The Mansions Gardens of Newport Rhode Island The Elms and The Breakers

Newport Mansions & Gardens

The Elms

I recently returned from a second visit to the Newport mansions and the beauty and history behind these magnificent estates is astonishing.    In a previous post I shared a visit to the Marble House and tour along the infamous Newport Cliff Walk.  Follow along with me as we visit the Elms which is known for its majestic gardens and the Breakers which is known for being one of the largest of the Newport mansions.

The Elms (Back)

The Elms was the former summer retreat of businessman Edward Julius Berwind, founder of the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company, and his wife Herminie.  Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the Pennsylvania coal industry and in 1898 the Berwinds hired architect Horace Trumbauer to design the Elms modeled after a mid eighteenth century French Chateau outside of Paris.  Construction was completed in 1901 at a cost of approximately 1.4 million dollars.  The beautiful Classical Revival gardens at the home were developed between the years of 1907 and 1914 and include specimen trees, a massive lower garden, fountains, marble pavilions, a sunken garden and carriage house.  When Mrs. Berwind passed in 1922, Mr. Berwind invited his sister Julia to act as a hostess at both his New York and Newport homes until his death in 1936.    Julia then continued to spend summers at The Elms until her death in 1961 and the mansion was put up for public auction. The Preservation Society of Newport purchased The Elms in 1962 and opened it to the public.   It is now designated as a National Historic Landmark.

The Elms Classical Revival Gardens (Lower Level)

The Elms Marble & Bronze Fountain

 

The Elms (Front Entry)

 

The Elms Back Gardens on Great Lawn

 

The Elms Lower Gardens and Pavilion

 

150 Year Old European Copper Beech Tree ~ Fagus sylvatica ‘Cuprea’
Family:  Fagaceae
Height 50-60 feet and Spread 35-45 feet
Zones 4-7
Native to Europe

The Breakers

The Breakers is the former summer residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt built the family fortune in the steamship industry and later in the New York Central Railroad and grandson Cornelius Vanderbilt II later became Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad system in 1885. The Breakers is the largest of the Newport mansions consisting of 70 rooms including a two and a half story Great Hall and Morning Room. Cornelious Vanderbilt II purchased the original wooden structure that was destroyed by fire in 1892 and hired architect Richard Morris Hunt in 1893 to design an Italian-Renaissance style palazzo. The Vanderbilts had seven children and youngest daughter Gladys inherited the house in 1934. She opened The Breakers in 1934 to raise funds for the Newport Preservation Society and when she passed the home was purchased by the Preservation Society in 1972 and declared a Historic Landmark.   

The Breakers

 

The Breakers Entry

The Breakers Gardens

The Breakers Side Entry

The Breakers Great Lawn
 

I hope you have enjoyed the tour of the Newport Mansions and gardens.   Thanks to the Preservation Society of Newport County these magnificent mansions that are part of our national heritage will remain historical landmarks that can be enjoyed by all. I also visited the Green Animal Topiary Garden which is one of the oldest topiary gardens in North America.  I will dedicate an entire future post to these magnificent and fascinating gardens of Newport.

 

As Always...Happy Gardening!

 

Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening, Copyright 2013. All rights reserved

 

 

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Abstract Expressionism and Planting Design A Visual Analogy

I have always been drawn to abstract expressionism, both artistically and philosophically.  Art critic Harold Rosenburg described the genre in terms of its action, "At a certain moment the canvas began to appear to one American painter after another as an arena in which to act. What was to go on the canvas was not a picture but an event."  In the same way, I am drawn to planting design which is muscular and gestural.  It speaks to the viewer at an emotional and spiritual level, and arranges plants in an ecologically sympathetic geometry.  Here, Ive set Joan Mitchells After April is set next to a Piet Oudolf composition:

And it is not just the bold use of color that makes this analogy; it is the philosophic stance of the artists that resonates with me.  Painter Barnett Newman described the drive to paint, "What is the explanation of the seemingly insane drive of man to be painter and poet if it is not an act of defiance against mans fall and an assertion that he return to the Garden of Eden? For the artists are the first men." Likewise, if the design of landscapes is not fundamentally a humanistic endeavor, then it fails.  Naturalistic design is not about imitating nature, it is an interpretation of nature that expresses the human condition.  Both the painter and the architect create space for dwelling.  Here Newmans painting declares space in the same way the birch grove does:

What was liberating about this style of painting was that in communicating a pure emotion, in expressing space, or in holding a void, the painting was liberated from the canvas.  Great planting design likewise liberates a space from the confines of the site or property line. It gives the site a feeling of expansiveness by recalling a larger moment of nature.  Or better yet, it arouses a longing for nature that is embedded in each of us.

