Historic Gardens

Historic garden recreation or restoration is to restore gardens to look like they had at a previous point in history. The job of researching historic gardens and preparing a policy for their conservation involves historic knowledge, design judgment and technical skill in horticulture and construction.

Watch the garden through a year to see what heirloom plants may be there through the different seasons. Do some research to see if you can find out what the garden might have looked like in the past. Look for old photos, illustrated magazine articles, old newspapers with pictures as well as nursery ads, archives of state and local historical societies, state arboretum records, personal correspondence and diaries all may be helpful.

Be aware that some heirloom plants may be invasive in today's gardens.

Your committee should try to raise awareness and understanding of the relevance and significance of planning and planting your historic garden.

 

Historic Gardens/Landscape Committee

Objectives:

The Committee will in regard to cultural landscapes, historic parks and gardens:

• Work to ensure they are sustainable - economically, socially, environmentally and culturally - elements of the historic environment
• Instigate education and training programs aimed at promoting appreciation, understanding and practical management ability among both professionals and all sectors of society
• Ensure that adequate research and recording is undertaken
• Involve itself in the effect of current design on these landscapes, parks and gardens ensuring such design appreciates and doesn't undermine their significance and historic integrity
• Initiate principles, policies and practices that are approved by the Government bodies, whose work effects cultural landscapes, historic parks and gardens
• Undertake fundraising that will allow it to better promote its objectives
• Create links with like-minded individuals and organizations

Strengths:

The Committee gains strength from:

• Its links with the various Government and non-Government bodies concerned with the committee's area of work
• Its participation in its working experience of the cultural landscapes, historic park or gardens.

Books that may be helpful:

Gardens and Historic Plants of the Antebellum South
James R. Cothran
ISBN 1-57003-501-6
Gardens and Historic Plants of the Antebellum South is a beautifully illustrated volume that features botanical prints, lithographs, garden plans, historic photographs, and contemporary photography to reveal the rich garden history of the South. A pictorial splendor as well as a treasure trove of cultural history, this volume is unique in its field. James R. Cothran invites plant enthusiasts, gardeners, and individuals interested in the history of the South to experience the glorious gardens that flourished in the region from 1820 through 1860.

Of particular interest to contemporary gardeners is an extensive list of ornamentals—American natives, European favorites, and a wide selection of newly introduced exotics from China and Japan—that were hallmarks of antebellum gardens and that remain mainstays of southern gardens today. In addition, Cothran provides profiles of prominent gardeners, horticulturists, nurserymen, and writers who, in the decades preceding the American Civil War, were instrumental in shaping the horticultural and gardening legacy of the South.


The New Traditional Garden: A Practical Guide To Creating And Restoring Authentic American Gardens For Homes Of All Ages
Author: Weishan, Michael
ISBN: 0345420411
The unique combination of utility and beauty that has been the glory of the American garden for the past three hundred years is once again blooming, as home owners rediscover the magic of individual, homemade, horticultural splendor. Yes, the golden age of gardening is dawning, and much of the current enthusiasm for creating distinctive, unforgettable designs was spurred by nationally respected landscape architect and horticulturist Michael Weishan

 

Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640-1940
Denise Wiles Adams (Author)
Timber Press, Incorporated (February 1, 2004)
ISBN-10: 0881926191
ISBN-13: 978-0881926194
From Publishers Weekly
Horticulturalist and ornamental plant historian Adams hopes "that everyone will choose to garden with heirloom plants." This extensive exploration of the evolution of American gardens will inspire many readers to do just that. Home gardeners will discover untried plants and rediscover familiar ones from a rich historical perspective, while professional and amateur designers alike will find a wealth of practical information on how to approach the historic landscape, document key features, develop a list of appropriate plants and pursue investigations. Adams's enthusiasm is infectious, as she explains techniques for interpreting old garden sites, describes design styles for typical building types and discusses traditions in different geographic regions. Whenever possible, Adams quotes original sources, creating a brief historical record for each plant.

Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes
Birnbaum, Charles A.
Preservation Brief 36. Washington, DC: Preservation Assistance Division, NPS, 1994. 20pp. Step-by-step overview includes many garden examples as well as a discussion of preservation maintenance and implementation strategies.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes.
Birnbaum, Charles A. with Christine Capella Peters.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships Heritage Preservation Services, Historic Landscape Initiative, Washington, DC, 1996. Applies the Standards and preservation planning principles to historic and cultural landscapes. Includes a number of examples of the treatment of historic garden and historic plant materials.

The History, Romance and Tradition of Many Gardens of Two States Through More than Two Centuries
Shaffer, E.T. H. Carolina Gardens
The University of North Carolina Press, 1939
Prepared with the Garden Clubs in both states for “those caring for the fine old gardens of the Carolinas or of developing some of the many new ones.” Many photographs.

Gardening in the South
Briggs, George R.
A.T. DeLaMare Company, Inc., New York, 1931.
Focus on the design, planting and maintenance of gardens in the middle and upper South from an author based in Greenville, South Carolina. Most illustrations focus on foundation plantings but there are a number of examples of formal garden designs similar to Reynolda.

Information compiled by: Ann Fiel, NGC Historic Gardens Chairman