Object Details
- General
- Four acres of this nine acre hillside property comprise gardens, the house, art studio and outbuildings, with another five acres kept in hay. Doing all the work themselves for the last 25 years the current owners limbed up and contoured existing overgrown trees and shrubs into cloud-like shapes and clipped and cleared out underbrush from an overgrown tangle of juniper, Mugo pine, Alberta spruce, yew and japonica to create the space underneath for a secret garden of hosta, astilbe, lamium, pachysandra and ferns. Many more conifers were added to the stands of spruce and dwarf conifers installed by the previous owners. Planting beds were shaped and filled with massed perennials, ground covers and shrubs, with a limited selection of varieties chosen to achieve a calmer effect. There are three connecting perennial gardens, a formal boxwood garden, and a rose garden, planted containers around the swimming pool and the house, and a woodland walk with 50 varieties of hostas. The house was fitted out with large picture windows for viewing the garden and the Litchfield Hills that are 35 miles in the distance. A swimming pool was designed by them and built on a plateau the owners dug out of their sloping property. The owners have propagated most of the boxwood, built walls, borders and walkways from rocks found on the property, and built a wattle arbor and gate from branches. Plant materials are saved all season and dried and turned into artwork sold in a sideline business. Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. G. Curtis (former owners, 1959-1989); Ralph Schuler (rock wall contractor, 1994); Phil Dobson (pool contractor, 1989); John Deak (building contractor, 1998); Michael Rivera (sculptor "Split Bamboo", 2000).
- Former owner
- Curtis, G.
- Owner
- Baker, Ray
- Linder, Stanley
- Collection Photographer
- Jeruss, Irene
- Place
- United States of America -- Connecticut -- Litchfield -- Bethlehem
- Baker/Linder Garden (Bethlehem, Connecticut)
- Topic
- Gardens -- Connecticut -- Bethlehem
- Garden walks
- Lawns
- Ponds
- Ground cover plants
- Plants, Potted
- Container gardening
- Petunias
- Lobelia
- Outdoor furniture
- Garden ornaments and furniture
- Patio gardening
- Benches
- Roses
- Daylilies
- Marigolds
- Urns
- Ornamental grasses
- Violets
- Aruncus
- Stachys
- Lamb's ears
- Flower beds
- Garden borders
- Retaining walls
- Formal gardens
- Boxwood
- Flower gardening
- Rose gardens
- Parterres
- Arbors
- Allium
- Pinks (Plants)
- Sweet William (flower)
- Citrus
- Trellises
- Hosta
- Columns
- Swimming pools
- Coleus
- Garden lighting
- Lanterns
- Plumbago
- Heliotropium
- Browallia
- Former owner
- Curtis, G.
- Owner
- Baker, Ray
- Linder, Stanley
- See more items in
- Irene Jeruss garden photography collection
- Irene Jeruss garden photography collection / Garden Images / Connecticut
- Extent
- 34 Slides (photographs)
- Date
- 2000
- Container
- Box 1
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.JER, File CT731_JER
- Type
- Archival materials
- Slides
- Slides (photographs)
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Irene Jeruss Garden Photography 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 has been featured in "Perfect Edges" by Ray Baker published in Fine Gardening Magazine, May/June 2004; "Devoted to the Natural World" by Genevieve Gearity published in Happening in the Hills, July 5, 2014; "Bethlehem Plants Have a Second Life" by Tovah Martin published in Homes & Gardens section of The Litchfield County Times monthly, November 2007; "He Can Cut It" by Tovah Martin published in Homes & Gardens section of The Litchfield County Times monthly, July 2001.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to collection 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-1654277100508-1654277101051-0
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