Helen Frankenthaler once said, "A really good picture looks as if its happened at once. Its an immediate image. For my own work, when a picture looks labored and overworked, and you can read in it. And I usually throw these out, though I think very often it takes ten of those over-labored efforts to produce one really beautiful wrist motion that is synchronized with your head and heart, and you have it, and therefore it looks as if it were born in a minute."

So in looking at the paintings I love, it becomes increasingly clear: the only planting worth doing is big, bold, and gestural.  Strive for expansive, moody, luminous design.  And remember that best naturalist design is first humanist. 

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New Look Landscape Garden Designs in Time for a Fresh British Summer

As summer starts to approach, slowly but inexorably peeking its leaves and shoots out of the branches of trees that have lain bare all winter, the nations home owners start thinking about their Gardens and outside spaces again. Now is the time of year to think about overhauling – to get Landscape Garden Designs created and in place before planting time is gone.

With plenty of UK families now staying put, enjoying the benefits of their current surroundings rather than moving on in search of new ones, there are more Garden overhauls going on than there used to be. That means plenty of inspirati0on and plenty of encouragement: so if your Garden is looking a little tired, its time to get out and have a look at what you could have.
A Garden, like a room, could and should be an extension of your lifestyle – your habits, your hobbies, your obsessions – even places you have been to and loved. If youve had a life changing experience travelling the world, or doing voluntary work somewhere, theres no reason why you cant have a set of Landscape Garden Designs drawn up to incorporate some of the atmosphere of the countries you have been to in the layout of your Garden. Try introducing a Japanese feel with cherry trees and smooth gravel spaces: or how about recreating an Italian rose Garden along the driveway?

The possibilities for Landscape Garden design in the UK are pretty much limitless – your only controlling factors are the amount of space available to you, and your budget. If you talk to an experience Garden design company you should quickly discover that even your wildest dreams can come true, providing you have the room to house them all.

Landscape Garden Designs, for example, dont just have to be about arranging lawns and flower beds in a pleasing fashion. You can choose to dispense with a lawn and Landscape your Garden spaces with paving slabs, or rocks, or gravel – giving you an easy to maintain space offset by some wonderfully exotic pot plants.

If relaxation is your thing, dont overlook the possibilities that the private outdoor space of a Garden can offer. If youve always wanted a hot tub, for example, but have no room in the house for one – have a hot tub deck built in a secluded nook of your Garden. With some strategically arranged plantings around it, your Landscape Garden Designs could be helping you to enjoy some soft evenings under the stars with a bottle of champagne and some Garden candles giving you the right atmosphere.

Your Garden can, and should, be whatever you want it to be. Take the time to really enjoy it this year: look around you for inspiration, and then talk to your local Landscape Garden company about turning your own lifestyle into the perfect outdoor retreat. With no limitations beyond your own imagination, your new Landscape Garden Designs could be that last ingredient you need to make your house into the home you have always wanted.

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Landscape Designers Tips and Tricks

Landscape designers are in huge demand and there is no hope for trial and error when it comes to Landscape Design. These professionals are experts at garden design, schooled in both the practical aspects of landscaping, as well as adding an artistic touch to your outdoor spaces. Besides that, they are also usually well trained experienced at meeting the challenges of landscape problems, and in transforming tough-to-work-with properties into beautiful landscapes to behold.

The simple homemaker who just wants to give his or her yard a DIY facelift, this article has some common landscaping issues and ways that landscape designers suggest you overcome them. Your backyard may not be comparable to the amazing Claremont Landscape Garden in the UK, but at least itll be nice to look at your flowers bloom in spring and hear little birds chirping in the mornings.

