Any 1800-1850ish period gardens to visit in NE?

18 years ago

We just bought a small 1846 Greek Revival farm house in rural CT and I'm interested in seeing a little more about what was done at the time. I don't think I'll be doing a 'period' garden, but I'd like to familiarize myself with the styles of time period for influences.

I'm sure there are books, if anybody can recommend any specifically please do so. I tried to look last week at bookstore and did see a tiny bit, but with a 2+4yr old and a too busy business I'm afraid most of my research is online late at night ; )

thanks

Carrie

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Cady
18 years ago
You're in the perfect place to take a drive up to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. It's a living history museum and authentic 1830s New England village that could be anywhere in CT, MA, RI, NH... etc. The buildings are all genuine and were moved on site from various places around New England.

The best thing, is they have historically-accurate period gardens. Take a look at their website. Click on "Special Features" on the menu on the left, and you'll see a link to their "heirloom gardens" page. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sturbridge
garlicgrower
18 years ago
and I like Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Here is a link that might be useful: Strawbery Banke
Related Discussions
If you don't read the tomato forum and live in the NE
Q
Comments (21)
I have my fingers crossed - no problems yet - I plant most my indeterminate tomatoes fourteen inches apart and all are staked to a single stem. Have plants approaching 7 feet tall. Have removed all lower one third to half of the lower leaf branches leaving only the fruit branches intact. Number two with the lower leaf branches removed - if i water which wasn't needed much this summer - I never - repeat never spray water on leaves whether tomato or potato - directing only to the base of the plant and ground surrounding. Since tomatoes love carrots I have two rows of carrots planted in the space normally covered by tomato leaves. Will keep posted if a blight appears but so far Im lucky
...See More
Types of Gardeners on Florida Garden Forum
Q
Comments (63)
What hilarity! Love the fun posts, and learning a bit about y'all in the bargain. For those who have ever read my few posts, I'm the clueless one, the transplant subset. If there's subsets of subsets, I would be the transient transplant. I spend my life following my spouse's work, geographically speaking. I pack houses, and unpack. I accumulate all manner of flower pots and containers, then downsize, give away, and move again. My gardening efforts are full of hearty enthusiasm, as well as serial plant murdering (I like to blame it on local plant ignorance and not my PJIC disease, *plants jump into the cart*). Since we never get to live in one place long enough for either the humans or the plants to put down deep roots, we transient transplants collect any and all plants fervently, via swaps, pinching starts at public malls and other venues, and the local garden center. Then, we moan and groan about disposing of our pot ghetto when the next move is announced. Transient transplants spend way too much time covering up and disguising the objectionable architectural features of our current rental digs. We creatively hang plants, put up fishing line trellises to cover up nasty window views, and annoy the neighbors with our homemade garden accessories, obtained in pre-dawn trash-day scrounging. These charming accents (yes, even the old commodes planted with petunias), feed our collector (#6) genes, which we fervently nurture upon arrival in our latest garden planting zone. We don't consciously try to be specialists (#7s), but once we latch onto a type of plant that we don't kill in the newest climate, we grow it in every color known to the species. Oh, and yes, we have even been known to dumpster-dive in #2 and #4's trash bins, where the plant pickings are amazingly healthy, lush, and green. We transient transplants have become experts at covertly watching your work through our mis-matched window coverings (read - sheets), knowing there's gonna be really good pickings in YOUR trash this week. This serves to help our garden budget go further, knowing we must fill up our pots and fronts of landlord's planting beds to overflowing in such a short period of time, before we have to frantically put it all back, to get ready for the next household moving cycle. When the next move is announced, we lovingly dig up, label, package, and mail starts of all these frantically planted pot ghettos to our Northern friends, for safekeeping until we get settled into our next digs. In actuality, our Northern plant recipients can't even remember our names, or why they are receiving these care-packages of dirt and mushy, frozen green blobs, resembling a refrigerator science experiment....
...See More
Are 'Garden Tours' Worth The Time and Cost?
Q
Comments (17)
You are more than right, Asarum. Not only is it true that not every every avid gardener goes on garden tours but, judging from GW, hardly any avid gardeners are avid garden visitors. And I just can't understand not going occasionally. It's not a design thing in most gardens. I don't see that many gardens that feature amazing designs. In fact, most of them are plant-centered. And other people's gardens in your area, wherever anyone of us might live, are a better guide to what does well--and why--than the best nursery in the area. I've gardened a long time but I always see something new to covet. An example: About ten years ago, I went on a tour near Hampton NH, not that far from me. One garden was clearly owned by a plant nut--we can all relate. He had stuffed plants into every crevice he could and while the overall design would not have won a prize, he was an enthusiastic and generous gardener. He had a plant I'd never seen before and, as I said, I've been doing this a long time. He said it was spring vetchling, Lathyrus vernus. I loved it and managed to find a couple somewhere. Since then, I've bought a bunch and they are great! Very early bloom, no pests or diseases, easy and beautiful. I remember starting a thread about them once. Maybe they are common now, I don't know. But I do know I never would have added this delightful *early* bloomer to my garden if I hadn't been on that tour. And PS for DTD, go to the Cotswolds. I have been twice and it is something you'll never forget. Not to mention the natural scenery and perfect villages. I couldn't do anything like that when the kids were young or in college but I am making up for it now.
...See More
'50's gardens in America - 'historical' yet?
Q
Comments (52)
I've been noticeably absent from all my boards lately and now find that I have a little more time to browse...and found this very timely conversation ;-) Cady and Mel will remember that I've been renovating/restoring my parent's '56 contemporary that had been neglected for almost 25 years (mom had alzehiemer's, dad took care of her, she died he wouldn't let us touch anything, brother is terminal and could care less about fixing or cleaning) Well, the end is in sight ...the house is to be officially listed this Tuesday. I made a marked effort to bring back the landscape to what my mother had planted in the late 50's early 60's ...not strictly due to nostalgia but because my mother had an excellent eye for design and color that spurred my interest in gardening at a very young age. I found the comment on Frank Llloyd, "* Wright originated the visionary concept of a rear living-room opening into a garden terrace -- fifty years before the California architects generally credited with the concept" described my parent's house to a 'T' and we tried to make the most of it - it may not be a Wright but it is certainly '50's California. I thought I'd share a few pictures...I will take all the final photos this weekend when we do all the little nit picky stuff. This is a view of the refloored rear living room and gives you a shot of the windows overlooking the back patio i.e garden terrace pre landscaping - http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=342900975105&photoid=501321897105 This is that same back patio Before - http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=567043265105&photoid=287043265105 And after After - http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=342900975105&photoid=921321897105 We did remove the junipers out front (person loathing involved in that decision) and repeated the fern/fuscia theme my mother had had out back. I'll take photos this weekend. Barbara in Hollywood
...See More
gulliblevolunteer
18 years ago
And a great book to start with is "For Every House A Garden: a guide for reproducing period gardens" by Rudy and Joy Favretti. It's an inexpensive book if you just want ideas.
Saypoint zone 6 CT
18 years ago
Welcome, Carrie. On a smaller scale, many local town historical societies have properties where they maintain gardens with varying degrees of historic accuracy.

