Peterborough -- Gardens of Maude and John Odgers
Object Details
- General
- The three-and-one-half acre property had to be cleared of scrub and trees when it was purchased in 1980 before the modified Cape Cod style house could be built and the first vegetable garden could be planted; the owners did all the work themselves. They still have a small fenced vegetable garden off to one side and a newly-planted fruit orchard, but most of the gardens became ornamental. While blooms proliferate the owner and designer limits the colors to deep red, mauve, white and pastel yellow and emphasizes shape, texture, and shades of green ranging from yellow-green to blue-green spruce. Spheres are a motif repeated in the garden including the clematis-covered entry arch over a semi-circle cut in the gate, the arched trellis over the entrance to the orchard, the circular rock-lined pond, and another island bed in front of the house. A circular island bed is planted with herbs, the bluestone terrace has a serpentine edge, a kidney-shaped island bed is bisected by a grass walkway, and deep garden borders with curvilinear edges nearly encircle the lawn. Native granite is used for posts and rockwork, including a stone circle inlaid in the grass at the garden's entrance. Wooden features including Adirondack chairs and finials on the vegetable garden fence are painted dark red to coordinate with the roofs of two sheds. Many small ornaments are placed around the garden; a duck-shaped fountain that is a family heirloom is featured in the pond.
- The design of the garden was influenced by the wide flower beds and island beds seen on a visit to Regent's Park in London. The existing beds were enlarged from four wide in width to the deeper ten to fifteen feet. This allows plants of differing textures to be layered, supplemented with planted containers and native rockwork. The grass walkways allow easier access to tend the beds.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Maude and John Odgers (owners).
- Provenance
- Garden Club of Dublin (New Hampshire)
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Gardens of Maude and John Odgers (Peterborough, New Hampshire)
- United States of America -- New Hampshire -- Hillsborough -- Peterborough
- Topic
- Gardens -- New Hampshire -- Peterborough
- Provenance
- Garden Club of Dublin (New Hampshire)
- 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 Garden Club of Dublin facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File NH116
- 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 "An Artful Garden" by Robin Sweetser, published in New Hampshire Home, July/August 2012, pp. 40-45; "Gardening is Like Weaving" by Tovah Martin, published in Early Homes, Fall-winter 2013; "Listening to the Land" by Tovah Martin, published in The Cottage Journal, Summer 2015, pp. 102-106.
- Scope and Contents
- 1 folder and 11 digital images. 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-1643208220039-1643210181766-0
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
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