7 July 2007 — Old Germantown Road Gardens

haunted by memories of an extraordinary garden

As I write this on July 13th, it has been 6 days since we visited the Old Germantown Road Garden for an HPSO open day….and I can’t stop thinking about the garden’s greatness. At the HPSO study weekend, Sheila and I had sat at the dinnertable with its owners and creators, Bruce Wakefield and Jerry Grossnickle, yet we had not felt we had time to drive to see their outlying garden. I think we made the right choice, because it required far more time to view than a hasty walk through with anxious thoughts of getting back to the train station in time for the trip home.  You could walk through the gardens all day and still find new magical surprises.  I had a feeling this was a garden we needed to see, so Allan and I went to its very next open day (a four hour round trip).

view from house deck and from greenhouse terrace

After a breathtaking entry past a sweep of Sedum’ Autumn Joy’ and the thought that with a huge garden one COULD have huge sweeps of plants, we rounded the driveway circle and were welcomed into the house with a sign advising us to view the garden from the deck…the route to which took us past Jerry serving up his famous chocolate swirl cookies and delicious iced punch. An idea of the vastness of the garden could be had from the driveway, but even looking down from the deck it was hard to grasp the sheer size.  I think it is three acres, two in cultivation.  [2012 note: I think now it is five acres, two in cultivatation…The article says how big…] We were given a map to guide us through the gardens: Cardiocrinum garden, Orchard, Primula Gardens, Arches, Mediterranean Garden, Woodland Garden, Gazebo, Pond, Rock Garden…..and more…

greenhouse and descending terraces

The terrace greenhouse was filled with exotics.  What entranced me was the round pond (with a concrete bench in it…I did not think to check if the water was hot or cold) from which ran a rill across the terrace, splashing narrowly next to steps to a second terrace, when it flowed into a fascinatingly deep green little pool under a mysteriously floating boulder. It was about then that I decided I was in the best garden of my experience.

passing through the rock garden…and finding the gazebo

Onward down natural stone steps, past a striking patch of cacti, we were given a staggering choice of paths and were drawn by the bright lawn borders which we had seen from above. Everywhere, dwarf conifers were brilliantly used as punctuation.  Oh, to have more room for such!

ponds small and large

Past the sweeping lawn borders and gazebo we felt we were entering a series of rooms.  We happened upon this wee pond (above left) and moments later found this glorious large pond (right) with enormous koi and an inviting stone bench at one end.  One could walk all the way round it, and indeed other members of the HPSO were going round and round. Just sitting and watching those fish could take all day.

a secret garden…………………..and another enticing path

Paths offer many choices and the worry that one might miss something extraordinary.  One mossy set of steps lead to a secret garden with bench.  These gardens abound with sit spots and with beautiful objects.

art in the garden

From the deck, another gardener and I both thought the metal sculptures, below left, were actual huge Allium schubertii.

garden art, garden arch

Past the rose arches we were offered more tantalizing path choices; steps or gravel? We paused to enjoy the Mediterranan garden with its drinking fountain, the handle propped on with a stone to provide visitors with water on such a hot bright day.

drinking fountain…and back to the lychnis (rose campion) at orchard entry

But I have gotten ahead of myself. After the ponds we plunged into the woodland paths. Under a collection of wonderful trees grew silver-leaved brunnera, ferns, hellebores which must have been amazing in bloom, and Cardiocrinums just going to seed; then we emerged into bright sunshine accentuated by a splash of hot magenta lychnis at the entrance to the orchard. Again: the joy of having the space to use a big splash of a common but striking plant. I loved all the raised beds as we left the woods and worked our way up toward the Mediterranean garden and its drinking fountain.

so many paths

And did I mention paths? Dark and light, shaded, subtle, revealing a secret garden or bursting out into waves of colour….

shady paths

into the sun

The colours…the raised beds…the fascinating perennials and the conifer punctuation….By the time we had circulated through the entire garden and had a refill of icy fruit drink and another cookie, I sat in a daze on the curved wall of that terrace with the deep green little pool and the splashing rill.  Allan reentered the house to listen to gardeners talking out on the deck.  And I looked up to see what provided me with cool shade, to see a small forest of Tetranpanax papirefer ‘Steroidal Giant’ overhead…a precursor to what I might eventually expect from my precious two year old plant.

the small green pond fed by a rill……………………the tetrapanax grove

And now…six days later….I can’t stop thinking about the paths wooded and sunny, the raised beds and conifers, the deep green small pool, the Lobelia tupa which I must buy somewhere, and what the gardens must be like in different seasons, and what in the world I can do to make our two city lots more magical and mysterious.

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