calligraphy, gourds, and other works of art. The gardens, which vary in style, include a woodland trail, acres of mountain laurel, two sculpture gardens, fountains, pools, a wildflower meadow, stone arches, paths, terraces and an abundance of flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Art work, much of it horticulturally inspired, will be available for purchase. Individuals, families and groups are welcome. This relaxing self-guided tour through Ashford, Coventry, Mansfield and Willington in the beautiful hills of northeastern Connecticut is free.

6/11 Fairfield & Hartford County Open Garden Days

Fairfield & Hartford Counties, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/cheshire-county-nh-open-day-3
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 4 private gardens in Burlington, Westport and Riverside

6/17 Litchfield County Open Garden Day

Litchfield County, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/cheshire-county-nh-open-day-3
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 6 private gardens including Page Dickey’s and Bunny Williams’ gardens.

New Hampshire

6/17 Cheshire County Open Garden Day

Chesire County, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/cheshire-county-nh-open-day-3
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 2 private gardens in Westmoreland and Jaffrey

6/24 Hillsborough County Open Garden Day

Hillsborough Count, 10 am–4 pm
Garden Conservancy, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/hillsborough-county-nh-open-day
Tickets: $10 per garden
Visit 4 private gardens in Nashua, Milford and Goffstown

April 23, 2023

Kinney Azalea Gardens: Rhode Island’s Hidden Gem

April 23, 2023/ Jana Milbocker

The Kinney Azalea Gardens are a hidden gem—a private garden that grew out of the horticultural passions of Lorenzo Kinney, Jr, who moved there with his wife, Elizabeth, in 1927. The first azalea and rhododendron plants were planted shortly, with help from Lorenzo’s father, the first professor of botany at the nearby University of Rhode Island. Lorenzo inherited a love of horticulture from his father, and a love of plein air oil painting from his mother, who was URI’s first painting professor. Lorenzo was able to pursue both in the creation of his garden.

Azaleas became his passion after visiting Elizabeth’s native Virginia and seeing the extensive azalea plantings in southern estates. At that time, there were few azaleas available for northern gardens, so Lorenzo began collecting azaleas from the southern U.S. and from around the world, and hybridizing his own—a hobby that turned into a second career. His hybrids, known as the K-series, can be seen on the K Path in the garden. A beautiful peach hybrid is named in honor of Elizabeth.

With help from many high school and college students, Lorenzo planted five acres of gardens. One of those high school students, Susan Gordon, went on to earn a doctorate in plant sciences. She worked extensively with Lorenzo from 1976 until his death in 1994 at the age of 100. The gardens have stayed in the Kinney family, and visitors are still welcomed!

Dr. Gordon manages the gardens and continues to develop new hybrids. She has planted a sixth acre as Galle’s Footsteps, a series of five footprints, each devoted to an azalea hybridizer. The area is dedicated to the late Fred Galle, author, horticulturist and friend of Lorenzo’s. She has also created naturalized areas with native shrubs and perennials to preserve the biodiversity of the garden.

The azaleas are at their peak from mid-May to early June, when the garden is ablaze in pink, white, red and coral. There are hundreds of azalea and rhododendron cultivars, and collections of mountain laurel, boxwood, pieris, leucothoe, itea, calycanthus, and oakleaf hydrangeas. You will also find a stand of mature umbrella pines that was a wedding gift to Lorenzo from his parents, and a 10-foot circular moongate that was built by a local landscape architect and stonemason.

You can also purchase azaleas, rhododendrons, leucothoe, mountain laurel, and other shrubs, both in pots and as full-grown specimens from the garden. Cash and check only.

Kinney Azalea Gardens, 2391 Kingstown Rd. (Rte 108), South Kingstown, RI 02879, (401) 782-8847, kinneyazaleagardens.com. Admission by donation, open daily dawn to dusk, street parking.

November 27, 2022

2022 Holiday Events for Gardeners

November 27, 2022/ Jana Milbocker

November and December offer amazing holiday events for gardeners. From beautiful light displays to Christmas teas and train shows, you will find a wealth of inspiration for your own holiday celebrations. Below is a list of holiday events in the Northeast and Florida. Please note that almost all of the events listed below require an advance-purchase admission ticket, and are selling out very quickly this year.

Maine

Gardens Aglow

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
November 19–December 31

New England’s biggest and brightest light display! With over 750,000 lights, the 14 acres of central gardens are transformed into a dramatic display of brilliant color.

Massachusetts

Holidays at Highfield

Highfield Hall and Gardens, Falmouth, MA
November 25–December 11, 10 am—4 pm

Festival of Trees and Snow Village

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA
November 25-December 31

Holiday House Tours & Nightwood

The Mount, Lenox, MA
Holiday House Tours: Saturdays–Sundays, November 5–January 1, 10 am- 3 pm
Nightwood: Thursday–Sundays, November 11–January 1, 5–8 pm

Tour Edith Wharton’s home decorated for the holidays and enjoy the second year of an ethereal winter landscape inspired by The Mount’s unique architecture and history. NightWood combines music, lighting, and theatrical elements to create seven unique scenes that evoke feelings of wonder, mystery, and magic: The Woods, The Eternal City, The Courtyard, The Winter Garden, The Lane, The Glade, and The Conference of Trees.

Winter Lights

Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
November 25–January 7, Wednesdays–Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

Enjoy the spectacular garden of Naumkeag lit with thousands of shimmering holiday lights. Each weekend features performances and activities for the whole family, from the young to the young at heart.

