OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
Ledyard’s Bicentennial Oak. Quercus alba, White Oak, is the CT State Tree. Saplings grown from acorns of a direct descendant of Connecticut’s storied Charter Oak growing in Hartford’s Bushnell Park were distributed to towns in 1976 to mark the nation’s bicentennial. https://portal.ct.gov/About/State-Symbols/The-State-Tree (location: east of the house toward the barns)
Dinosaur footprints – a slab of tracks donated by CT Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill. Named Eubrontes giganteus they date back to the early Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago, and have been designated the CT State Fossil. Although no bones have been found yet, it is thought the tracks were made by a creature resembling Dilophosaurus, a meat -eating therapod that was about 20 feet long. (location: two stone slabs against the stone wall beside the single barn at the back)
Lye Stones – flat stones with a shallow carved circular groove and funnel. In colonial times, a barrel with perforated bottom was placed in the center and filled with wood ashes saved from household fireplaces. Water percolating through the ash leached out lye which was used to make soap. (location: see map)
Historic Barn and Tool Collection – one of 50 barns on the CT Barn Trail. https://connecticutbarns.org/barnstrail/region/thames-valley-new-london-county (ref TRV_008)
Remains of the historic Ledyard Great Oak. (location: blue perimeter trail going east)
Remains of Lester Family Cemetery – a dozen graves dating back to the early 1800s and including at least three generations of the Lester family. (location: alongside the blue perimeter trail, 0.1 mi southeast of the Great Oak)
The Ledyard Garden Club generally meets on the first Monday of each month from September to June for interesting talks and social gatherings (December and June). Membership is open to all interested gardeners, regardless of gardening experience or town of residence. Additional information about speaker programs and community activities can be found on the club website:
https://www.ledyardgardenclub.org/home.html
TREES AND SHRUBS
1. Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’
2. Smooth Hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Haas’ Halo’
3. Rosebay Rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum*
4. Spirea, Spirea japonica
5. Spirea, Spirea japonica ‘Anthony Waterer’
6. American Witch-Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana
7. Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens*
8. Winterberry, Ilex verticillata
9. Saucer Magnolia, Magnolia x soulangeana*
10. Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata
11. Butterfly Bush, Buddleia davidii
12. Honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum ‘Peaches and Cream’
13. Japanese Andromeda, Pieris japonica*
14. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia*
15. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia ‘Elf’
16. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia ‘Tinkerbell’
17. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia
18. American Holly, Ilex opaca ‘Jersey Princess’
19. Crabapple, Malus coronaria ‘Golden Hornet’*
20. Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana
21. Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanilla Strawberry’
22. Sweet Pepperbush, Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’
23. Rhododendron, Rhododendron catawbiense ‘Charles Dickens’*
24. Possumhaw Viburnum, Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’
25. Jane Magnolia, Magnolia x liliflora ‘Jane’
26. Japanese Andromeda, Pieris japonica
27. Variegated Five-leaf Aralia, Acanthopanax sieboldianus ‘Variegatus’
28. White-flowering large-leaf Rhododendron*
29. Mockernut Hickory, Carya tomentosa
30. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia ‘Firecracker’
31. Pink-flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida*
32. Japanese Orixa, Orixa japonica ‘Pearl Frost’
33. Japanese Snowball Viburnum, Viburnum plicatum f plicatum
’Mary Milton'
34. Drooping Leucothoe, Leucothoe fontanesiana
35. Rhododendron, Rhododendron catawbiense ‘Roseum elegans’*
36. Possumhaw Viburnum, Viburnum nudum ‘Brandywine’
37. White-flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida*
38. Siberian Cypress, Microbiota decussata
39. Possumhaw Viburnum, Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’ †
40. Black Cherry, Prunus serotina
41. Doublefile Viburnum, Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’
42. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia ‘Minuet’
43. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia ‘Keepsake’
44. European Larch, Larix decidua*
45. Variegated Drooping Leucothoe, Leucothoe fontanesiana
46. Bayberry, Myrica pensylvanica
47. Purple Beautyberry, Callicarpa dichotoma
48. Rhododendron, Rhododendron catawbiense ‘Mrs Charles Sargent’*
49. Cutleaf Stephanandra, Stephanandra incisa ‘Crispa’
50. Bush Clover, Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Edo Shibori’
51. Bush Clover, Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Spilt Milk’
52. Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus
53. Witch Hazel, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’
HISTORY OF THE GREAT OAK GARDEN
The Great Oak Memorial Garden is located within the 110 acres of Great Oak Park, adjacent to the historic Nathan Lester House and Farm Museum. Built in 1793 by Nathan Lester on the farm on which he was born, the home remained in the Lester family until 1908 when it was bought by Dr and Mrs. Charles B Graves. In 1965 Elizabeth Graves Hill donated the house and surrounding 11 acres to the town as a memorial to her parents. Included in the gift was the historic Ledyard Oak thought to have been over 400 years old. With a height of 70 feet, a canopy spread of 105 feet, and a trunk circumference of 21 feet it was, in its prime, the largest white oak in Connecticut.
