I know little- very little- about gardens and gardening, and perhaps one of these days I'll remedy this situation. However, I suppose that I know enough to be familiar with Russell Page, the esteemed British garden designer. And, of course, the whole world knows who Babe Paley was. So, whether you're a garden aficionado or a novice like me, you might be interested in these photos, which depict the Russell Page-designed garden of Babe and William S. Paley.
Located at their Long Island estate, Kiluna Farm, the garden was designed mostly by Page, with additional input provided by Paley's friends, Henry Francis du Pont and Thomas Church. When the Paleys purchased this property, the garden lacked "mystery", according to Babe, and felt "too constricted and enclosed," especially considering that dense woods hovered beyond its rose beds. Paley decided that a new garden was in order, one which would cut into the untamed woods and have a proper focal point. Mrs. Paley also wanted a "secret garden" feel to the space.
Page and Paley first cleared out a dell that would serve as the garden's focal point, and then planted it with a so-called "punch bowl", which was essentially an oval pond that was surrounded by grass. The "outer frame" of the punch bowl was planted with various groundcovers and flowering trees and shrubs. (You can see what all of this means in the photo at top.) Japanese azaleas were preserved from the old garden and replanted along the sides. In addition to the azaleas, you'll also see rhododendrons, dogwoods, oak trees, and tulip poplars.
If any of you garden-savvy readers wish to add any pertinent information or comments to this post, please do so. Even after reading the Architectural Digest article from which these photos came, I'm still a little muddled as to the intricacies of the garden's design. (And I'm still a little confused about the secret garden aspect. Is it that the garden doesn't fully reveal itself upon first glance???) I'm just hoping that the photos can and will do the talking!
All photos from Architectural Digest, November/December 1975, Richard Champion photographer.
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post for 9-11 - very soothing and serene-
Dean
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI would think that the secret garden aspect refers to the cleared dale in the woods. Long Island is fairly flat, so woods can be intimidating, as one usually cannot get an idea of how extensive or dense they are as one does from viewing a wooded hillside. To walk along a path overshadowed by trees, even if bordered by azaleas, and then break into a light-filled, cultivated area surrounded by a dense dark wall of mature trees would indeed give the whole garden a "secret" quality, as opposed to a more formal parterre garden near the house itself. Great pix, and very emblematic of the wooded gardens of Long Island's North Shore/Gold Coast. A more formal garden in that area would be Old Westbury Gardens (http://oldwestburygardens.org/) a stunning house and gardens, often featured in movies, as in the early part of "North By Northwest" That garden has an (almost unbelievable on now overdeveloped Long Island) immensely long allee of mature trees that shoots straight off just outside the garden gate to the far horizon.
P.S. I spy a stone eagle in one of the pictures. That is most likely one of the great eagles rescued from the facade of the destroyed Pennsylvania Station in NYC. Others were sent to Central Park's zoo, and still others to adorn bridges and other municipal plazas in other cities; a very sad comedown from their once commanding position along the cornice of that majestic building, a faithful copy, inside and out, of the Roman Baths of Caracalla. I suppose the eagles can stand the loss of their former perch, knowing that the building's destruction led to the "landmark" Landmarks Law in NYC, which soon took hold across the nation.
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to see other comments on this. The planting reminds me of Savill Gardens, Windsor. Sometimes, though, it's hard to get a feel for a garden from photographs alone. You really need to be there. Personally, I'm not convinced by the punch bowl, which I'm assuming is black, black water and nothing else. I toured a friend's garden the other day, and he was terribly proud of his all-black, reflective, modernistic ponds. The gardener had to pour chemicals into it to keep it completely black and weed free. God, I missed the water-lilies, dragonflies, frogs, toads, spawn and the rest. Or give me a formal pond (as at Hidcote) with lead statue and water-lilies.
ReplyDeleteGarden design is fascinating. I'm sure you already know about Hidcote, created by an American in the early 20th century- and probably rated as THE greatest English garden, certainly of the last 20th century. I'm a massive fan- can't get enough of it.
Once upon a time, Luke, maybe, but now - http://thinkingardens.co.uk/reviews/death-careering-round-the-trees-a-review-of-hidcote-by-tristan-gregory/
Deleteand the formal pond resembles the great green greasy Limpopo river...