Nightlights

New England Botanic Garden, Boylston MA
November 25–December 31, Daily 4:00–10:00 pm

Connecticut

Holiday Magic

Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT
November 25–December 31

This year’s celebration features new twists on the traditional décor. Imagine a fictional mantel-decorating contest in the Griswold boardinghouse between the historic Lyme Art Colony artists. Inspired by their paintings, they rummage through their studios as well as old trunks in Miss Florence’s attic for festive objets d’art and holiday decorations. Miss Florence announces the winner and awards ribbons on her birthday—Christmas Day!

In the Krieble Gallery, over 220 painted palettes, including a dozen new ones created this year, adorn four stunning Artist Trees. Miss Florence’s Christmastime Teas are available December 1-30. In the art museum, enjoy the special exhibit “Revisiting America: The Prints of Currier and Ives.”

Rhode Island

Christmas at Blithewold

Blithewold, Bristol, RI
November 23–January 1, Wednesday—Sunday 11—3 pm

Visit the beautifully decorated mansion. This year’s theme, "A Day in the Life," will provide insights into the interests of the family and the household staff all throughout the mansion The holiday season includes Jazz Brunches, Afternoon Teas, Wreath-making Workshops, Music in the Living Room Series, and a Sing-Along with Santa.

Night Lights - An Illuminating Experience features beautifully lit paths throughout the grounds with stunning custom light displays, handmade bamboo ornaments, and all the beauty that Blithewold’s gardens and arboretum have to offer. Refreshments include non-alcoholic cider, hot chocolate, hot coffee, and adult hot drinks with a kick provided by RI Cruisin’ Cocktails. The Mansion is closed during this program.

Holidays at the Newport Mansions

Newport Mansions, Newport, RI
November 19 - January 1
Sparkling Lights at the Breakers: Thursday–Sundays, 4:30–7 pm

For the second year in a row, thousands of lights will illuminate the historic landscape. This year Sparkling Lights has been expanded to include both the north and south portions of the grounds. Stroll along a winding path and enjoy holiday music and displays including Peppermint Woods, Gnome Knoll, Snow People Corner and a Tunnel of Light, among others.

New York

Holiday Train Show & NYBG Glow

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
Train Show: November 20–January 23, 10 am–6 pm
NYBG Glow: November 24–January 25, 5–10 pm

Experience the magic of New York City’s longest outdoor illuminated color spectacle with NYBG Glow. Discover the beauty of the landmark landscape and historic buildings after dark, breathtakingly illuminated with a newly expanded 1.5-mile colorful experience. These lively nights return for their second year at NYBG with more displays to wander through and explore. See NYBG’s iconic sights and buildings come to life as dramatic, glittering canvases with the Haupt Conservatory and Mertz Library Building as the centerpieces. Colorfully lit paths and trees, thousands of dazzling LEDs, illuminated plant stories, and whimsical, picture-perfect installations reflect the surrounding gardens and collections—creating a spectacle not to be missed!

A Vanderbilt Holiday

Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, NY
November 25–December 31, Thursday–Monday

The first floor of the mansion is decorated for a Vanderbilt holiday house party, including an extravagant new holiday buffet.

A Gilded Age Christmas

Staatsburg State Historic Site, Staatsburg, NY
November 25–December 27, 10:00–3:00

Staatsurg is a 65-room mansion designed in the Beaux-Arts style. Enjoy Staatsburgh's beautiful interiors, with their original furniture, art and décor, lavishly decorated for the holiday season.

Holiday Classic Mansion Tour

Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY
November 28–December 30, Thurs.–Mon. 9:30–3:00

Pennsylvania

A Longwood Christmas

Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, PA
November 18–January 8, 10 am–11 pm

This holiday season, we showcase botanical splendor at its finest. Our horticulture artists use plants as their palette to create an extraordinary display of floating floral designs, festive trees draped in gilded garland, gardens of bold blooms, an extravagant floral shop dressed for the holidays, and so much more.

Outside, gaze upon botanically inspired light displays, explore enchanting treehouses, savor the sounds of the season, and find new imaginative surprises that are sure to delight.

Holiday Railway

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA
November 25–December 30, 10 am–4 pm plus select evenings

Delaware

Yuletide at Winterthur

Winterthur, Winterthur, DE
November 19–January 8

Holidays at Nemours

Nemours Estate, Wilmington, DE
November 15–December 30, Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm

Ever since 1910, when Mr. and Mrs. duPont began living in their newlybuilt mansion, the holiday season has been a festive time at Nemours. The Christmas decorations at the Nemours Mansion are often inspired by the architecture of the home, the customs of the duPonts or the French influence.

Florida

Holiday Lights in the Gardens

Florida Botanical Gardens, Largo, FL
November 25 – January 1, 5:30–9:30 pm

Johnsonville Night Lights in the Gardens

Naples Botanic Garden, Naples, FL
November 25 – January 1, 6:00–9:30 pm

Dazzling Nights

Leu Gardens, Orlando, FL
November 25 – January 1

Dazzling Nights is a magical holiday experience for everyone. Over a million lights will immerse you into the wonder of the holidays.

NightGarden

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, Miami, FL
November 11 – January 8

September 26, 2022

Gilded Age Splendor in the Hudson River Valley

September 26, 2022/ Jana Milbocker

In 1895 Cornelius Vanderbilt’s grandson Frederick and his wife, Louise, bought the Hudson River estate known as Hyde Park to use as their spring and fall country estate. Frederick Vanderbilt was a quiet man, active in the business of directing 22 railroads, while Louise was a wealthy socialite. They built a Neoclassical Beaux Arts mansion furnished with European antiques, and outfitted with all the latest innovations: electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heating. The final cost totaled $2.25 million—about $60.5 million in today’s dollars.

