Historic Homes and Gardens

Centennial Iris Farm in Leelanau County Michigan

The Iris Farm in Leelanau County

I took a road trip to Traverse City, Michigan this weekend to check out the Centennial Iris Farm in Leelanau country. The farm is located at 5385 E. Traverse Highway along M-72 just 5 miles west of Traverse City. I’ll be going back next weekend to catch the peak bloom. The cool spring has delayed [...]

Read more >
Anna Scripps Whitcomb conservatory on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit’s Belle Isle Conservatory

Last weekend, my husband and I drove downtown to visit the conservatory on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan.  The Anna Scripps Whitcomb conservatory was built in 1904 and designed by one of Detroit’s premier architects, Albert Kahn.  The building sits on 13 acres of land and includes a perennial garden, rose garden and lily pond. [...]

Read more >
Reflecting pool at Cranbrook House

The Reflecting Pool at Cranbrook Gets a New Look

This past summer, I visited a local historic house and garden called Cranbrook.  I’ve written about Cranbrook on my blog before.  You can read the older article here. I was amazed at how different the reflecting pool looked from the last time I visited.  The water was clear and tall Junipers were added along the [...]

Read more >
West garden at the George Eastman Estate

George Eastman Estate and Gardens

George Eastman was the founder of the Eastman Kodak company. He pretty much established popular photography and was the inventor of motion-picture film. In 1902, he purchased 8.5 acres of land from the Marvin Culver Farm in Rochester, New York, where he built his 35,000 square-foot Colonial Revival style mansion with 37 rooms, 19 baths, [...]

Read more >
Saihouji (Kyoto) Moss Garden

10 Elements of the Japanese Garden

Saihouji (Kyoto) Moss Garden photograph courtesy Wiki Commons (Author: Ivanoff) The first World’s Fair in the United States was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is where the first “Japanese garden” was constructed in North America 1/and soon began to influence [...]

Read more >
Cooley Gardens in Lansing, Michigan

Cooley Gardens – A Public Garden in Lansing Michigan

Cooley Gardens was established in 1938 when Eugene F. Cooley and his wife donated land to the city of Lansing to be used for a public garden. Mr. Cooley was a well-known Lansing industrialist and one of the first investors in Oldsmobile. He lived in the neighborhood surrounding the gardens. The gardens were designed by [...]

Read more >
Russell Alger Estate in Grosse Pointe, Michigan

The Russell Alger Estate – 1915 and Today

Anyone that reads my blog, knows I love garden history.  There’s something magical about looking at old plans and walking through old gardens.  I love imaging what things were like back in the “day”. The Detroit area, where I live, was once home to some of the wealthiest industrialists of our time. Detroit gave birth [...]

Read more >
Barnsley House

An Inspiring Visit to Barnsley House

Barnsley House is a William and Mary style home built in 1692 situated in Gloucestershire, UK.  It was the home of David and Rosemary Verey. They came to live at Barnsley House in March of 1951. Rosemary Verey was a self-trained gardener who transformed the garden at Barnsley House into one of the most popular [...]

Read more >
Cottage garden at Sissinghurst

Sissinghurst Castle Garden Part II

Welcome to Sissinghurst Castle Garden Part II. The Cottage garden was the first garden made at Sissinghurst after it was purchased by Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West. There are 4 huge yew pillars standing watch in the center of the garden.  The garden is packed with hot-colored flowers in shades of yellow, orange and red. [...]

Read more >

← Previous Entries