Magnolia grandiflora The Laurel Tree of Carolina Publication of the Southern Garden Catesby’s NaturalM History, 1743 agnoliaHistory Society Vol. XXIV No. 4 Fall 2011 A Chesapeake Falling Garden: Landon Carter's Sabine Hall Mollie Ridout, Director of Horticulture, Historic Annapolis, Inc. Terraced gardens are a tradition of landscape design extending backward in time wherever gardens have been created on hilly terrain. The Chesapeake falling garden can find its distant ancestors in classic gardens of Europe. Yet the Tidewater region brings much of its own character to M. Ridout by Photo Sabine Hall, central path on the parterre terrace. the garden, beginning with the name. The term falling garden, referring to the slopes designed layouts advocated by earlier writers. between the terraces or flats, is fairly localized. Its use The desire for a high order of control in the landscape seems to be confined to the tidewater region of the may well be attributed to the ongoing struggle of Chesapeake, from the mid-eighteenth century into the American landowners to overcome the chaos of nature. early nineteenth century. We find Colonel William Byrd II No need for them to follow the style of their English using the term fall or falling garden as he describes notable counterparts by creating vast, and vastly expensive, Virginia gardens he has visited in the mid-eighteenth landscapes of wildness when original wildness was century. By the 1770s the term is familiar enough to apparent from their very doorsteps. When wild animals, be used in a Fredericksburg newspaper advertisement and in the early days, unfriendly native Indians as well describing a lot “already well improved with a good falling as unruly slaves and servants lurked about, a little show garden” (Sarudy, 29). (continued on page 3) In the same way, the rationale and the physical form of the falling garden in the Chesapeake region can trace its roots to England and France, but gains it own New World Inside this Issue spin along the way. English garden writers published manuals in the first Pg. 6 "A New World: Naturalists & Artists in the half of the eighteenth century that established patterns American South," A Review of the 2011 for formal gardens and organized landscapes. Philip RSGL Conference Miller’s Gardener’s Dictionary, first published in 1731, Pg. 8 Book Reviews—Selected Letters of Anna became a classic, and was revised and reissued seven times Heyward Taylor and Gertrude Jekyll and throughout the eighteenth century. Batty Langley’s New the Country House Garden Principles of Gardening (1728) likewise advised gardeners on plants, garden designs, and gardening techniques. Pg. 10 In Print—Heirloom Gardening in the Despite the fact that by mid-century Lancelot “Capability” South and One Writer's Garden Brown (1716-1783) was transforming English country Pg. 11 Members in the News estates into naturalistic rural vistas, many wealthy landowners of the Chesapeake region aspired to the highly CALENDAR Please visit the SGHS Web site, www.southerngardenhistory. February 17, 2012. Southern Garden Heritage org, for a complete and more detailed calendar with the latest Conference, “Treasures Lost, History Saved: Our updates and links to individual Web sites. Southern Garden Heritage,” at The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, GA. This informative daylong October 12-December 4, 2011, Nature’s Beloved Son: conference examines the importance of Garden Clubs and Rediscovering John Muir’s Botanical Legacy, a traveling their efforts to stimulate understanding and appreciation exhibition hosted by the Cherokee Garden Library at of our garden heritage, perhaps the first step in successful the Atlanta History Center, held at McElreath Hall. This conservation and preservation efforts. The program also traveling exhibition "Nature’s Beloved Son: Rediscovering highlights present-day landscape documentation efforts John Muir’s Botanical Legacy" traces his travels to in Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. Included Canada, Indiana, the American Southeast, California, are presentations regarding three iconic Southern and Alaska, and presents vivid images and specimens plantations—Carter’s Grove, Magnolia Plantation, and of the actual plants that Muir held in his hands, carried Stratford Hall, and the gardens each inspired. Visit: www. in his pockets, and preserved for all time. Visit: www. uga.edu/botgarden/eduregister.html; or call (706) 542- AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/CherokeeGardenLibary or call 6156. (404) 814-4046. Atlanta History Center Lecture Series. February 22, November 3-4, 2011. “On the Ground: Putting 2012: Susan Haltom, One Writer’s Garden: Eudora Welty’s March 28, 2012: Preservation into Practice,” 2011 Historic Landscape Home Place. Judith Tankard, Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden. Both lectures will Symposium, a Regional Meeting of the American be held at 7:00 p.m. in McElreath Hall, Atlanta History Public Gardens Association, hosted by Vizcaya Museum Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road, NW, Atlanta, GA and Gardens, Miami, FL. This