Hyde Park was a self-sustaining estate, providing food and flowers for the family’s needs there and at their other homes. The grounds had been shaped by several previous owners with horticultural interests. In the early 1800s, Dr. Samuel Bard planted exotic plants and trees in the European Picturesque style.

The next owner, Dr. David Hosack, had a passion for botany and established the first formal gardens on the estate, as well as extensive greenhouses to hold his exotic plants. He also hired André Parmentier, the most renowned landscape architect of that time, to design the landscape. Roads, bridges, and lawns were laid out to compliment natural features, while large areas were left wild. Today, much of Parmentier’s original design remains and continues to be admired for its grace and beauty. In the late 1800s, owner Walter Langdon, Jr., laid out the first formal gardens. He built the gardener’s cottage, tool house, and garden walls, which remain and are in use today.

The Vanderbilts added many amenities to the property to make it accessible, practical and beautiful. They installed their own railroad station (he was a railroad tycoon, after all), boat docks, a coach house, two new bridges over Crum Elbow Creek, a power station, and extensive landscaping.

A large, formal garden was common to most Gilded Age estates, and Frederick Vanderbilt, who had a horticulture degree from Yale University, established the Italian-style, terraced garden that we see today. An esplanade of cherry trees leads to a walled perennial garden, which opens up to a long reflecting pool and a brick loggia decorated with the statue of an odalisque in mid-dance. The path continues to a two-tier rose garden with a charming summerhouse.

The upper garden features formal beds, while the lower garden was planted in the Victorian “bedding out style” of annuals that swept through the country in the late 1800s. This garden exhibits a mélange of curvilinear shapes—crescents, hearts, and circular beds, all planted with bright annuals.

The Vanderbilts were part of a new wave of urban elite that moved to the Hudson River Valley to enjoy relaxed country living, the sporting life, farming, and outdoor recreation. Hyde Park saw lavish weekend parties with horseback riding, golf, tennis, and swimming, followed by formal dinners and dancing. When not hosting guests, the Vanderbilts strolled through the gardens and greenhouses twice daily and visited the farm.

These greenhouses were operational during the Vanderbilt era. When the Vanderbilts were in residence, the greenhouse staff began each day by gathering cut flowers from the carnation and rose houses, bringing them to the mansion, and arranging them in the service area of the basement. The parlor and chamber maids placed them in designated locations on the upper floors. The butler ordered flowers from the greenhouses daily, and created all of the arrangements for the Dining Room himself. If the Vanderbilts were in New York, the greenhouse staff boxed the cut flowers and shipped them to the city.

After Frederick Vanderbilt’s death in 1938, the federal government purchased the estate, thanks to the intervention of President Franklin Roosevelt. While the grounds, landscaping, and buildings were preserved, there were no funds to maintain the gardens, which suffered years of neglect. Today the landscape is restored to its 1930s appearance, thanks to the Frederick William Vanderbilt Garden Association—a group of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to bring the gardens to their former glory. The formal gardens were replanted with 3,200 perennials and 2,000 roses. An additional 6,500 annuals are planted every year. The restored gravel paths, shady arbors, ornate statues, and bubbling fountains give the visitor a glimpse of life in the Gilded Age. The mansion is also beautifully decorated and open for tours for the holidays.

Vanderbilt Mansion, 119 Vanderbilt Park Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538, (845) 229-7770 nps.gov/vama/index.htm

Excerpted from The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast

August 31, 2022

Resplendent Dahlias on Enders Island

August 31, 2022/ Jana Milbocker

Looking for a wonderful daytrip? Enders Island is a beautiful 11-acre sanctuary off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut, and the site of St. Edmund’s Retreat, a Catholic Retreat Center. Accessible by a short causeway, the island provides an atmosphere of serenity and spirituality with its lovely gardens, seascapes and seaside Chapel.

The island was once the home of Dr. Thomas and Alys Enders, who gifted it to the Society of St. Edmund, a Catholic community of priests and brothers in 1954. It has since grown to serve a ministry of hope and healing, providing spiritual retreats, an institute of sacred art, and a ministry to people in recovery.

The gardens began in the early 1900s when the Enders transformed the barren island into their home. They built an Arts and Crafts stone house and began extensive landscape renovations. When the 1938 New England Hurricane devastated the island, the Enders commissioned the construction of the seawall that still protects the island today.

Restoration work on the gardens began in 1993. Fr. Thomas F. X. Hoar, SSE, recruited friends from throughout New England to help clean up and restore the landscape, which had become choked with weeds. In 2007, dahlia enthusiast Gayle Wentworth began attending mass on Enders Island. At the time, there were few gardens on the property, but Gayle saw the land’s potential. With a gift of tubers that were planted in two garden plots, the dahlia gardens were established.

Since then, the garden has grown to almost four acres in size, with 24 plots of dahlias. Gayle, now known as the “Dahlia Lady” continues to share her many gifts and talents, contributes dahlias from her own gardens, and obtains tubers from other growers and hybridizers. In 2021 an heirloom dahlia garden was established with contributions from heirloom growers. There are currently more than 2,000 dahilias of 400 varieties in the gardens. Peak blooming season spans mid-August to mid-September, when 90 percent of the flowers are in bloom. Many dahlias continue to dazzle until frost in mid-October.