While working with the yards having less space Landscape designers are quick to point out that you need to combine vigorous landscaping with space conscious design. Curves and tiered levels, for example, are excellent additions to a small yard because they add more depth and points of interest without swallowing up your valuable space. Still, you do want to think ahead about which type of plants to use. To quote the example you might hide the fence with flowering vines in the place of big shrubs and like to plant small trees instead of large ones.

High maintenance landscapes are being avoided by most of the homeowners. The reason is simple: high maintenance usually ends up being neglected, because we want to relax in the garden, not work all the time. You are being suggested by most designers suggest planting species which are native to your area or similar climates, and choosing ones that dont require a lot of pampering. Due to the presence of large variety of low maintenance plants available to everyone today, you can have a yard that requires almost no upkeep, but still looks great all the same. With the ease to maintain the low maintenance yards can also be low water ones. Having the landscape which can conserve the resources instead of wasting them is needed in this era of environmental concern.

You should re-use, and take advantage of, as much of your existing yard as possible is the recommendation from landscape designers, even when undertaking a large landscaping renovation. Which plants to leave in place, which to transplant, and which ones are best removed altogether, are being suggested by landscape designers. You are being suggested to "refurbish" rather than "replace" means saving money, time and learning to appreciate the landscaping resources you have ready at your disposal, by your designers.

Few landscape problems offer more challenges than the high traffic and noise of a busy street or intersection. Landscape designers do have natural solutions however. A world of difference can be made with a buffer of fast growing ,dense shrubbery when it comes to providing privacy and a sound barrier, while the soothing sound of a fountain or waterfall provides natural sound to compete with the din of the city. Designers have come up with some other great ideas like create small enclosed gardens where you can go to forget your daily stress, or think about installing up-lighting beneath trees and shrubbery to provide extra privacy at night.

The landscape solutions mentioned above are just a taste of what a good landscape designer can provide you as you design landscaping for your property. Whether youre looking for a total landscape renovation, or just want to "refurbish" your yard a little bit, the expertise a professional designer brings to the table is always well worth the money you spend to hire them.

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Metal Sculpture by Eric Furman at Humboldt Botanical Gardens Eureka California

Leaner

Mannequin 

Bivariate

Saguaro

Wind Arcs

Parenthetical

One Way Rocket

Metal Sculpture by Eric Furman

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Private Residence Puget St

Examples...

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Plant Some Weeds In Your Lawn

I found this quote the other day...

The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgement - Anonymous

Having a beautiful lawn can be an all consuming focus of gardeners and homeowners. Youd be right in thinking that a well manicured lawn can be an asset in the garden, but part of the reason why lawns are such hard work, is that we are trying to maintain a completely false state in our gardens.

The perfect lawn that everyone is striving for is a monoculture. Mother Nature and monocultures are not friends. She does her best to mess up anything that even resembles one.

One of the most maligned plants in a perfect lawn is clover. How can I get rid of clover in my lawn, is one of the most common questions I am asked.

First, you need to identify the plant - there are 2 plants that moonlight as clover, Trifolium(Clover) and Oxalis. They are easily identified by their flower.

Clover - Trifolium


Sorrel - Oxalis

Sorrel just looks pretty but isnt the good, industrious Clover. Trifolium is a nitrogen fixer. This means it works hard to take nitrogen out of the air and put it into your soil. Your hungry grass on the other hand, does its best to use Nitrogen up and always wants more. If your lawn is looking anaemic and yellow, generally speaking, it is short on Nitrogen.
Most times, we like to take the easy route out - we apply bag after bag of fertiliser to try and put the Nitrogen back into the soil.

Maybe its time we let Clover and grass share some space. Wed probably all be the happier for it.

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Queens Botanical Garden Greenroof

Im glad that I finally made it to Queens to walk the greenroof with my daughter this spring. Since most greenroofs in the city are primarily low growing sedum I wasnt expecting so many tall drought tolerant plants. 

And I really dig the new administration buildings exterior. Its probably the best new architecture that Queens has seen since Philip Johnsons New York State Pavilion at the 1964 Worlds Fair. Too bad that little creative attention was given to the interior. Walking through the entrance youre greeted by 80s corporate boring. No life.

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