Object Details
- General
- Built in 1950 by Philadelphia architect Walter K. Durham the cottage style stucco house with dormer windows and multiple roof lines blends in very well with the romantic, profusely flowering and fragrant garden rooms created by the current owners beginning in 1987. Large window pane trellises on the house support climbing hydrangea, schizopraghma, clematis and roses. White picket fences, stone walls and arbors on the slightly more than one acre property are loaded with more roses, with more than one type of vine that will bloom in succession climbing up or over some of the supports. Perennials, especially those that bloom more than once and those with variegated leaves that add light to the garden are planted strategically to disguise any spent foliage or sparse vines. There is no spraying in this garden, and the rose varieties that are grown including hybrid musk and old-fashioned thrive where hybrid tea rose varieties would not. The eight garden rooms are planted primarily with shrubs and also perennials, spring bulbs and ornamental grasses. Mature trees from the earlier 19th century estate, Cheswold, still grow around the perimeter.
- Other than the trees there were no surviving gardens so the current owners started with a blank slate that had some hidden surprises: ruins from the earlier mansion that on occasion interfered with their plants. The stone walls on the property re-used these buried materials salvaged from underground. The secluded entrance terrace was the first garden room that was designed on the steep slope that descends to the house. The back terrace needed to be stabilized and slips of hydrangea petiolaris planted along the walls have grown into a living wall. As the property continues to slope downward grass and stone steps to the flatland were added, which led to creating another garden room at the rear of the property, with a trellis for climbing vines and a bench for sitting and looking up at the house, tall trees and sky. A swimming pool was built on the previous service area off to one side and surrounded by upper and lower gardens with tulips, roses, clematis, hydrangeas, grasses, perennials, evergreens, dawn redwoods and katsuras. Various hedges have been planted and re-planted either because they grew too tall or succumbed to weather. Currently there are hedges of holly, lilac, Annabelle hydrangea and germander.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Russell and Shelby Thayer (former owners, 1950-1956); Marguerite Wood MacCoy (former owner, 1956-1985); Walter K. Durham (1896-1978) (architect, 1950); Sally Ann Wood (ASLD)(landscape designer, 1987, 1990); Julie Wood DeVuono (ASLD) (landscape architect, 2007).
- Former owner
- Thayer, Russell
- Thayer, Shelby
- MacCoy, Margureite Wood
- Architect
- Durham, Walter K. (Walter Kremer), 1896-1978
- Landscape architect
- DeVuono, Julie Wood
- Landscape designer
- Wood, Sally
- Provenance
- The Garden Club of Philadelphia
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Thomas Country Garden (Haverford, Pennsylvania)
- United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Montgomery -- Haverford
- Topic
- Gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Haverford
- Former owner
- Thayer, Russell
- Thayer, Shelby
- MacCoy, Margureite Wood
- Architect
- Durham, Walter K. (Walter Kremer), 1896-1978
- Landscape architect
- DeVuono, Julie Wood
- Landscape designer
- Wood, Sally
- Provenance
- The Garden Club of Philadelphia
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Pennsylvania
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Custodial History
- The Garden Club of Philadelphia facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File PA755
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Bibliography
- This property is featured in "A House in Bloom" by Doug Hall published in Better Homes & Gardens, March 2003 pp. 122-128; "Seven Months of Roses: Extending Rose Magic Throughout the Season" by Reggie and Frank Thomas published in Green Scene, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, April 2002, pp. 28-35; "Plants, Shrubs That Can Redeem August" by Jane G. Pepper published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 31, 2001; "Winning the War of the Roses: Growing this Garden Favorite Doesn't Have to be a Battle" by Mike McGrath published in Philadelphia Daily News, May 26, 2000; "More Roses that Aren't too Needy" by Jane G. Pepper published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 9, 1997.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes worksheets and photocopies of articles.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210185723-0
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