In addition to the dahlia gardens, a rose garden with 80 rose bushes provides a lovely floral display outside the Our Lady of Assumption Chapel. Grapes, apples, peaches, pears, and peppers also flourish in the Island’s soil, later appearing in a variety of pies and jams crafted annually by staff and volunteers. Nestled into a natural rock amphitheater, the Garden of Two Hearts is a memorial to lost loved ones. Stone walls and walkways frame the gardens, and statuary enhances the reverent atmosphere.

Enders Island is located off of Mystic CT. (860) 536-0565 endersisland.org

Excerpted from The Garden Tourist’s New England, second edition, available here.

August 01, 2022

Roses by the Sea at Fuller Gardens

August 01, 2022/ Jana Milbocker

Roses are the main event at Fuller Gardens. Now a test garden for the American Rose Society, it showcases more than 1,200 rose bushes. The 125 varieties have staggered bloom times, so there is color from June until October.

Fuller Gardens began as Runnymede-by-the-Sea, the summer estate of Bostonians Alvan and Viola Fuller. Alvan was a self-made businessman, art collector, philanthropist, and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts in the 1920s. The original landscape was designed by Arthur A. Shurtleff, but the garden evolved and was enlarged over the years, with the help of the Olmsted Brothers firm of Boston. The front garden was designed as the estate’s showpiece in 1938. It was meant to be appreciated from the street and utilized a “false perspective,” in which the back of the garden is narrower than the front, making the space appear longer than it actually is.

The Fullers rarely frequented the garden themselves, but they enjoyed viewing it from the upstairs bedroom windows and welcomed the public. The front garden was planted with hundreds of roses in formal parterre beds, and surrounded by hedges and flower borders filled with coneflowers, astilbe, salvias, baptisia, and geraniums. Statuary and tuteurs draped with clematis punctuated the hedges.

In addition to the front garden, you will find a second rose garden that is laid out in a circular pattern surrounding a central antique wellhead. It is enclosed by a privet hedge and a cedar fence upon which are trained espaliered apple trees. Perennial borders flank the beds of roses.

A shady Japanese garden provides a quiet sanctuary, with paths leading through hostas, ferns, azaleas, mountain laurel, and rhododendrons surrounding a pool filled with giant koi.

Near the remaining carriage house, a glass conservatory houses tropical plants, begonias, and vines. A large display bed of dahlias provides stunning color in late summer.

The gardens are meticulously maintained by a knowledgeable staff headed by director Jamie Colen. The roses are protected from harsh winter temperatures with buckets of soil heaped upon their crowns in early December. Instead of using mulch to suppress weeds, the staff weed the beds twice a week and pay careful attention to soil quality, amending it regularly with compost and lime. As a result, the roses are healthy and vigorous, with few pests and almost no diseases, so chemical treatments are unnecessary. As they age and need to be replaced, new roses are purchased from Roseland Nurseries in Acushnet, Massachusetts. The colorful gardens continue to delight the public as they did almost 100 years ago, and the Fullers are probably happily watching from above.

May 25, 2022

Beauport: An Eclectic Seaside Getaway

May 25, 2022/ Jana Milbocker

If you are interested in interior design, architecture, historic homes, and antiques as well as gardens, you will thoroughly enjoy Beauport. Beauport was the summer home of Henry Davis Sleeper, one of the country’s first professional interior designers. Perched in a dramatic setting on Gloucester’s Eastern Point, Beauport showcases Sleeper’s unique vision and artistic talent in 40 beautifully preserved rooms and a small lush garden.

Eastern Point was developed as a wealthy summer enclave in the early 1900s. Sleeper came from a prominent Boston family and was introduced to the area in 1906. He was “clearly besotted” by the site’s natural beauty, purchased a waterfront lot, and began constructing his esoteric residence. The home looks like it belongs in a fairy tale, with a blend of Gothic, medieval, early Colonial, and Arts and Crafts architecture. Built of stone and wood, it features steeply pitched roofs, round towers, a belfry, ornate chimneys, and diamond-paned leaded-glass windows.

The interior is a warren of eclectic rooms connected by alcoves and stairways and packed with more than 10,000 furnishings, salvaged architectural details, and decorative objects. Each room has its own theme based on literature, a historical event, or a collection.

You will see a Jacobean-style dining room that feels like an English pub; a colonial-era kitchen; a marine master parlor overlooking Gloucester Harbor; a two-story, balconied book tower; and the “China Trade” room, with its pagoda-inspired balcony and 1780s hand-printed Chinese wallpaper.

Beauport was both a home and a professional showcase and led to a successful interior design career that included clients such as Isabella Stewart Gardner, Henry Francis du Pont, and Hollywood celebrities. After Sleeper passed away, the mansion was purchased in 1935 by Helena Woolworth McCann who preserved it mostly unchanged. Her heirs donated it to Historic New England in 1942.

Like the house, the garden evolved over several decades and is characteristic of an Arts and Crafts design. It is divided into several formal outdoor rooms and intimate spaces accented with sundials and classical statuary. The entry garden’s boxwood hedge and gravel paths enclose a small cottage garden of lush perennials. Brick patios and flower-edged terraces at the back of the house overlook the harbor. Further from the house, the materials change to rough stone, flowing lines adapt to the natural contours of the site, and plantings feature native shrubs and perennials and Pennsylvania sedge lawns. The garden was restored in 2012 to its 1920s appearance.