Here in Old Saybrook, where I live, the Hart House garden is mostly laid out in a way that it might have been when the Hart family was in residence, and the volunteers who plant and maintain it try to use only plants that were in use during that period.

If you contact historical societies in your area, they can tell you if they have gardens, and being history nuts, will probably have a good idea how accurate their restorations are, and will likely be happy to share information with you.
Jo
Gnomlet
18 years ago
Here are two books worth reading during these winter evenings (or days as a matter of fact). "American Gardens of the Nineteenth Century" by Ann Leighton and "Restoring American Gardens" by Denise Wiles Adams. Ann Leighton has two other books that cover earlier centuries and all three of her books are informative and fun, if you have time, love literature, history and gardening. The Adams book is new in 2004 and is easier reading and has quicker access to the time period and plants in which you are interested .
Your local library can get these books for you.
Gnomlet
Jill_Bttrfly
17 years ago
The Gertrude Jekyll house in Woodbury, CT is a lovely spot to visit a recreation of an 18th century garden (and nice antiquing in Woodbury, too, if that's your thing!).

If you want to bring the kids, there is a park right next door they can play in with a grownup while you check out the garden. Bring a camera!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Gertrude Jekyll Garden
ginny12
17 years ago
Also take a look at Old Time Gardens by Alice Morse Earle. First published in 1901 and just reprinted. It is about the colonial era but especially the post-Revolution up til the Civil War--just what you are looking for. Lots of period photographs of old gardens to get ideas from.
Decor_01
17 years ago
We built a wonderful garden trellis, pergola system in our backyard. It is to die for! We used decorative roman columns with Ionic capitals to complete the look. It looks like the old style Georgian look from the early American settlers. For help designing one try this site, they were very helpful. Arbor, Trellis, and Pergolas

Here is a link that might be useful: Arbor, Trellis, and Pergolas

Any 1800-1850ish period gardens to visit in NE?

Comments (8)

Cady

garlicgrower

Related Discussions

gulliblevolunteer

Saypoint zone 6 CT

Gnomlet

Jill_Bttrfly

ginny12

Decor_01

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US