The garden, designed with input from Rudy Favretti, a University of Connecticut landscape architect, was laid out in two sections. The south side, the site of Elizabeth’s garden, was to be reminiscent of the colonial period. It was financed and planted by four local garden clubs: Christy Hill, Gales Ferry, Ledyard, and The Officer Wives, and by memorial contributions. The north shrub garden was established with funds contributed by friends and family of Elizabeth Parker Avery. Judge Billings Crandall donated the mill wheel and larger pillar rocks.
Over the years, the four garden clubs that did the first plantings merged as the Ledyard Garden Club. The majestic white oak that inspired the name of the garden and surrounding park died in 1969, weakened by frequent spongy moth caterpillar defoliation. The imposing double-wide stone walls surrounding the garden had fallen into disrepair. Beginning in 2006, the Ledyard Garden Club used proceeds from their annual plant sale to fund their professional restoration.
Although many of the original plantings have succumbed to deer, drought, and age, the original American Boxwood shrubs now tower more than 25 ft tall. Other flourishing survivors include Rhododendrons, Dogwoods, a Larch, two Crabapples, and the beautiful Saucer Magnolia arching over one of the original stone benches. New additions have focused on more deer-tolerant and droughtresistant plants, prioritizing native flora.
The Ledyard Garden Club continues to maintain the garden with major spring and fall cleanups, supplemented with sporadic weeding and planting. In 2019 the club marked its 50th anniversary by planting an Appalachian Spring Dogwood at the entrance. Open to all daily from dawn to dusk, the garden is a historic tribute to the past and a peaceful retreat for the present and the future.
SPRING
Alchemilla mollis, Lady’s Mantle
Aquilegia spp., Columbines
Arisaema triphyllum, Jack-in-the-pulpit
Aruncus dioicus, Goat’s Beard
Aruncus aesthusifolius, Dwarf Goat’s Beard
Crocus spp.