75 Eastern Point Blvd., Gloucester, MA 01930, (978) 283-0800, historicnewengland.org/property/beauport-sleeper-mccann-house

April 01, 2022

Best Spring Bulb Displays in the Northeast 2022

April 01, 2022/ Jana Milbocker

Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Mid-April to late May, Boylston, MA

Enjoy a changing bulb display at Tower Hill Botanic garden, beginning with Reticulated Iris and Hyacinths in mid-April, fields of 25,000 daffodils in late April to early May, and gorgeous tulip displays in mid to late May. Daffodils Day May 4-5. towerhillbg.org

Spring Bloom Fest at The Stevens Coolidge House and Gardens

April 21—May 15, N. Andover, MA

Immerse yourself in the beauty of more than 175,000 tulips and other bulbs, filling nine display gardens with the exuberant colors of spring.. the trustees

Naumkeag Daffodil and Tulip Festival

April 21—May 15, Stockbridge, MA

Stroll through the 8 acres of our world-renowned gardens decorated with over 75,000 daffodil, tulip and minor bulbs as we celebrate spring in the Berkshires. the trustees

Nantucket Daffodil Festival

April 22-24, Nantucket, MA

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Late April–late May, Boothbay, ME

Coastal Maine’s display gardens feature thousands of tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs from late April to late May in one of New England’s premier public gardens. mainegardens.org

Blithewold Daffodil Days

April through Mid-May, Bristol, RI

The Bosquet, a cultivated woodland, features more than 50,000 daffodils at Blithewold Mansion Gardens and Arboretum. You will also see many woodland wildflowers in bloom. blithewold.org

Heritage Museums & Gardens

Mid April–mid May, Sandwich, MA

A spectacular Bulb River of 35,000 grape hyacinths highlighted with 1,500 white daffodils flows on the grounds of Heritage Museums & Gardens in spring. The grape hyacinths begin to open in mid April and reach their peak around Mother’s Day. heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

Wicked Tulips Flower Farm

Late April–mid May, Exeter, RI and Preston, CT

Newport Daffodil Days Festival

April, Newport, RI

Now in its 6th year, the Newport Daffodil Festival has beautified the city with more than 1 million daffodils. The week-long celebration includes a garden party, classic car parade, concerts, tours, dog parade and much more. Don’t miss the display of 11,000 daffodils of 29 varieties and the Green Animals Topiary Garden. newportdaffydays.com

Elizabeth Park

Mid-April–mid May, Hartford, CT

Daffodils in mid-April give way to a beautiful display of 11,000 tulips that peak on Mother’s Day. elizabethparkct.org

ColorBlends House and Spring Garden

April 1–May 8, Bridgeport, CT

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

Late April–mid May

Enjoy planting of early bulbs, daffodils and tulips blooming in 93-acres of formal gardens and natural habitats. bartlettarboretum.org

Meriden Daffodil Festival

April 30—May 1, Meriden, CT

New York Botanic Garden

April–May, Bronx, NY

Reeves-Reed Arboretum

Mid April, Summit, NJ

Deep Cut Gardens

Mid-April–mid May, Middletown, NJ

Beautiful tulip and daffodil blooms are on display in this 54 acre formal garden. monmouthcountyparks.com

Frelinhuysen Arboretum

Mid April-mid May, Morris Township, NJ

The formal gardens at Frelinghuysen Arboretum feature gorgeous bedding displays of tulips. arboretumfriends.org

Chanticleer

Early April to mid-May

Longwood Gardens

Early April to early May, Kennett Square, PA

December 28, 2021

Jewelbox Gardens of The Society of the Four Arts

December 28, 2021/ Jana Milbocker

If you’re vacationing in West Palm Beach, be sure to visit the gardens at The Society of Four Arts. These two adjoining small gardens are little jewels in the heart of the city, and are open to the public with free admission.

Founded in 1936, The Society of the Four Arts is one of Palm Beach’s top cultural destinations, offering art exhibits, lectures, concerts, films, and educational programs. It is also home to two libraries and two beautiful gardens—the Four Arts Botanical Gardens and the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden.

As you enter through the magnificent wrought iron gates, you find yourself in the botanical gardens, which were designed in 1938 to showcase the horticulture and popular gardening themes of southern Florida. A beautiful Asian-style gate with a blue tiled roof welcomes you into the Chinese Garden and its formal square water lily pool. The surrounding garden features trees and shrubs pruned in cloud formations, bonsai specimens, and Asian statuary and lanterns accented with liriope, white orchids, and camellias.

As you step into the next garden spaces, you travel through a Tropical Garden, Jungle Garden, Palm Garden, and Bromeliad Garden. The central Formal Garden is adorned with a pool and fountain flanked by sheared hedges, liriope, and roses. The Madonna Garden in the corner provides a seating area for quiet contemplation, with a marble relief of the Madonna overlooking a circular pool surrounded by white begonias. The Spanish Facade Garden features a well overflowing with succulents and vines and a bench decorated with Spanish tile. The botanical gardens are maintained by the Garden Club of Palm Beach.

The adjoining two-acre sculpture garden was designed by Palm Beach resident and prominent American couturier Philip Hulitar and opened to the public in 1980. It is home to 20 sculptures by world-renowned artists such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Jim Dine, and Lawrence Holofcener, whose Allies depicts Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Both the botanical and the sculpture garden were redesigned in the mid-2000s by the firm Morgan Wheelock, Inc. New walkways, seating areas, and plantings were installed along with the elegant plaza paved in yellow and green Brazilian quartzite, the classical garden pavilion, vine-covered pergolas, reflecting pools, and fountains. The sculptures continue in the parking area, where Isamu Noguchi’s dramatic Intetra, a huge tetrahedron, overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway.

