Historic Gardens and Landscapes

New England - Survey of Selected 17th-18th Century Garden Landscapes

May 3, 2007 Georgene A. Bramlage

Historic and traditional garden landscapes in New England range from colonial times to modern times. Here is a survey of selected 17th to18th century landscape styles.

Landscape gardeners can discover a plethora of historical and traditional American garden and landscape styles in New England. Garden landscape styles change slowly, and often linger for centuries. The majority of early New England garden landscapes evolved from traditional English garden styles.

Useful plants and practical work-related pursuits occupied space around farm houses as well as in-town houses in the 17th century. As 18th century and early 19th century property owners acquired wealth, free time and education, plants and garden landscapes for pleasure became more commonplace.

Volunteers from various garden clubs and civic groups care for New England's historic and period gardens along with organizations such as:

• Historic New England, the oldest and largest regional preservation organization in the U.S., safeguards some of the following garden landscape properties through preservation restrictions. Headquarters • 141 Cambridge Street • Boston, MA 02114 • (617) 227-3956.

• The Trustees of Reservations, one of the U.S.'s oldest conservation organizations, preserves and manages historic houses and gardens in Massachusetts that span 300 years. Headquarters • Long Hill 572 Essex Street • Beverly MA 01915 • (978) 921-1944. The Trustees protect properties in one of three ways:
  • assistance to property owners;
  • protection of private properties by Trustees-held conservation restrictions; and
  • outright ownership of properties by The Trustees of Reservations.

• United States National Park Service (NPS), which reaches beyond national parks to help American communities preserve and enhance important local heritage. The NPS offers grants and assistance to register, record and save historic places.

Here is a survey and review of four 17th - 18th century selected historical and tradition-based garden landscapes in New England:

17th Century

• Whipple House Housewife’s Garden is an example of Colonial Revival idealism. Painstakingly researched plantings and upkeep add up to a fine example of a traditional historic garden of this period. Ipswich Historical Society and Museums. Location and Headquarters • 54 South Main Street (Rte. 1A) • Ipswich, MA 01938 • (978) 356-2811.

• House of the Seven Gables Gardens represent four centuries of planting schemes which include historically important early 17th century raised bed gardens and an 18th century granite sea wall. The House of the Seven Gables Association. Location and Headquarters • 115 Derby Street • Salem, MA 01970 • (978) 744-099.

18th Century

• Hatheway House features a fairly formal, but delightful traditional garden maintained in the spirit of the house. Suffield (CT) Garden Club Volunteers. Location • South Main Street (Route 75) • Suffield, CT 06078 • 860-668-0055 or 860-247-8996x21.

• Strawberry Banke Museums is a complex of 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings in an urban maritime environment that features streetscapes and living collections of historic plants. Featured are Colonial raised-bed kitchen gardens, grand Victorian Gardens, Colonial Revival gardens, the humble gardens and work yards of immigrants and a World War II Victory garden. Strawberry Banke Inc. Location and Headquarters • Marcy Street, P.O. Box 300 • Portsmouth, NH 03802-0300 • 603-422-7552.

The copyright of the article Historic Gardens and Landscapes in Landscaping is owned by Georgene A. Bramlage. Permission to republish Historic Gardens and Landscapes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.