King’s Garden Perennial Favorites
I am often asked, “What is your favorite flower in the King’s Garden?”, and usually the answer is different every time. It is difficult to pick just one favorite when there are so many to choose from! The twelve plants listed below are the perennials that I enjoy most and recommend to many gardeners. Anchusa […]
King’s Garden Volunteers Welcome
It’s always a pleasure to discover a plant growing in an unexpected place among purposefully placed plants in the garden. These “volunteers” are nature’s gift to the gardener, the product of prolific re-seeders, birds or small mammals leaving seeds behind, or a gust of wind carrying seeds from outside the garden. It is not uncommon […]
Ready, Set, Garden!
The word “spring” conjures up many pictures – green grass, the arrival of migrating songbirds, warm sunshine, and of course, flowers! Classics like tulips, daffodils, and grape hyacinths are starting to peek through the soil to color the landscape. These bulbs are planted in the fall and are a great source of satisfaction for […]
Children’s Garden Offers Something For Everyone
A plot that was once part of the vegetable and cutting gardens for the Pell summer home, and before that a soldier’s garden that helped feed 18th-century troops, is now utilized as our Children’s Garden. This 50×50 garden includes flowing internal pathways, topiaries, kid-sized chairs and thematic plantings to help children and adults learn […]
William Ferris Pell, Horticulturalist
When William Ferris Pell purchased the 546-acre Garrison Grounds encompassing the ruins of Fort Ticonderoga in 1820, he preserved the remaining stonework of the Fort and began shaping the landscape surrounding the summer home he built nearby. Set in a pastoral landscape, the site was described as reminiscent of “park scenery of England; and the view of the ruins from […]
Diana in the King’s Garden
In the center of the King’s Garden rests the bronze sculpture, The Young Diana, that depicts Roman mythology’s goddess of the hunt. Displayed on a pedestal in the reflecting pool, the statue is located on a cross-axis and serves as a focal point when viewed from the garden entrances. It was a gift from museum […]
We’ve Got the Blues
Deep blue, azure blue, sky blue, and sapphire blue – annuals and perennials in shades of blue are artfully arranged to accent both soft and bold colored plant groupings. All are on display in the King’s Garden, one of just a few examples of landscape architect Marian Coffin’s work that remains from her successful career that peaked […]
Notes from the Landscape: Winter Tree Identification
Trees can be identified in winter by looking at the shapes formed by their trunks and bare limbs. Each tree species has a distinct shape, and its bark, twigs, and inactive buds give clues to help reveal its identity. To find the answers all you need is a key. A key uses a series of […]