Sunnycrest (Jaffrey, New Hampshire)

Object Details

sova.aag.gca_ref33206
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb636cfc856-ef87-4f19-abe4-372fd6d077a8
General
The 17-acre property has a circa 1907 Dutch colonial style house with a gambrel roof and wraparound porches on three sides, but in 1989 the current owners found only mature trees, random shrubs, a vegetable garden, and grass flats on either side of the house. Drawing on her professional landscape design training and experience they designed structured gardens near the house that would fade into the meadows and woodland, building stone walls and curving pathways to define spaces. Never meant to be a flowery garden their plantings included native and species trees and shrubs with pleasing textures; eventually the plant selection included dozens of evergreen, shade and ornamental trees, perennial flowers and herbs, ground covers, vines, deciduous shrubs, and ferns. Two vegetable and flower gardens have a fruit orchard with apple, plum, pear and peach trees espaliered on the split rail fence. A new woodland garden, a bosquet, was developed in a clearing that reveals a view of Mount Monadnock. A shingled standing tree trunk with a mirror attached to the top is the feature here. Sunnycrest has four 40-foot long beds with more than two dozen varieties of ornamental grasses that were not commonly grown in New England when the owners planted them. Tall perennials such as Joe Pye weed were planted at the perimeters of these beds. About 4,000 daffodil bulbs share the same ground; in spring this is known as daffodil highway. The owners are especially pleased with their grass garden in fall when the tall stands show a variety of colors complemented by colors among the trees and shrubs near the house as well as pink mums in the vegetable garden, sedum, monkshood and daisies. Scattered around the gardens there are benches and pergolas, birdhouses, containers of succulents, a composition of old granite curbstones, and pottery holders for bean supports in the vegetable garden. There is a frog pond with a fountain and a stone-faced bread oven built into a stone wall. The garden has been opened many times for tours and fund raising events. Persons associated with the garden include: Oscar H. Bradley (former owner, circa 1870-1899); Annie E. Bunce (former owner, 1899-1904); Silas E. Buck (former owner, 1904-1910); Clifford P. Warren (former owner, 1910-1942); Bertha M. Shepard (former owner, 1942-1948); Mr. and Mrs. W. Arnold Seale (former owners, 1948-1966); Susanne R. de Wolfe (former owner, 1966-1984); Edward M. Read (former owner, 1984-1989); Margaret S. and Gene Pokorny (owners, garden designers and gardeners 1989- ).
Provenance
Monadnock Garden Club
Garden designer
Pokorny, Margaret
Pokorny, Gene
Photographer
Larsen, Sarah H.
Collection Creator
Garden Club of America
Place
United States of America -- New Hampshire -- Cheshire -- Jaffrey
Sunnycrest (Jaffrey, New Hampshire)
Topic
Gardens -- New Hampshire -- Jaffrey
Provenance
Monadnock Garden Club
Garden designer
Pokorny, Margaret
Pokorny, Gene
Photographer
Larsen, Sarah H.
See more items in
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / New Hampshire
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 Monadnock Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.GCA, File NH119
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 "Gardens of Grass" by Michael Carlton, published in Yankee Magazine, October 2004, pp. 40-46; "A Splendid Autumn Garden" by Robin Sweetser, published in New Hampshire Home, September/October 2012, pp. 44-49.
Scope and Contents
38 digital images (2013, 2018) and 1 file folder. Images 001-038 photographed by Sarah H. Larsen.
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.
AAG.GCA_ref33206
Large EAD
AAG.GCA
AAG
Record ID
ebl-1643208220039-1643210181788-2
Sunnycrest (Jaffrey, New Hampshire)
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