Preservation in Action At the Garden Conservancy: Our Partners and Projects

Since 1989, the Garden Conservancy’s Preservation team has worked with more than 100 gardens across America. Each has unique characteristics and challenges. Together, they represent the broad range and rich diversity of garden types on our continent, as well as the distinctive character and cultural legacy of American gardens. The following is a comprehensive list of gardens with whom we have partnered and helped to preserve since our founding in 1989. The gardens are listed in alphabetical order by garden name.

Abkhazi Garden Victoria, British Columbia

The Abkhazi Garden is an exquisite heritage home and garden located in Victoria, British Columbia. Prince and Princess Abkhazi began creating their garden in 1946, and worked together on their creation for over 40 years, referring to it as “their child”. After their deaths the garden changed hands, and in February 2000, the Garden Conservancy assisted the Land Conservancy of British Columbia (TLCBC) in purchasing the property to save it from development. The Garden Conservancy continued to advise TLCBC as the garden was developed for public usage.

Anderson Japanese Gardens Rockford, IL

This 12-acre Japanese garden was established in 1978 by John R. Anderson and landscape architect Hoichi Kurisu on the site of Anderson’s home in Rockford, IL. The garden was inspired by Anderson’s trips to Japan and his visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Washington Park, in Portland, OR, which was also designed by Kurisu. In1996, the Garden Conservancy advised Mr. Anderson on establishing an endowment for the garden and in developing plans for future management of the garden.

Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum Lynchburg, VA

The Anne Spencer House was, from 1903-1975, the home of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer. In 2008, the Garden Conservancy assumed an advisory role with the Hillside Garden Club for the rehabilitation of the garden, including restoration of the pergola and pool. The Garden Conservancy’s 2019 “Giving Tuesday” fundraising campaign was for the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum. In 2020, Anne Spencer’s granddaughter, Shaun Spencer-Hester was included in a Garden Conservancy panel discussion on inclusive interpretation of gardens for the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) conference.

Arthur Erickson Garden Vancouver, British Columbia

This garden was created by famed Canadian architect the late Arthur Erickson, where he made his home for over fifty years. In the early 2000s, the Garden Conservancy assisted the Arthur Erickson Foundation, owner of the property, with fundraising strategies, as well as with development of a conservation plan for the house and garden and an archival program.

Ashintully Gardens Tyringham,MA

Ashintully Gardens is an 120-acre estate that is maintained by the Trustees of Reservations land trust. The gardens, and adjoining 594-acre reservation, were the gift of John McLennan Jr., and his wife Katharine. Following the death of John McLennan, Jr., in 1996, the Garden Conservancy supported the Trustees of Reservations in preserving the property, including suggestions for design improvements and management advice. Shortly thereafter, the Garden Conservancy advocated for the garden’s attempt to establish an endowment to support future maintenance. Ashintully participated in the first Garden Conservancy Preservation Weekend in 2008.

Aullwood Garden Metro Park Dayton, OH

Aullwood House and Garden is a registered historic site near Dayton, OH, and was listed on the National Register in 2005. The property once served as home for Dayton-area industrialist John Aull and his wife, Marie. Today, the garden is one of 25 properties cared for by Five Rivers MetroParks. From 1996 – 1998, the Garden Conservancy assisted Aullwood Garden in developing programs, building local support, and advising on maintenance and preservation practices. From 2000 – 2003, the Conservancy reviewed maintenance plans being created for the garden by with Five Rivers MetroParks. In 2008, Aullwood participated in the first Garden Conservancy Preservation Weekend and, in 2012, the Garden Conservancy conducted a garden assessment and reviewed preservation plans for the garden.

Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center Far Hills, NJ

Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center is a botanical garden and public park in Chester Township, NJ. The house and garden, listed by its historic name, Merchiston Farm, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, for its significance as the home of the American landscape architect Martha Brookes Hutcheson and her landscaping of the property. In 1994, the Garden Conservancy, when contacted because the garden was deteriorating, urged the Morris County Park Commission to create a master plan. This resulted in a renewed commitment to the garden’s care and interpretation. In 2001, the Garden Conservancy endorsed and supported the proposed restoration of the garden, and this work took place from 2001 – 2002.

Bannerman Castle Trust Newburgh, NY

Pollepel Island is a 6.5 acre island in the Hudson River, in New York State. The principal feature on the island is Bannerman’s Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse, which is owned and managed by the Bannerman Castle Trust. In 2001, the trust asked the Garden Conservancy to help stabilize the island and ready it for public visitation. The Conservancy responded by soliciting their local members to volunteer to clear the derelict gardens.

AMERICA’S CULTURAL LEGACY

The Barnes Arboretum

at Saint Joseph’s University Merion Station, PA

In the early 2000s, the Garden Conservancy assisted with efforts to link the arboretum more closely to the university, providing fundraising advice and reviewing their strategic plan. In addition, they reviewed landscape policies and an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant application.

