Darien -- The Rosenberry Garden
Object Details
sova.aag.gca_ref21452
- General
- This two-acre property is located in northern Darien just south of the New Canaan border in a section originally known as Flatte (or Flatt) Ridge. In 1880 a small farmhouse was built by Lewis St. George. The house, with additions over the years, today bears a plaque from the Darien Historical Society designating it as the "St. George House 1880." William M. Lybrand, who acquired the house in 1932 from Sara Hadley Bennet, expanded the property to fifty acres and had the St. George House renovated for a caretaker. In connection with the design for the main house, he hired landscape architect Noel Chamberlin of New York City to landscape the grounds of the estate. Chamberlin was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was notably involved in the design of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida and the gardens of Applecross in Greenville, Delaware. Part of the plan for the St. George House included a large formal garden, designated for cuttings, situated around one of the original farm wells located in the western part of the property. It was surrounded by a yew hedge planted in a shield shape and accessed from the estate's driveway. In 1959, the estate was sold and divided. The St. George house on two acres, including the formal garden, was sold to Peter Johnson.
- When the current owners acquired the property in 1979 the garden has been abandoned and allowed to deteriorate. The unsheared yew hedge had grown to 30 feet in some places. In the spring of 1980 Ned Johnson, the head arborist at the Bartlett Arboretum, freed the hedge and advised the owners on the necessary steps for its rejuvenation. With the hedge suggesting the bones of a garden, the current owners outlined, edged, dug, and planted beds, creating a secret garden. Initially it was a garden of roses, tree peonies, perennials, annuals, and vegetables.
- A new garden for vegetables was created on the north side of the property. This eventually evolved into a garden divided into four quadrants of dahlias and asparagus anchored by a garden shed. With the assistance of Tad Sanford of Young's Nursery in Woodbury, Connecticut, they developed a woodland garden and meandering path to create space for shade-loving plants. Much of the lawn between the woodland and the house was allowed to become field, gradually filling in with wildflowers. The growing deer problem necessitated surrounding the secret garden with deer fencing and deer resistent plants outside the fence.
- Persons associated with the garden include Lewis St George, (former owner, 1880-1919); Sara Hadley Bennet (former owner, 1919-1932); William M. Lybrand (former owner, 1932-1959); Peter Johnson (former owner, 1959-1979); Noel Chamberlin (landscape architect, 1939); Ned Johnson (Bartlett Arboretum arborist, 1980-1983); Tad Sanford (garden designer).
- Provenance
- Garden Club of Darien
- Former owner
- Bennet, Sara Hadley
- Landscape architect
- Chamberlin, Noel
- Arborist
- Johnson, Ned
- Former owner
- Johnson, Peter
- Lybrand, William M.
- Garden designer
- Sanford, Tad
- Former owner
- St. George, Lewis
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- The Rosenberry Garden (Darien, Connecticut)
- United States of America -- Connecticut -- Fairfield County -- Darien
- Topic
- Gardens -- Connecticut -- Darien
- Provenance
- Garden Club of Darien
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Connecticut
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Custodial History
- The Garden Club of Darien facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File CT353
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Bibliography
- This property is featured in The Story of Flatt Ridge, Darien by Vera Colton Halstead, 1949.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes a written description of the garden, a garden features plan and key, a plant list, a side view plan, and photocopies of the garden and planting plans done by Noel Chamberlin.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Related Materials
- The Rosenberry Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (11 digital images)
AAG.GCA_ref21452
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb625cdafd0-113d-46a6-9bcc-bfe03ee0f1f6
AAG.GCA
AAG
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210177509-0
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
1 result(s)
-
The Garden Club of America collection
sova.aag.gca
- Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Names
- New York Flower Show
- Topic
- Gardens -- France
- Gardens -- Italy
- Gardens -- Japan
- Gardens -- Mexico
- Flower shows
- Gardening -- United States -- societies, etc
- Gardens -- England
- Landscape architecture
- Gardens -- United States
- Gardens -- Spain
- Gardens -- Scotland
- Creator
- Garden Club of America
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Summary
- This collection contains over 37,000 35mm slides, 3,000 glass lantern slides and garden files that may include descriptive information, photocopied articles (from journals, newspapers, or books), planting lists, correspondence, brochures, landscape plans and drawings. Garden files were compiled by Garden Club of America (GCA) members for most of the gardens included in the collection. Some gardens have been photographed over the course of several decades; others only have images from a single point in time. In addition to images of American gardens, there are glass lantern slides of the New York Flower Show (1941-1951) and trips that GCA members took to other countries, including Mexico (1937), Italy, Spain, Japan (1935), France (1936), England (1929), and Scotland. A number of the slides are copies of historic images from outside repositories including horticultural and historical societies or from horticultural books and publications. The GCA made a concerted effort in the mid-1980s to acquire these images in order to increase its documentation of American garden history. Because of copyright considerations, use of these particular images may be restricted.
- Accruals note
- The GCA continues to document American gardens and submit images and documentation to the Archives of American Gardens. Further accruals are expected.
- Biographical/Historical note
- The Garden Club of America was established in 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when the Garden Club of Philadelphia and eleven other garden clubs met to create a national garden club. Its purpose is to foster the knowledge and love of gardening and to restore and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and gardening and conservation efforts. The GCA was incorporated in Delaware in 1923, with its headquarters established in New York City. Today, local clubs are organized under twelve regional zones. The GCA continues its tradition of hosting flower shows and publishing material related to gardening in the United States. The GCA's glass lantern slides were used by The GCA for presentations and lectures about notable gardens throughout the United States dating back to colonial times. An effort was made in the late 1980s, in preparation of the 75th anniversary of the Garden Club of America's founding, to collect the disbursed slides. These slides were to eventually form the Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. The informational value of this collection is extensive since a number of images of the more than 4,500 gardens represented show garden designs that have changed over time or no longer exist. While the majority of images document a range of designed upper and upper-middle class gardens throughout the U.S., the scope of the collection is expanding as volunteers photograph and document contemporary gardens including community and vernacular gardens. The gardens illustrate the design work of dozens of landscape architects including Marian Coffin, Beatrix Farrand, Lawrence Halprin, Hare & Hare, Umberto Innocenti, Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, Warren Manning, the Olmsted Brothers, Charles Platt, Ellen Biddle Shipman, and Fletcher Steele. Because of their proximity to the gardens, works of notable architects and sculptors may also be featured in the images.
- Extent
- 37000 Slides (photographs) (35mm slides)
- 33 Linear feet ((garden files))
- 3,000 Lantern slides
- Date
- circa 1920-present
- Custodial History note
- The GCA's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1992; this became the core collection of the Archives of American Gardens.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Slides (photographs)
- Lantern slides
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Genre/Form
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- Lantern slides
- Slides (photographs)
- Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
AAG.GCALarge EADhttps://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb617385372-1028-4cb7-b07d-04fea2e51c47AAG.GCAAAG- Record ID
- ebl-1562776092361-1562776095300-0