Gardens are sanctuaries for peace and growth, but for most of the country, gardening in the winter is an oxymoron. However, you can still dream, plot and plan for Spring 2024 by joining author Caryn B. Davis as she explores the grand gardens of Connecticut in her book Connecticut Gardens: A Celebration of the State’s Historic Public and Private Gardens (Globe Pequot, © 2023). As the book’s title suggests, Connecticut Gardens is organized by three distinct types of gardens: historical, public and private. Each one serves a unique purpose, but all are equally splendid to the eye. For a property to be considered an official historic garden in Connecticut, it must include a historic home that is open to the public. Davis points out that these gardens can be a good compromise for family and friends to get together, as gardens and history are not often combined. But at historic gardens, those who love the peaceful greenery can meet with their history-buff friends and mutually enjoy the visit.
Connecticut’s historic gardens owe much to Rev. Horace Bushnell. It is because of his persistence that Connecticut—and the rest of the United States—saw its first publicly funded park. Bushnell Park paved the way for beautiful gardens of serenity, like New York’s Central Park, to be available to the public.
EDMUND’S RETREAT. St. Edmund’s Retreat is just that—a retreat from the hustle and bustle of life into the peacefulness of our natural world. The garden’s variety of dahlias create a spray of vibrance broken up only by the concrete pathways that lead you through and beyond.