Date: Fri 07-Jul-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

A8-garden-Washington-Blass

Full Text:

WASHINGTON GARDEN CLUB TOUR w/ cuts (A8)

WASHINGTON - Gardeners and garden lovers were invited to spend a few hours

enjoying six extraordinary gardens in the rolling hills of Washington last

week. Hosted by the Washington Garden Club on June 28, attendees were provided

with a road map to the gardens (this wasn't just a walking tour, but a driving

tour between the homes to get to each garden), along with the rare opportunity

to dine at the Swiss Hospitality Institute.

Following the suggested route planned by the Washington Garden Club, the first

stop on the tour was the home of Bill Blass, who says he decorates his gardens

½with things [he] would use in rooms.¾ His green garden is home to

shade-loving plants which offer protection over a glade with statuary and

garden furnishings.

The ideas behind Mr Blass' garden are English or Japanese in origin, but, says

Mr Blass, ½the process is such an organic tangle of indigenous material that

it ended up pure New England.¾

The Hermitage of the Dayspring is a monastic house of prayer, surrounded by

small gardens purposely designed in a contemplative nature. The second stop on

the tour, the garden boasts places for quiet meditation, with a raked sand and

rock meditation garden which draws on the Zen Kare Sansui tradition a

highlight.

Susan and Jim Scott also opened their home for the six-hour relaxed touring

schedule, and shared with neighbors and new friends their brand-new garden.

Just two years old, the Scotts' garden demonstrates how fine a new garden can

be, while the potential is also already there for years of future garden

enjoyment.

Steeply terraced gardens ramble down a hillside overlooking Lake Waramaug,

while a planted wall surrounds a pool on three sides in the Scotts' yard. The

fourth side of the pool has a disappearing water edge.

Garden Number Four, Sandy Lean's low-walled garden of herbaceous shrubs and

perennials is arranged in quadrants around in inner circle. Whites, pinks,

dark burgundy and silver make up the garden's color palette. There are resting

benches under arched arbors on two sides, and sheep can be seen grazing in the

meadow beyond.

Linda Allard's garden is a high-walled, geometrically-designed Renaissance

garden. Converging paths define gardens of tree roses, herbs, annuals and

perennials. Espaliered pear and apple trees run the full length of a 100-foot

long high wall, protecting the garden in which Mrs Allard practices organic

principles.

And finally, Charles and Barbara Robinson's ½Brush Hill¾ is an exuberant

English cottage-style garden. A charming and picturesque garden, it was the

inspiration for the setting of Rosemary Verey's The Secret Garden .

Indeed, the Robinsons' garden has a rose walk and a fountain garden, inspired

by the golden garden at Crathes Castle in Scotland, planted in purples and

yellows. Terraced borders in yellow, orange and red lead to ½The Folly.¾ The

final stop on the garden tour, the enjoyment of the garden is certainly no

folly.

The only thing missing from this garden tour, which is something the club may

wish to investigate the possibility of for future tours, were comprehensive

½floor plans,¾ or maps of each individual garden identifying groups of

plantings or structures for non-experts.

Luncheon reservations, whether through the picnic box lunches offered by the

Garden Club or at the Swiss Institute, were limited. The Swiss Hospitality

Institute is not usually open to the public, so for the price of $15,

participants were given the rare opportunity to enjoy the dining room at the

Institute Wednesday afternoon. Reservations were limited, and full before the

June 15 deadline imposed. The second option, which also sold out, was a picnic

½box¾ lunch prepared by The Pantry in Washington Depot, which was handed out

to ticket-holders at the parish hall of St. John's Church. The hall also

served as the Information Center/Headquarters of the Tour.

The Washington Garden Club is a member of the Garden Club of America. The

Washington Club was founded in 1914, and received its national accreditation

three years later. The Garden Tour last week was the Club's largest annual

fundraiser, and the club puts much effort into projects maintaining the

appearance of the town of Washington, Conn.