Bayou Gardens Lacombe, LA

From 1935-1956, Bayou Gardens was a major horticultural attraction on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Now the headquarters of the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges, the gardens are maintained by volunteers and showcase an impressive variety of camellias and azaleas. In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Garden Conservancy representatives visited the garden, where local Open Days volunteers and hosts were hard at work with cleanup efforts.

Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden Bethlehem, CT

The Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden is a historic house museum built between about 1754 and 1767 by the Rev. Joseph Bellamy, a prominent Congregationalist minister who played an influential role in the First Great Awakening. Together with Connecticut Landmarks, the Garden Conservancy began to orchestrate reconstruction of the formal garden, a project that ultimately took ten years. Beginning in 1993, the Garden Conservancy assisted with documenting existing plants on the property and, a few years later, restoration of the property began, with the goal of recreating the spirit of the 1920s garden.

Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park Hyde Park, NY

This garden, which is the earliest example of an existing private garden designed by Beatrix Farrand, is part of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. In 1997, under the advice of the Garden Conservancy, a part-time horticulturalist was hired to direct volunteers as they began to plant and maintain the perennial borders. The following year, the Garden Conservancy assisted with preservation planning and efforts to restore the garden. While Farrand’s original planting plans for Bellefield have been lost to the ages, the Garden Conservancy collaborated with a team of landscape designers to research the design of her nearby gardens, created in the same time frame, as well as informed stewardship of the garden.

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum Bristol, RI

Blithewold is a 33-acre summer estate with grand views of Narragansett Bay and is nationally significant in American history as one of the most fully developed and authentic examples of the Country Place Era. In 1998, the Garden Conservancy took action to save Blithewold from private development and keep it open to the public, as well as assisted in the formation of Save Blithewood, Inc., to raise necessary funding and help the group create a business plan to take over management of the property. These efforts were successful, and the Garden Conservancy then assisted in the creation of an operations plan and funding of a horticulturist position. In 2003, the Garden Conservancy’s assistance turned to the restoration and interpretation of the grounds, as well as educational programs planning. In 2006, philanthropist Dodo Hamilton made significant contributions to both Blithewold and the Garden Conservancy.

Blithewood Garden Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Blithewood Garden is a formal Italianate walled garden located on the main campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Designed by Francis Hoppin in the early twentieth century, the garden’s style is typically Beaux-Arts and site has significant connections to the heritage of the Hudson Valley region and the evolution of American landscape design. In 2016, the Garden Conservancy and Bard College entered into an agreement to work together to develop a strategy to rehabilitate Blithewood Garden

(for more information, see Blithewood case study, page ______).

The Blue Garden – Newport, RI

Among the many notable gardens created by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., and the Olmsted firm, the Blue Garden, designed for Arthur Curtiss and Harriet Parsons James, remains a unique expression of landscape art. In 2014, Garden Conservancy staff attended the formal unveiling of the restored garden and led a discussion on options for ownership structure. In 2018, Blue Garden Executive Director Sarah Vance presented at the Garden Conservancy’s landscape panel discussion at Bard College entitled “The Architectural Garden: Challenges of Preserving Formal Structures in the Landscape.” A permanent conservation easement was placed on the property and is held by the Aquidneck Land Trust.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum / Wallace Desert Garden Superior, AZ

Over a twenty-year period, the collector, H.B. Wallace, acquired thousands of plants from commercial nurseries, private collections, horticulturists, scientists, and from the Arboretum’s Desert Legume Program. He filled his garden with an international palette of arid land plants from Madagascar, Mexico, Africa, South America, Australia, the Arabian Peninsula, and the southwestern U.S. In 2008, the Garden Conservancy gathered public garden professionals from around the country at Wallace’s private garden with the task of evaluating its potential to become a public garden and creating a plan for relocating Wallace’s plant collection to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. The vast majority of the specimen plants have been moved to the arboretum.

The Breakers Newport, RI

The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located at Salve Regina University. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 and is a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. In 2016, the Garden Conservancy advocated to save the historic gardens at the Breakers, which were threatened by construction of a new visitors’ center, with a letter to the Preservation Society of Newport.Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn, NY

In 2019, a proposed high-rise development on property adjacent to the botanic garden threatened to block sunlight and harm its unparalleled plant collections. The Garden Conservancy joined countless organizations and individuals in opposing the project and encouraged people to sign their “Fight for Sunlight” petition through various communications channels.

Brookwood Point Cooperstown, NY

Brookwood Point is an estate on the shores of Otsego Lake, in western New York State, established in the early 1820s. It is home to a 100-year-old Italianate Renaissance garden. From 2002-2004, the Garden Conservancy advised Brookwood Point on management, programs, public use, long-range planning, organizational development, and fundraising.