symposium will provide 30305. (404) 814-4046 or scatron@atlantahistorycenter. you contact with the tools and resources needed to make com. informed decisions, develop a game plan, and then put those principles into practice. Keynote speaker, William April 23, 2012. National Book Launch: An Evening Noble, Garden Conservancy. Vizcaya is a National with Peter Hatch. Celebrate the launch of Peter Hatch’s Historic Landmark with one of the best Italianate gardens “A Rich Spot of Earth”: Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary in the U.S. Visit: [email protected]. Garden at Monticello. This elegant garden party features the author as he discusses his pioneering new book, which November 18-19, 2011. “Second Wave of Modernism tells the history of Jefferson’s unique vegetable garden at II: Landscape Complexity and Transformation,” Monticello and uncovers his lasting influence on American presented by the Cultural Landscape Foundation culinary, garden, and landscape history. The evening in concert with The Museum of Modern Art,New offers informal tours, fine Virginia wine, and heavy hors York City, NY. To investigate this significant evolution d’oeuvres. Reserved tickets required, call (434) 984-9880. of professional practice, three groups of thematic IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: presentations have been assembled that will collectively NEW LOCATION & DATE explore landscape transformations at residential, urban and metropolitan scales. For information visit: tclf.org June 1-3, 2012. Annual Meeting of the Southern Garden History Society to be held in Richmond, Dec. 5 (Philadelphia), Dec. 6 (New York City), Dec. 8 VA. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the 2012 SGHS (Boston), 2011. “Lady Londonderry’s Enduring Legacy annual meeting will not be held in Ft. Myers, Florida. at Mount Stewart,” a lecture by Michael Buffin, Garden Our home base will be The Jefferson Hotel in historic and Parks Advisor, National Trust of England, Wales, and downtown Richmond. Events are planned at Maymont Northern Ireland. The garden at Mount Stewart is one and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Among the many of the National Trust’s beloved properties in Northern exciting offerings is a Sunday optional tour to Tuckahoe, Ireland, but the garden owes much of its mystery, magic, the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson. Visit the Web and artistry to its creator, Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart, site often for updates or email Dean Norton, dnorton@ Marchioness of Londonderry. www.royal-oak.org. mountvernon.org. 2 Magnolia • Fall 2011 Vol. XXIV, No. 4 A Chesapeake Falling Garden:……(continued from page 1) of control and power was very comforting near the house. At the same time, an appreciation for the vast natural resources and open space afforded by this continent—that in fact made the advancement of many of these gentlemen possible— was an appropriate backdrop to the geometric garden and deserved appreciation. And there was no need to create it artificially. In fact, these men of property did partake in the naturalistic English landscape movement by capitalizing on vistas across natural landscapes, but at the same time, they wanted and needed useful gardens close to the house, safe and peaceful spaces to walk, play, and Cornett P. by Photo converse. Philip Miller's The Gardener's Dictionary, London, 1731 edition. Sabine Hall exhibits the classic form of the unconnected dependencies; a New World expression in falling garden. The house (built 1738-1742) and garden brick of the Palladian ideal (from the sixteenth-century were constructed by Landon Carter (1710-1778) and Italian architect Andrea Palladio). From this layout Carter continue to be occupied by direct descendents. The house drew the geometry of his garden. It was close to 200 feet is positioned to afford a vista across acres of woods and wide, extending the width of the house and dependencies. farmland to the Rappahannock River. The property, near The garden front of the house faced out over steeply Warsaw, Virginia, is an expression of the eighteenth- rolling country to a distant view of the Rappahannock century gentleman’s trifecta—wealth, education, and River. The garden was formed into six deep terraces, aspiration. As a young man Landon Carter, son of Robert organizing the steeply sloping landscape into a series of “King” Carter (1662/63-1732), inherited eight fully flats and falls. A central path, six feet wide, divided each operational plantations and by his death at the age of 69 flat and connected the levels by means of a grass ramp. It he owned 50,000 acres and about 500 slaves as well as was typical that these ramps were kept in grass and did not other personal wealth. His education in England and at have flights of steps built into them. The falls at Sabine William and Mary College provided him with knowledge Hall were steeper than usual, in fact in his old age Carter of classical ideals and architecture, as well as the principles complains that his hip is “almost disjointed” after walking of liberty and the rights of man.