I would love to see Neighborhoods that were kind of uniform in the era, with some infill. Your never going to escape that. It would be nice if the places were such that the home set pleasantly in the garden, nestled there in a way that looks comfortable, not too stark, not to overgrown, and since so few areas are able to keep a neighborhood up entirely I guess Id go for tidy over period. Of course the elements of design for any era could be incorporated to some nice extent whether or not you loved the whole look. one thing that doesnt seem to come up often, would be a look at the safty of the garden. How sometimes an elderly person will be unable to trim the massive shrubs that obscure the entries and windows, leaving the inhabitant a potential prowl victem. or piles of wood for the fire place rot and attract black ants and termites. Or if you live in a fire prone area, do you go with the fire proofing things avalable or remain a slave to style. Of course you would try to make your place as able to with stand any of these things as you could befor you got into the esthetics, but maybe with some planning things could be managed in sort of a happy medium of good design safty and more or less of the period touches depending on personal skill or taste. I live in an area where homes are built more and more in areas where wild fires occure, or on hillsides that sog out and slide away. it doesnt make much difference how pretty it was if it shouldent have been ther in the first place.

yes, I totally agree--first considerations should include safety and one's ability to perform maintenance.

I believe each property owner should be convicted of the need to acknowledge the fact that the property is part a larger historical context, and at the very least weigh that consideration before undertaking radical change.

Darn it, Sammie, I keep checking this post in hopes that you'd get more answers. Since my two TX houses were built in 1978 & 1985, I can't say anything meaningful but wanted to read opinions of those who own something historical to restore.

BTW, a Vancouver garden blog has photos of a garden designed by Arthur Erikson - I have to go look him up, because I like the blending of inside and out with all the woodsy stuff. I imagine you are already well versed in the work of this man.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arthur Erikson-designed Garden

Sammie, as you know I'm struggling with this very issue; I'll be watching this thread and hope to respond further as I work through it. One question I have regarding historically accurate restoration is selecting a baseline date. Since gardens evolve, what is the point in time to which one would restore? The garden at 25 years, 50 years, 100 years or at its peak whenever that may have been? Does one try to reproduce the garden that existed at a specific point in time, or just the general look and feel of it. If the creator of the garden was an innovative gardener, then I think it would be in the spirit to use, as you put it, "the best of today's plants and thinking" but while also paying respect to the historic plantings. Perhaps we can have our cake and eat it, too...

Hi Annie and HL!

Annie, I'm not familiar with the work of Arthur Erikson-- another name to research! I followed your link, though, and liked what I saw. I bet I'll get some great ideas for blending a modern architectural style with the type of lush plantings I like.

Thanks for the tip!

Let me tell you a little story; In the center or our Boro of Langhorne is a small black and white 1774 house called our community center and peace center. Through the years it was turned into a stage coach stop, hospital for British Soldiers, house, and other things. I think this house was build by Quakers from England. A few years ago the property had nothing on it until the Garden Club took over and now it has a magnificient garden with benches arbors,trees, conifers, shade, sun, and flowers. Many people now use the area. Now here it comes----the Garden Club planned a large beautifully landscaped gazebo to be placed aside of the house in a large open grass area that no one uses.Three men refused to allow this gazebo to be built even tho it could be used for concerts, staging for weddings, parties, etc. Actually, in itself, even if it was never used, it is a thing of beauty, an art piece, an art sculpture in a garden. How lucky we are to have the land in the center of a town to put in a thing as beautiful as a gazebo.Their rational is; a Victorian Gazebo should not be placed near a 1774 pre-revolution house. Why not a carriage garage that the Quakers might have? Actually many years ago there was a Victorian house there and it was razed. Should this Victorian house not have been allowed? My feeling is: this is a living vital boro, history and life is not static, this same house in England would have a gazebo on the grounds if needed, so does Williamsburg, so does the U of Virginia have a Gazebo and Washington Crossing, Pa. It is a natural progression of life that things change. A Victorian Gazebo is not like putting a Water Ice Stand on the grounds. It blends in soo perfectly especially since there is still a restored Victorian house on the other side of it.Actually the whole town has 100s of Victorian homes in it.The moral of this story is: What? Go with logic, go with the punches. Some one tell me....?

Hi HarleyLady, Regarding your June 14th posting regarding the "baseline" of a garden. My great-grandfather Frank built our house in 1905 and he was an avid gardener. I am in the process of restoring his garden. I was lucky enough to find his original plans showing plant locations, plant listings, and even one of the catologues he ordered his peonies and irises out of (1927 Lee Bonowitz Peony and Iris Farm in VanWert, Ohio). Now, I know darn good and well that he had plants in the yard before 1927 but it gives me a good "baseline" since that's when he really started to plan things out to a certain extent. His peonies are still here in the yard. Now it's just a matter of figuring out which one is which...and where to find the ones that are missing!! Good Luck and God Bless!! Laura

Laura, how wonderful for you to still have the home in the family *and* to have your GGF's plans, lists and a catalog. My house was built in 1874 and stayed in the original family until the early 50s. Unfortunately, it changed hands many, many times after that. I have no photos but a few vague descriptions of some of the areas in the early 1900s and an illustration from an 1878 atlas, but the property has also shrunk from the original 1600 acres to a little over the 1 acre on which the house now sits. By one accounting "Aunt Ida had a rather formal yard and would never have grown vegetables close to the house" but since Aunt Ida had a great deal of acreage, she had that luxury. I can't see living in a historic farmhouse, even though a stately house and one built by a prosperous farmer, and not having at least a small vegetable garden, so it will be near the house. Also, the original owner (Aunt Ida's father, David Porter.) was innovative in horticulture and growing things that were at the time "oddities" so I'm becoming comfortable with the idea that although I can't identify specific plants he grew, I can grow my collector plants along with heirloom plants of the period and still be respectful of the home's heritage. I can maintain some formality by the layout more than by the specific plants grown. I'm currently pulling out some junky walkways and entries that are a mishmash of old concrete and odd-sized pavers and stepping stones (maybe from the 80s) and will replace them with material to approximate the brick in the foundation of the house. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful and rewarding time working with your great grandfather's plans and restoring his garden! Would love to see some pictures of your progress.

I've actually restored a Victorian walled FLOWER garden. I stress the flower bit because most people think they were all for veggies. This one was a deserved rarity. Our family arrived in 1999 to a property that was so bad it could not be sold. Since then the property has been transformed by our efforts into a walled summer garden. We never had any intention to 'restore' the formal layout, it was our garden and we intended to do what we wanted.

I agree that gardens attached to historical properties should maintain a garden with plants available from that particular era. But in my case, the Victorians were the most avantagarde generation, so our garden is accurate in so far as it is developing a whole new style.

We have restored some of the Victorian greenhouses ourselves, we have not rebuilt them, and they provide a useful function even if they are 125 years old. Moreover, unlike so many restored greenhouses in the UK containing quite ordinary plants within, our greenhouses contain equally extraordinary plants.

The web site is the most informative source on the web for all things to with Victorian horticultural engineering. Be they to do with Victorian greenhouse restoration or Victorian conservatories.