The Society of the Four Arts, 100 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach, FL 33480, 561-655-7227, fourarts.org

For more information, see The Garden Tourist’s Florida: A Guide to 80 Tropical Gardens in the Sunshine State

November 28, 2021

2021 Holiday Events for Gardeners

November 28, 2021/ Jana Milbocker

November and December offer amazing holiday events for gardeners in the Northeast. From beautiful light displays to Christmas teas and train shows, you will find a wealth of inspiration for your own holiday celebrations.

Please note that almost all of the events listed below require an advance-purchase admission ticket, and are selling out very quickly this year.

Gardens Aglow

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
November 20–January 1

New England’s biggest and brightest light display! With over 650,000 lights, the central gardens are transformed into an extravaganza of festive lights in a dramatic display of brilliant color. This year, it will be a driving tour.

Holidays at Highfield

Highfield Hall and Gardens, Falmouth, MA
November 26–December 12, 11 am—5 pm

Highfield Hall is decorated for the holidays with a blend of old world charm and contemporary elements. Returning this year will be a special outdoor holiday “village” to be installed in and around the Patrick Dougherty Stickwork sculpture, A Passing Fancy, before it leaves the grounds. If you love the fairy houses, you will love the woodland vignettes! Music will once again fill the house with classical guitar, harp, and piano performances by faculty and students of the Cape Symphony and Victorian carolers. Workshops include Gifts from the Kitchen, Boxwood Trees, and Gingerbread House Decorating. The Gift Gallery will once again be alive with artisan gifts for all ages.

Festival of Trees and Snow Village

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA
Wednesdays–Sundays, November 26-December 19, 10 am–8 pm

Holiday House Tours & Nightwood

The Mount, Lenox, MA
Holiday House Tours: Saturdays–Sundays, November 27–January 2, 11 am- 3 pm
Nightwood: Thursday–Sundays, November 4–December 31, 11 am- 4 pm

Tour Edith Wharton’s home decorated for the holidays and enjoy the second year of an ethereal winter landscape inspired by The Mount’s unique architecture and history. NightWood combines music, lighting, and theatrical elements to create seven unique scenes that evoke feelings of wonder, mystery, and magic: The Woods, The Eternal City, The Courtyard, The Winter Garden, The Lane, The Glade, and The Conference of Trees.

Winter Lights

Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
November 26–January 9, Wednesdays-Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

Enjoy the spectacular garden of Naumkeag lit with thousands of shimmering holiday lights. Each weekend features performances and activities for the whole family, from the young to the young at heart.

Winterlights

The Stevens-Coolidge Place, Andover, MA
November 26–January 9, Wednesdays-Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

This intimate seasonal event features 24 decorated trees nestled in a designed lightscape on our grounds. Enjoy a stroll through the twinkling lights and beautifully decorated trees. In a unique twist this year, program participants are asked to bring canned goods to vote for their favorite decorated Holiday Tree.

Holiday Magic

Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT
November 26–January 2

Christmas at Blithewold

Blithewold, Bristol, RI
November 27–January 3, Wednesday—Sunday 12—4 pm
November 26–January 9, daily 5–7 pm

Visit the beautifully decorated mansion. This year’s theme is "Life by the Bay," with the Van Wickle family's activities on and by beautiful Narragansett bay as the inspiration for all the holiday decorations. The holiday season includes Jazz Brunches, Afternoon Teas, Wreath-making Workshops, Music in the Living Room Series, and a Sing-Along with Santa.

Holidays at the Newport Mansions

Newport Mansions, Newport, RI
November 20 - January 9
Sparkling Lights at the Breakers: Thursday–Sundays, 5–7 pm

Holiday Train Show & NYBG Glow

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
Train Show: November 20–January 23, 10 am–6 pm
NYBG Glow: November 24–January 25, 5–10 pm

A Longwood Christmas

Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, PA
November 20–January 9, 10 am–11 pm

This holiday season, wrap yourself up in the warmth—and the chill—of A Longwood Christmas, showcasing the dramatically beautiful contrast of fire and ice. Set your spirits ablaze in the East Conservatory, where flickering flame lanterns, trees adorned in amber to fiery red hues, and a vision of warmth surround you. Filled with drama and fire-and-ice contrast, the Orangery features an array of poinsettias to a snowy grove of white birch trees. Find a “frozen” succulent fountain in the Silver Garden and stroll through the cool white tones of the Acacia Passage before finding yourself in the mesmerizing Exhibition Hall, transformed into a refreshingly whimsical alpine wonderland.

Outdoors, the fire and ice theme continues with a half-million lights dazzle and delight, from wintery hues along our Flower Garden Drive, to a luminaria display that sets the Large Lake aglow, to the 200-foot-long Meadow Tunnel featuring nearly 20,000 twinkling lights gently transitioning from warm fire to rainbow to galaxy effects. Cozy up to three fire pits, feel like a kid again at our festive Garden Railway, and find surprises at every turn.

Christmas Village in Philadelphia

Love Park & City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
November 25–December 24, 11 am–7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 11 am–8 pm

Philadelphia transforms into a European outdoor holiday market for the annual Christmas Village, held at iconic LOVE Park. Shoppers can expect more than 80 vendors set up in dozens of wooden booths and two large tents, all offering a wide range of international holiday gifts, ornaments, jewelry, handmade toys, high-quality arts and crafts, wintry apparel, and edible and drinkable treats, while entertainment keeps things festive.