Dicentra spectabilis, Bleeding Heart
Doronicum pardalianches, Leopard’s Bane
Epimedium spp., Barrenwort
Galanthus spp., Snowdrops
Helleborus foetidus, Stinking Hellebore
Helleborus x hybridus, Lenten Rose
Iberis, Candytuft
Myris odorata, Sweet Cicely
Narcissus spp., Daffodils
Paeonia spp., Peony
Phlox stolonifera, Creeping Phlox
Podophyllum peltatum, Mayapple
Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, Solomons Seal
Sanguinaria canadensis, Bloodroot
Tanacetum parthenium, Feverfew
GRASSES
Pennisetum, Fountain Grass
Carex siderosticha, Broad-leafed Sedge
SUMMER
Agastache foeniculum, Anise Hyssop
Astilbe spp., False Goat’s Beard
Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed
Coreopsis tripteris, Tall Coreopsis
Coreopsis verticillata, Threadleaf Coreopsis
Dianthus, Sweet William, Pink
Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove
Echinaceae purpurea, Coneflower
Geranium maculatum, Wild Geranium
G. macrorrhizum, Bigroot Geranium
Helianthus spp., Sunflower
Hemerocallis spp., Daylilies
Hosta spp., Plantain Lilies
Lavendula spp., Lavender
Liatris spp., Blazing Star
Monarda spp., Bee Balm
Oenothera fruticosa, Sundrops
Opuntia humifusa, Eastern Prickly Pear
Origanum vulgare, Oregano
Phlox paniculata, Garden Phlox
Physostegia virginiana, Obedient Plant
Rudbeckia fulgida, Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia maxima, Large Coneflower
Salvia officinalis, Sage
Thalictrum spp., Meadow Rue
Tradescantia, Spiderwort
FALL
Anemone Hupehensis, Japanese Anemone
Aster tartaricus, Tartarian Aster
Chrysanthemum Sheffield Pink, Chrysanthemum
Solidago caesia, Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa, Showy Goldenrod
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, New York Aster
FERNS
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, Japanese Painted
Dennstaedtia punctiloba, Hayscented
Dryopteris erythrosora, Autumn Brilliance
Matteuccia struthiopteris, Ostrich
Onoclea sensibilis, Sensitive
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, Cinnamon
Parathelypteris noveboracensis, New York
Polystichum acrostochoides, Christmas
GROUNDCOVERS
Asarum canadense, Canada Wild Ginger
A. europaeum, European Wild Ginger
Astibe chinensis var. pumila, Dwarf Chinese Astilbe
Convallaria majalis, Lily of the Valley
Galium odoratum, Sweet Woodruff
Lamium maculatum, Deadnettle
Pulmonaria, Lungwort
Stachys byzantina, Lambs Ear
Thymus serpyllum, Creeping Thyme
54. Bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva -ursi
55. White Beautyberry, Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Duet’
56. Carolina Rhododendron, Rhododendron minus*
57. Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinky Winky’
58. Sweet Autumn Clematis, Clematis paniculata
59. Weigela, Weigela florida
60. American Holly, Ilex opaca
61. Chinese Indigo, Indigofera kirilowii
62. Indigo, Indigofera x ‘Little Pinkie’
63. False Holly Tea Olive, Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Sasaba’
64. False Holly Tea Olive, Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Party Lights’
65. Dwarf Maidenhair Tree, Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’
66. Variegated Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus
67. Hardy Orange, Poncirus trifoliata
68. Variegated Weigela, Weigela florida ’My Monet’
69. Blue Mist Shrub, Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Blue Mist’
70. Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’
71. Chaste Tree, Vitex agnus-castus
72. Syringa Lilac, Syringa vulgaris †
73. Evergreen Azalea
74. Leatherleaf Viburnum, Viburnum rhytidophyllum
75. Doublefile Viburnum, Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Shasta’
76. Golden Chain Tree, Laburnum watereri
77. Climbing Hydrangea, Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris
78. Beauty Bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis
79. Bush Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa
80. Dogwood, Cornus florida ‘Appalachian Spring’
81. Fothergilla, Fothergilla major ‘Mt. Airy’
82. Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens
MEMORIALS
A. Shrub Garden Stone 1970 – Elizabeth Avery, by her loving husband Amos
B. Armillary, 1972 – Silvia Bixler, Treasurer, first Nathan Lester House Garden Committee
C. Bench, 2010 – Priscilla Beck, Chair, first Nathan Lester House Garden Committee
D. Birdbath, 1970 – Anne T Meyers
E. Possumhaw Viburnum (#39), 2017 – William F. Hotton
F. Syringa Lilac (#72), 2022 – Judy Graziano, LGC president (1995-1999), 1976 Bicentennial Committee
MARKERS
G. Pillars and Millstone donated by Judge Crandall 1969
H. Time Capsule placed in 1976 by Ledyard Bicentennial Comm. to be opened 2076
I. Lye Stones (two, see Points of Interest)
J. Brick Circle, 1969 onward – charter and lifetime members of Ledyard Garden Club
K. Dogwood (#80) 2019 – 50th anniversary of Ledyard Garden Club founding
* Original garden planting
† Memorial planting
