Object Details
- General
- Located on nine acres, the Willard House garden is anexample of an early New Hampshire garden. It was designed in 1938 for the last of the seven historic houses known as "The Ridge." These seven houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were built between 1767 and 1838.
- The main garden is laid out axially from the house, and formal in design. The horseshoe shaped bed between the driveway and the house is overflowing in flowering abandon of color and texture. In the spring, the gardens are filled with blue and yellow Mertensia and Jonquils. Summer offers a tapestry of shades of pink, dominated by Phlox. Autumn beds return to blue and yellow with perennial Asters, Chrysanthemums and Marigolds. Boxwood does not normally like New Hampshire winters but has been nurtured to grow along the south side of the house and until recently a boxwood chicken topiary greeted people at the door. Dear to the owner's heart, are three unusual shrubs, Tsuga Canadensis pendula 'Sargentii' (weeping hemlocks) planted below a window and judiciously pruned.
- Behind the house and barn an eight foot wall drops down to neatly cut grass paths leading to an asparagus patch, a vegetable garden and a very formally designed fenced in herb garden. At the center of the herb garden is a sundial quarried from local New Hampshire granite.
- These gardens have added beauty and interest and been appreciated by neighbors for many decades.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Mrs. Edward Warren (gardener, 1936-1961), Mrs. Clifford Fifield (gardener, 1961-present).
- Former owner
- Stedman, Willard, 1838-1936
- Warren, Edward, Mr.
- Fifield, Clifford C., Mr., 1903-1959
- Gardener
- Fifield, Clifford, Mrs.
- Warren, Edward, Mrs.
- Photographer
- Amberger, Michael
- Provenance
- Connecticut Valley Garden Club
- Former owner
- Davis, Ann Golding, 1932-2023
- Davis, Joseph W. S., Jr.
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Willard House (Orford, New Hampshire)
- United States of America -- New Hampshire -- Grafton County -- Orford
- United States of America -- New Hampshire -- Grafton County -- Orford
- Topic
- Gardens -- New Hampshire -- Orford
- Former owner
- Stedman, Willard, 1838-1936
- Warren, Edward, Mr.
- Fifield, Clifford C., Mr., 1903-1959
- Gardener
- Fifield, Clifford, Mrs.
- Warren, Edward, Mrs.
- Photographer
- Amberger, Michael
- Provenance
- Connecticut Valley Garden Club
- Former owner
- Davis, Ann Golding, 1932-2023
- Davis, Joseph W. S., Jr.
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / New Hampshire
- 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 CT Valley Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File NH073
- 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
- "The Ridge Houses", Antiques Magazine; "Places to Visit in New Hampshire", Reader's Digest; Alice Doan Hodgeson,"Thanks to the Past, Orford, N.H", Historical Fact Publication, (1965); Shelby Grantham,"A New England Tapestry", Gardens: Early American Life, (1988): p. 14; Shepherd Ogden, "Rhapsody in Green", New Hampshire Profiles 38, no. 4 (April 1989).
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes worksheets, site plans, and other information.
- 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-1643208220039-1643210181762-2
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