Holiday Railway

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA
November 26–January 2, 9 am–4 pm plus select evenings

Yuletide at Winterthur

Winterthur, Winterthur, DE
November 20–January 2

Special holiday programs throughout the season include Wonderful Wednesdays in December, evening events featuring live jazz performances, caroling, and workshops. In addition to the Wednesday evening festivities, visitors can enjoy a live one-man performance of A Christmas Carol by Gerald Charles Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, wine and cocktail tastings, and family events with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

September 24, 2021

Vizcaya: Miami's Gilded Age Estate

September 24, 2021/ Jana Milbocker

Vizcaya is one of the gardens included in The Garden Tourist’s Florida Tour in March 2022. See Garden Travel.
This article is an excerpt from The Garden Tourist’s Florida book, available for preorder here.

Vizcaya is a stunning Gilded-Age mansion surrounded by formal gardens overlooking Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove. The gardens are notable for introducing classical Italian and French design aesthetics into a subtropical habitat and climate, and creating formal gardens using tropical and exotic plants.

Born in 1859 in South Paris, Maine, James Deering was a retired millionaire and a bachelor in his early fifties when he began to build his magnificent estate in South Florida. He was afflicted with pernicious anemia, a condition for which doctors recommended sunshine and a warm climate. Vizcaya became the place where he hoped to restore his health. He loved sailing and boating, and was greatly interested in landscaping and plant conservation. The creation of Vizcaya incorporated both hobbies, and became the engrossing pastime of the last years of Deering’s life.

Deering collaborated on the design of the villa with architect F. Burrall Hoffman, Jr. and interior designer Paul Chalfin. Deering and Chalfin spent many years traveling through Europe, collecting ideas for the Florida estate and purchasing art, antiquities and furnishings. The duo imported gilded panels, carved mantels and fresco ceilings from Tuscany and France to line the villa walls. Construction began in 1914, but it took years to perfect the mansion’s 70-plus rooms, half of which overflow with treasures dating back to the 15th century. Inlaid marble floors, stained glass doors, silk-crowned beds, hand-painted murals and Chinese ceramics all combine to create sumptuous interiors that rival palaces in Europe. Although historic in architectural style, the home incorporated all of the modern technology available at the time, such as a telephone switching system and a central vacuum system.

Cathay_Bedroom_-_Vizcaya_Museum_and_Gardens_-_Miami,_Florida_-_DSC08503.jpg

The gardens were designed by Colombian-born landscape architect Diego Suarez. Suarez adapted classical European Renaissance and Baroque landscape design to Miami’s subtropical climate, terrain and plant material. The gardens were divided into garden rooms and enclosed by ornate walls and hedges. Chalfin adorned them with an abundance of architectural structures, columns and urns, elaborate fountains, and antique and comissioned sculptures. Many of the architectural elements were made of local coral stone which is very porous, and weathers quickly. To further the appearance of age, mature trees were planted in the garden, along with vines and plants that would drape themselves over the garden structures.

The gardens are connected to the house by the large South terrace. The terrace overlooks a large geometric parterre garden bordered by two semicircular pools. A third large pool with a central island is surrounded by low hedges whose exaggerated perspective lines that dramatize the formal geometry of the gardens. The Garden Mound is the focal point of the gardens, crowned with an ornate summerhouse known as the Casino, and adorned with a grand cascade and grottos. Other garden areas include the evocative Secret Garden, the intimate Theater Garden, the playful Maze Garden, the Fountain Garden, and a charming Tea House overlooking the Bay. The formal gardens are surrounded by 25 acres of Rockland Hammock, which is the native forest in this part of Florida.

The East Terrace faces Biscayne Bay and the Barge, a breakwater built to protect the house and terrace from waves. The Barge was designed to look like a boat with fancy balustrades and statuary sculpted by American artist Alexander Stirling Calder. It was constructed of local limestone, which is very porous. The salt water and storm waves have eroded the structure and its decorative reliefs, and rising water has submerged the lower landing steps.

Deering’s occupancy of Vizcaya began on Christmas Day, 1916, with an elaborate ceremony complete with gondolas, cannons and friends dressed in Italian peasant costumes. From then until his death in 1925, Deering spent the winter months at Vizcaya, usually with family and celebrity guests. A staff of 16 was required for the house, while an additional 26 gardeners and workers maintained the gardens and outbuildings. Vizcaya was designed to be a self-sufficient estate to compensate for the limited commodities and services of early 1920s Miami. Some of the staff lived in the main house, while others resided in the Village–a complex of cottages, greenhouse, garages, workshops and farm buildings that supplied fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables, milk and eggs for the household. The Village is currently being restored to tell Vizcaya’s full story and provide additional spaces for programs and community outreach.

After Deering died in 1925, Vizcaya was eventually passed down to his two nieces. The property suffered major damage from two hurricanes, which destroyed many garden statues and furnishings. In 1945, the family transferred the Lagoon Gardens and the southern grounds to the Diocese of St. Augustine and Mercy Hospital. It opened as a public museum in 1953. Restoration efforts continue on the mansion, gardens, and historic Village. In 2021, Vizcaya restored its historic Rose Garden, which had been destroyed in the Great Hurricane of 1926. Eighty-five antique roses were selected from the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas, ensuring that the new plants will be suitable for Miami’s tropical climate.

