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Lambertville -- Hart-Vorhees Farmstead-Lipson Garden

Smithsonian Gardens

Object Details

General
An historic New Jersey dairy farm was divided into two ten acre properties about 40 years ago, with one containing the house and this one containing two massive stone barns.The barns were converted into livable structures by subsequent owners, with the completion of the house and installation of the gardens surrounding it commencing in 1998. Now there are five distinct garden areas: the driveway and front circle planted with low maintenance shrubs; the front courtyard which is protected by an extensive cedar trellis style fence and features shade plants in chartreuse, dark green and maroon; the back patio along the barn wall with the dining area, fire pit, a dogwood tree espaliered against the barn wall, and a stone ruin that is a wind block; the swimming pool surrounded by ornamental grasses that grow tall enough to give privacy; and a natural pond with the native plants augmented with grasses and yellow water iris.
Among the challenges faced by landscape designers Chris Pugliese and Jonathan Alderson were an extensive native deer population, compacted clay soil from the days when livestock lived in the barn, the massive scale of the converted barns, and converting an entirely exposed property into gardens and outdoor entertaining rooms. Their solutions included planting trees near the house for shade including fast growing river birches, honey locust and magnolias, designing the fence and ruin to define garden rooms and offer protection from the deer and other elements, planting ornamental grasses and other species that deer do not eat, and sinking the garden areas down steps, again to keep out the deer. The compacted soil was removed and replaced with ten inches of mushroom compost.
The massive two-story stone dairy barn has been balanced with large-scale containers including an oil jar and by allowing ivy planted along the side path to climb and soften the façade. The front courtyard and back patio floor are dry laid blue stone that allows small plants to grow between the stones. The height of the trellis fence is staggered so it does not appear to cut the house off from the rest of the property.
Persons associated with the garden include: Bob Waligunda (former owner, 1970-1994); Robert Dunham (former owner, 1994-1996); Mr. and Mrs. Keith Coleman (former owners, 1996-1998); Maximillian Hayden (architect, 1996); Chris Pugliese, ASLA (landscape architect, 1998-2000); Jonathan Alderson, ASLA (landscape architect, 1998-2000); Bill Dear (landscape designer, 2009- ).
Former owner
Waligunda, Bob
Dunham, Robert
Coleman, Keith
Hayden, Maximillan
Landscape designer
Pugliese, Chris
Former owner
Alderson, Jonathan
Landscape designer
Dear, Bill
Collection Creator
Garden Club of America
Place
Hart-Vorhees Farmstead-Lipson Garden (Lambertville, New Jersey)
United States of America -- New Jersey -- Mercer County -- Lambertville
Topic
Gardens -- New Jersey -- Lambertville
Former owner
Waligunda, Bob
Dunham, Robert
Coleman, Keith
Hayden, Maximillan
Landscape designer
Pugliese, Chris
Former owner
Alderson, Jonathan
Landscape designer
Dear, Bill
See more items in
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / New Jersey
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 Trenton facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.GCA, File NJ612
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
Garden featured in "Fields of Folly" by Sandy Hingston, published in Philadelphia Magazine's "Home and Garden," Spring/Summer 2003. Garden featured in "Garden Visits- Suburban Trenton," The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, July 12, 2005. Garden featured in "Outstanding in its Field," by Christian Kirkpatrick, Packet Magazine, September 2005.
Scope and Contents
The folder includes worksheets, plant lists, 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.
Related Materials
Hart-Vorhees Farmstead-Lipson Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (32 digital images)
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1643208220039-1643210181902-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb61f5c4bdc-40a2-45aa-a7b2-ab2b0f023427

Related Content

  • The Garden Club of America collection

Lambertville -- Hart-Vorhees Farmstead-Lipson Garden
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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