Preserving America's Exceptional Gardens
A Message from the President
THE FRAGILE NATURE OF GARDENS
As gardens around the country explode into their annual show this spring, we are reminded of the vitality of the natural systems that bring us such delight, and we marvel at the capacity of the plant world to move so effortlessly through the cycle of seasons year after year. In our own gardens, the failures of last year are forgotten as we are drawn to new challenges: plants we haven’t yet tried, a fresh color scheme, or perhaps planting a tree that will give shade to future generations. It is easy to feel that all is well with the world and that gardens are forever.
In fact, we know that gardens are the most fragile and ephemeral of art forms, developed through the passionate vision of their creators and sustained by hard work. When the creator is gone and the work stops, decline sets in almost immediately. Within a few seasons, very little of the original vision is left.
The Garden Conservancy has dedicated itself to stopping and, in many cases, reversing this cycle. The gardens we have preserved are a testament to what can be accomplished when passionate people determine that a garden is worth saving and enjoying forever. Western Hills, the garden of Marshall Olbrich and Lester Hawkins in Occidental, California, is waiting for that to happen, and we are optimistic that it will be saved as the icon it is for gardeners throughout the western United States and beyond. While it is in limbo, the Garden Conservancy is making sure that the garden is cared for, and laying the groundwork for a hoped-for future life as a public garden.
Some of the other gardens profiled in this issue are waiting for new owners to tend and love them on a more personal basis. Pepe and John Maynard’s garden, enjoyed by Open Days visitors for the last fifteen years, will, we hope, find a new owner who will understand the special qualities of its dramatic design and carry on the Maynards’ work. While not every wonderful garden can be saved, we hope to perpetuate as many as possible by sharing the news that they are available and fostering a network of gardeners who are eager to accept the privilege and challenge of carrying on a gardening tradition in this country. We welcome your suggestions about how to do that effectively, and encourage you to contact us with news of important gardens in your communities that may need help.
As ever, we thank you for your concern, your interest, and your generous support. We hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring in your own garden and hope to see you at Garden Conservancy Open Days throughout the season.
- Antonia F. Adezio, President
Spring 2010
2009 Garden Conservancy Annual Report Since its founding, the Garden Conservancy has done more than any other national institution to save and preserve America’s exceptional gardens for the education and enjoyment of the public.
Timeline of Garden Conservancy milestones, 1989-2009
The Garden Conservancy was established in 1989 by Frank Cabot, the distinguished American gardener. In partnership with individual garden owners as well as public and private organizations, the Conservancy provides the horticultural, technical, management, and financial expertise needed to sustain these fragile environments and ensure long-term stewardship of natural assets so essential to the aesthetic and cultural life of our communities.
The Conservancy recognizes that exceptional gardens most often begin as private affairs, the life work of passionate, dedicated and remarkably talented gardeners, and that a select number of these are capable of flourishing for generations as public gardens to facilitate their long-term historic and aesthetic significance as well as public visitation. The Garden Conservancy takes a leadership role in this transition for the American gardens in its diverse portfolio. It assists in the structuring of legal strategies and conservation easements to protect these resources from development, develops master plans for preservation, interpretation, horticultural management and public access, and helps establish sound fiscal and organizational foundations for each property. Once a transition period ends and the gardens operate independently, a process usually requiring a number of years, the Conservancy stays involved to make sure that they continue to thrive.
Since 1989, the Garden Conservancy has helped more than 90 important gardens in the United States survive and prosper. Currently, there are 16 major preservation projects all across the United States under its care. In addition, the Conservancy makes its expertise available to dozens of other gardens each year through technical assistance, education, and other resources. The most recent preservation project is the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in Bishopville, South Carolina, which was created by an inspired African-American gardener with a hedge-clipper. Three – Alcatraz Island in San Francisco; Longue Vue House & Garden in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Steepletop, the Garden of Edna St. Vincent Millay in Austerlitz, New York – are designated as National Historic Landmarks. They are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the Elizabeth Lawrence Garden in Charlotte, North Carolina; The Fells in Newbury, New Hampshire; Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, New Jersey; Montrose in Hillsborough, North Carolina; Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair, New Jersey; and Yew Dell Gardens in Crestwood, Kentucky.
The Conservancy's public education and training programs build on the organization's experience and understanding of garden preservation. Its Open Days program brings this message to a broad base of visitors. Since 1995, Open Days has provided behind-the-scenes access to some of this country's finest private gardens, offering visitors the rare opportunity to spend time in beautiful spaces not normally available for public viewing. In 2010, more than 360 private gardens in 21 states are opening for a very limited time to the public. Every year, over 75,000 enthusiasts enjoy the opportunity to explore, first-hand, these examples of outstanding design and horticulture.
The Conservancy's lectures and symposia offer Garden Conservancy members, experienced horticulturists, and landscape professionals a source of contemporary ideas relevant to fine gardening, design, and preservation policy. Its fellowships at Preservation Project gardens expose a new generation of professionals to the diverse skills required to operate a public garden.