Vizcaya: 3251 S. Miami Ave., Miami, FL 33129. 305-250-9133. vizcaya.org
Vizcaya is open Wednesday–Monday, 9:30–5:30

Blog

New England Botanic Garden

Mid-April to late May, Boylston, MA

Spring Bloom Fest at The Stevens Coolidge House and Gardens

Late April–mid-May, N. Andover, MA

Naumkeag Daffodil and Tulip Festival

Late April–mid-May, Stockbridge, MA

Nantucket Daffodil Festival

April, Nantucket, MA

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Late April–late May, Boothbay, ME

Blithewold Daffodil Days

April through Mid-May, Bristol, RI

Wicked Tulips Flower Farm

Late April–mid May, Exeter, RI and Preston, CT

Green Animals

April–May, Newport, RI

Newport Daffodil Days Festival

April, Newport, RI

Elizabeth Park

Mid-April–mid May, Hartford, CT

ColorBlends House and Spring Garden

Bridgeport, CT

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

Late April–mid May, Stamford, CT

Meriden Daffodil Festival

April, Meriden, CT

New York Botanic Garden

April–May, Bronx, NY

Reeves-Reed Arboretum

Mid April, Summit, NJ

Deep Cut Gardens

Mid-April–mid May, Middletown, NJ

Holland Ridge Farms

April, Cream Ridge, NJ

Frelinhuysen Arboretum

Mid April-mid May, Morris Township, NJ

Chanticleer

Early April to mid-May

Longwood Gardens

Early April to early May, Kennett Square, PA

Maine

Gardens Aglow

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, MENovember 18–December 31

Massachusetts

Holidays at Highfield

Highfield Hall and Gardens, Falmouth, MANovember 24–December 10, 10 am—4 pm

Festival of Trees and Snow Village

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, Wellesley, MANovember 24-December 31

Holiday House Tours & Nightwood

The Mount, Lenox, MAHoliday House Tours: Saturdays–Sundays, November–December, 10 am- 3 pmNightwood: Thursday–Sundays, November 17–January 6, 5–8 pm

Winter Lights

Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MANovember 24–January 6, Wednesdays–Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

Nightlights

New England Botanic Garden, Boylston MA November 24–December 31, Daily 4:00–10:00 pm

Connecticut

Holiday Magic

Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CTNovember 24–December 31

Rhode Island

Christmas at Blithewold & Sparkle

Blithewold, Bristol, RINovember 22–January 4, Wednesday—Sunday 11—3 pm

Holidays at the Newport Mansions

Newport Mansions, Newport, RINovember 17 - December 30Sparkling Lights at the Breakers: Thursday–Sundays, 4:30–7 pm

New York

Holiday Train Show & NYBG Glow

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NYTrain Show: November 17–January 15NYBG Glow: November 17–January 13

A Vanderbilt Holiday

Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, NYNovember 24–December 31, Thursday–Monday

A Gilded Age Christmas

Staatsburg State Historic Site, Staatsburg, NYNovember 24–December 31

Holiday Classic Mansion Tour

Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NYNovember 27–December 29, Thurs.–Mon. 9:30–3:00

Pennsylvania

A Longwood Christmas

Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, PANovember 17–January 7, 10 am–11 pm

Holiday Railway

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PANovember 24–December 30

Delaware

Yuletide at Winterthur

Winterthur, Winterthur, DENovember 18–January 7

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
November 18–December 31

Highfield Hall and Gardens, Falmouth, MA
November 24–December 10, 10 am—4 pm

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA
November 24-December 31

The Mount, Lenox, MA
Holiday House Tours: Saturdays–Sundays, November–December, 10 am- 3 pm
Nightwood: Thursday–Sundays, November 17–January 6, 5–8 pm

Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
November 24–January 6, Wednesdays–Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

New England Botanic Garden, Boylston MA
November 24–December 31, Daily 4:00–10:00 pm

Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT
November 24–December 31

Blithewold, Bristol, RI
November 22–January 4, Wednesday—Sunday 11—3 pm

Newport Mansions, Newport, RI
November 17 - December 30
Sparkling Lights at the Breakers: Thursday–Sundays, 4:30–7 pm

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
Train Show: November 17–January 15
NYBG Glow: November 17–January 13

Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, NY
November 24–December 31, Thursday–Monday

Staatsburg State Historic Site, Staatsburg, NY
November 24–December 31

Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY
November 27–December 29, Thurs.–Mon. 9:30–3:00

Longwood Gardens, Kennet Square, PA
November 17–January 7, 10 am–11 pm

Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA
November 24–December 30

Winterthur, Winterthur, DE
November 18–January 7

Nemours Estate, Wilmington, DE
November 14–December 30, Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm

Florida Botanical Gardens, Largo, FL
November 24 – December 31, 5:30–9:30 pm

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL
Select dates – December 8–January 3

Naples Botanic Garden, Naples, FL
November 24 – January 7, 6:00–9:00 pm

Leu Gardens, Orlando, FL
November 24 – January 6

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, Miami, FL
November 10 – January 8

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, ME
November 19–December 31

Highfield Hall and Gardens, Falmouth, MA
November 25–December 11, 10 am—4 pm

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA
November 25-December 31

The Mount, Lenox, MA
Holiday House Tours: Saturdays–Sundays, November 5–January 1, 10 am- 3 pm
Nightwood: Thursday–Sundays, November 11–January 1, 5–8 pm

Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA
November 25–January 7, Wednesdays–Sundays, 4:30-8:30 pm

New England Botanic Garden, Boylston MA
November 25–December 31, Daily 4:00–10:00 pm