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Winter
The Greater Gardens
The 125-acre preserve of woodlands, wetlands, and open fields is known as the Greater Gardens. Walking trails traverse the property. The woodland trail is approximately .75 miles long. The perimeter trail, which circles the woodland and field, is approximately 1.5 miles long. Trail surfaces are chipped bark and gravel.
Witch hazel shrubs bloom in the woods during the winter. |  |
Wildflowers begin to emerge in the hardwood forest in late winter. |  |
Thousands of daffodils planted in the early 1900s bloom alongside the estate entrance drive in early spring. |  |
The Formal Gardens
Restoration has been completed on the 1913 Lord and Burnham greenhouse and conservatory. |  |
The conservatory houses a collection of tropical and succulent plants. |  |
This educational collection represents plants native to diverse world environments. |  |
Orchids are at peak bloom during the winter months. |  |
The three growing houses are full of plants for spring planting. |  |
Plants are used in the gardens and are for sale to the public on designated sale days. |  |
The Greenhouse Gardens
Thomas Sears, a Harvard-educated landscape architect, completed the design for this section of the formal garden, almost two acres in size, under Mrs. Reynolds' direction in 1917. He redesigned the peony border next to the greenhouse in 1920. The Greenhouse Gardens have been restored to recreate the appearance of the original garden. Borders of perennials and shrubs outline a central lawn in this sunken garden. Four theme gardens are Blue and Yellow, Pink and White, and two rose gardens.
The Japanese cedar trees planted during the restoration of the formal garden were grown from cuttings taken from trees planted in the same location c. 1920. Their leaves turn a distinctive bronze color in winter. |  |
The original boxwoods have been rejuvenated with pruning and special care. Routine pruning is done in the winter. |  |
Saucer magnolia trees bloom in each corner of each theme garden in late winter.
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Japanese weeping cherry trees bloom in late winter also. This photograph, taken in the 1940s, shows the cherry trees at their peak. All but one of the original forty-four trees in the line surrounding the formal garden have died. These trees will be replaced within the next few years. |  |
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Tour the gardens and grounds through the seasons.
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