Gardens And Gilded Age Cottages, The Edens Among Us
Commune with nature at these public gardens and tour the estates for a perspective on the privileged lives of their Gilded Age owners.
Wethersfield Estate and Garden, Amenia, NY
Twentieth-century industrialist Chauncey Devereux Stillman started building the home and gardens atop the highest point in Dutchess County. The formal gardens and trails at this 1,000-acre estate lead to panoramic views of the countryside. Explore the many discrete gardens, visit the Carriage House Museum, or walk the hiking trails.
Innisfree Garden, Millbrook, NY
Recognized as one of the world’s 10 best gardens, Innisfree merges the essence of Modernist ideas with traditional Chinese and Japanese garden design principles, with carefully designed vignettes over 165 acres. Landscape architect Lester Collins, who worked on it for over 50 years, described the garden as “something of the dream world” where one “walks into a series of episodes, like Alice through the looking glass.”
Innisfree Garden
Hollister House Garden, Washington, CT
On a sloping, terraced site, this American interpretation of a classic English garden is a rambling wonderland. Walls and hedges create “rooms” and a winding brook and large pond add variety. A robust schedule of summer events includes flower arranging, garden photography, and plein air painting.
Bershire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, MA
One of the oldest botanical gardens in New England, the BBG puts a special focus on the home gardener. Its plantings illustrate design concepts and plan selections to educate and inspire. Lucy’s Garden, a whimsical topiary collection featuring 22 exotic creatures, was added in 2019. The garden’s Leonhardt Galleries exhibits artist whose works are inspired by the natural world.
The Mount, Lenox, MA
The former estate of Edith Wharton has become a home for Wharton scholars and a cultural center with an almost endless roster of tours, programs, and events. The author designed her own series of gardens — the sunken Italian garden, the Lime Walk promenade of linden trees, and the more formal French Flower Garden, among others. Plan to spend a leisurely day exploring the house and gardens.
Naukeag, Stockbridge, MA
The Gilded Age estate is renowned for its elegant gardens and Berkshire “cottage” (read: mansion). The former summer retreat of the Choate family sits on 48 acres with five gardens. You’ve probably seen a picture of the famous Blue steps, a series of deep blue fountain pools. Now see them in person, and look beyond them to marvel at what may be the most breathtaking view in the Berkshires.
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