By the way the 'chemicals' which black up reflecting pools in UK are what you may often eat: food dyes...
I've only seen a few pictures of the Kiluna Farms interiors, which looked to be rather over-the-top. Does anyone know anything about the current status of house and gardens?
ReplyDeleteSadly Kiluna Farm was destroyed by an arson fire in 1990. I don't know anything more than that....and it is certainly sad as it was such a lovey place (especially after Babe had her way with it).
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame that the house was destroyed by fire. It does make me wonder if the gardens have been left to their own devices.
ReplyDeleteIt would be truly wonderful to see what the plantings look like now. There are pictures of gardens in Italy that are a couple of hundred years old. They give one a whole new reference point of consideration. A gardener at an English estate responded about how to get a lawn as beautiful as the one he was tending, "Weed it, fertilize it, roll, it an cut it and keep doing that for 600 years." Right!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post—Thank you for the inspiration. I now need to add some mystery to my garden.
ReplyDeletexo, Lissy
I adore seeing these photos + well done. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. "Secret Garden" refers to a book I read as a child. The country British garden had walls around it and was locked because of some secret. Children from London meet in the country because of the Blitz. They seek the secret.
ReplyDeletePer a quick trip to Google Earth, it is clear that the setting is ruined. The oval pool is at the center of a large housing development called Stone Hill, surrounded by six large houses. Also see here: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/19/realestate/last-major-north-hills-estate-yields-to-development.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school and college I worked on Kiluna Farm for 7 years and spent HOURS working in what we called the "Dell Garden". It was a magnificently beautiful place and indeed a "secret garden". The pictures in the article only reflect a very small segment of the natural beauty that this place achieved - with lots of hard work and care by the gardening staff I might add!! It was NOT a formal garden (those were the rose gardens, etc..up by the main house) but a series of tiered grass paths that led one thru a beautiful natural woodland foliage bordered by flowering ground cover, ornamental bushes....all under an irregular canopy of mature trees. On a sunny day a leisurely walk on these paths would take one from sunlit areas to shady areas capturing the natural beauty of woodland settings enhanced by magnificent splashes of native color. It was never a boring walk....regardless of the season! To clarify one comment and the photos......the oval pond was FULL of frogs and other natural wild life and visiting birds that often startled the staff when we arrived to work in the Dell Garden! In the pond were usually 3 to 5 water lily plants in large containers. I know....I weeded them in the water! In my opinion the pond was anything but formal! It was a very natural looking feature that enhanced a beautiful woodland setting. Mrs. Paley knew what she liked. She was not only a trend setter in fashion but had exquisite taste when it came to gardening and landscape architecture as well! I would be remiss not to mention the fact that there was a very loyal and hard working gardening staff that pulled everything together to make this place a place of four season beauty. Full time employees like: the estate superintended Frank Honeyman, his brother Bob who was the head gardener, the always hardworking, jovial and versatile Ray Napier who had superior pruning and gardening skills and the greenhouse boss Gil Martin who seemed to love all plants! The Paley's were fortunate to have a great team of workers on this estate (including the staff in the Big House) and it showed. As a young kid I was truly fortunate to have such a great work experience, It still pains me to see that it's all gone.....but thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thank you so much for your comment. It must have been a magical place to work, and I can only imagine you must have learned a great deal. And yes, a garden like this is only as good as its gardeners, who, in this case, must have been masters!
DeleteI am Gils daughter! thank you for your wonderful comments about him.
DeleteHe is still alive and works full time at 87 at Lowes Garden Center!!
Yes....they were Master Gardeners in every respect......and taught us "youngsters" the joy and love of gardening. They were also real characters!!!It was indeed a magical place.
ReplyDeleteMike Malewicki
My father was the head gardener for 25 years there. I lived there until the age of 9 on the estate. He worked very closely with the architect on the Dell Garden and I can only say that it is the most beautiful place Ive experienced in my life. Babe Paley was so lovely to me as a child and the estate was amazing. I remember riding up and down the roads of the estate on my bike. I visited my father every day in the greenhouse and to this day, Kiluna Farms is often in my dreams. We had a picture framed for my father of the Dell Garden that he enjoys each day on his wall and my sister got engaged on one of its many benches around the pond in 1979. Magical!!!
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