Showing posts with label Sonnenberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sonnenberg. Show all posts
A Day in the Garden: Paradise pt 2
 |
| The Marble Pavilion of the Blue and white garden. |
The magic and splendor of the Sonnenberg gardens is the diversity of the gardens on the estate. Drifting from one garden to the the next during our visit, we were immediately transported to a different environment in the matter of a few yards. The Blue and White garden is just off the house and features a grand pavilion and beautiful sculptures. Its classic style gives the garden room a dignified aura. Its benches invited one to pause and reflect on the beauty of the harmony of the design of the garden.
 |
| The pool in front of the pavilion features beautiful sculptures reflected in the water. |
The small pool in front of the pavilion adds to the formal style of this garden. It also apparently offers visitors an opportunity to toss pennies into it judging by the layer of coins in the bottom. Could a wish not come true when made in such a beautiful garden?
 |
| The stairs to the houses veranda. |
 |
| The Old Fashioned Garden was installed in 1906. |
The Old Fashioned garden has a quarter mile of boxwood hedges in interlocking circles which are bisected by a stately white columned arbor. The flowers are punctuated with large clumps of grass which have a sculpture like effect in these beds.
 |
| The perennials provide continuous blooms throughout the season in the Old Fashioned Garden. |
 |
| A shady corner of the garden with hostas and astilbe bathed in afternoon light. |
The path to the Rock Garden reminded of the movie Into to the Woods. Deep, dark and mysterious when we visited. Where was the Big Bad Wolf lurking? Didn't meet him but did have a rewarding walk through a beautiful forest. Which brought us to a clearing and a monumental stone lookout surrounded by stately pines.
 |
| The path to the Rock Garden. |
 |
| The stairs to the the top of the lookout. |
 |
| The birdbath of the Pansy garden is in the shape of the gardens theme flower. |
A Day in the Garden: Paradise pt 1
Deep in the heart of New York State Wine Country is a garden paradise. The Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion sit on fifty acres in Canandaigua, New York. Walking the gardens is a day long adventure and a retrospective of garden history. The property was home to the Thompson family from 1863 to 1931. Mrs. Thompson who developed the gardens, after her husbands death in 1899, traveled the globe for inspiration for the 13 distinct types of gardens on the estate. Today it is maintained by a seasonal volunteer staff of 320 and 6 full time staffers and is open from May through October. After a day in this horticultural wonder there's the adjacent town of Canandaigua and its many restaurants, local vineyards, shops and lake for further amusement.
One of the gardens many antique greenhouses were filled with an wide array of Proven Winner
hydrangeas the day we were there.
The complex of greenhouses were built between 1902 and 1915 and are rare examples of Lord & Burnham Greenhouses using wood frames. Today they are in the process of being
restored to their original uses.
The property name means Sunny Hill in german and was the name of the original farm that the house sits on. The great Queen Anne mansion replaced the humble farm house in 1887. The house is open to the public and is a classic American 19th century country house, loads of brown furniture and dark rooms, but it has an interesting floor plan.
One of the most splendid gardens on the grounds is the Italian Garden. Walking through this garden is like being transported to a wonderful garden in the heart of Italy. It's design is based on a 16th Century carpet bed pattern and is planted in vibrant red and gold flowers with beds bordered by manicured conical bushes.
Mrs. Thompson's rose garden was installed in 1906 and is planted in the original red, pink and white scheme. The Belvedere offers a wonderful view of the garden especially at its peak in June.
Looking out into the Italiain garden from the house on ground level. Examples of the importance of symmetry in a classic garden design are everywhere on the property.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
