Happy New Year!
The members of the Garden Club of Virginia have been talking about and thinking ahead to 2020 for many years, so we are excited it finally has arrived. We are now in countdown mode to our 100th birthday celebration on May 13 in Richmond. This celebration will include the grand opening of an exhibition at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. The Restoration Committee has reached out to our properties, and we are delighted that many items from our years of restoring historic gardens will be included in the exhibition. Our GCV photography committee also is sponsoring a photography show which will open the evening of May 12 at our own headquarters, the Kent-Valentine House. Members have entered photographs taken at each of our restoration projects around Virginia, so that photos of our project at each of your properties will be on display for a number of months.
The Restoration Committee, as well as our GCV membership, appreciate all that you do in maintaining our restoration projects. We are delighted that our birthday is giving us additional opportunities to make others aware of what we have done and hope that will encourage them to come see these projects for themselves.
We look forward to another wonderful year working with each of you.
With thanks,
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Anne Baldwin
Chairman, GCV Restoration Committee
The Garden Club of Alexandria
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Featured Historic Property
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Belle Grove Plantation
If ever taking a drive through the Shenandoah Valley there is much history to learn. My husband, Childs, is a historian focused on the Civil War. I’ve walked through many battlefields with him and enjoyed the walk. My pleasure, though, is more focused on architecture, interiors and the people who lived there.
One such historic and beautifully preserved house in the area is Belle Grove Plantation. This beautiful 18th-century house is a modern working farm and center for the study of early American heritage.
Belle Grove was the home of Major Isaac Hite Jr., and his first wife Nelly Conway Madison (sister of President James Madison). Originally a 7,500-acre grain plantation, it is now a 283-acre historic property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a National and Virginia Historic Landmark, and a partner with Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park.
Nelly’s brother, James Madison and his wife, Dolley, visited the newlyweds in a cottage on the farm and discussed plans for their new house. Madison wrote to Thomas Jefferson asking his advice regarding the design. Although Jefferson’s response is not recorded, many design elements are influenced in the architecture. There is the cruciform floor plan, a central east-west entrance hall bisecting a long cross hall creating two rooms with high ceilings and resulting in four quadrants. The east portico has beautiful views of the Blue Ridge mountains; the west portico has views of fields, woods and the Allegheny mountains in the distance.
When you visit Belle Grove you will learn all about the family and the way they lived during that time. Nelly only lived five years at Belle Grove. Major Hite then married Ann Tunstall Maury of Orange County who bore him 10 children. The house is decorated in the Federal style with custom made furnishings, rugs and window treatments.
There was turmoil during the Civil War when “Stonewall” Jackson and his troops occupied the area in 1862 during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. In 1864, the war again erupted up and down the Shenandoah Valley with Belle Grove becoming a focal point in the Battle of Cedar Creek. For history buffs and architecture and landscape lovers alike, Belle Grove is a must for a visit.
Elaine Burden
Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club
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Design Notes by Will Rieley
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Archaeology’s Role in Restoration
The Garden Club traditionally relies on the research and field work of archaeologists as restorations are planned and implemented. Their significant role provides information not only about the configuration of the garden over time, but also about the actual plants put in place. For example, because of the scholarly work done by Nick Luccketti at Bacon’s Castle in the ‘80s, the Restoration Committee oversaw the recreation of a 17th century garden that completely re-wrote the history of landscape gardening in America. It is the largest documented 17th century garden in this country and revealed that gardens of this era were not just utilitarian. Evidence showed it to be a very large formal garden in the English Renaissance style with places to sit and enjoy the garden; border beds filled with fruits, shrubs and flowers; a forcing wall; and extensive vegetable plots.
Recent work at Stratford Hall and Poplar Forest highlights the significant role archaeology plays in bringing historic landscapes back to life. Dennis Pogue’s work at Stratford Hall confirmed decades-old archaeological work so the Garden Club elected to restore one of the East Garden terraces to reflect how it might have appeared during Philip Ludwell Lee’s tenure in the mid to late 1700s.
At Poplar Forest, the archaeological investigations of Jack Gary and Eric Proebsting laid the groundwork for re-establishing the spiral geometry Jefferson used to lay out his clumps, established the relationship of the double row of mulberries to the house, and documented the configuration of the carriage circle (pictured here) and its associated oval beds. This completely new knowledge illuminated Jefferson’s approach to his landscape and lends authority and credulity to the restoration itself. An added bonus: Jefferson’s original road surface remains preserved under the new pavement.
The invaluable collaboration between landscape architects and archaeologists adds a critical dimension to the Garden Club’s restoration work; it also enhances its research fellowships. Nick Luccketti and Jack Gary now serve on the Research Fellowship Committee. Their perspective is a valuable resource for the fellows and adds to the stated mission of the fellowships to “. . . build a comprehensive record of Virginia’s historic gardens and landscapes.”
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Sean Proietti
, Maymont
Sean Proietti is a wonderfully engaging gardener and is now the Manager of Horticulture at Maymont in Richmond, Virginia. Maymont, once owned by the Dooley family, was bequeathed to the city of Richmond in 1925. The estate, including the residence, gardens, grounds and original architectural complex, remains very much as it was during the Dooleys’ time. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes Maymont as a significant example of an American country estate of the Gilded Age.
Sean discovered a career in horticulture while following a winding road full of serendipity. He states that “seemingly disparate experiences have prepared me with just the right set of tools to approach my work here.”
Sean began working for landscaping company Shipp & Wilson, Inc., on a part-time basis while he attended Virginia Commonwealth University with plans to major in English. After a couple of years in college, Sean decided to suspend his studies but to continue work for Shipp & Wilson. After the recession in 2008, Sean felt compelled to understand “the world that was unfolding into public view.” He thus returned to school to study macroeconomics and federal policy. with a focus on macroeconomics and Fed Policy. With Shipp & Wilson, Sean moved from landscape maintenance into work on nursery stock and equipment.
As he began to interview for office jobs after college, Sean became increasingly uncomfortable. He realized that he needed “dirt under his fingernails and grease on his hands.” As Sean states: “When the position of Manager of Horticulture opened at Maymont, I was considering going back to school for Horticulture or Landscape Design, but leapt at the opportunity to work here, since it allows a unique mix of both teaching and learning, and lets me get my hands dirty while still contributing to long-term benefits for the local community.”
Sean loves his work at Maymont. It is a large public space with over 600,000 thousand visitors every year. His responsibilities are diverse, and his days are filled as he manages the gardens and grounds of Maymont.
Peggy Singlemann writes that “Sean has become an invaluable member of Maymont’s staff. His skills are proven daily as he manages the care and maintenance of Maymont’s 100 acres of grounds and gardens with a staff he has honed along with dedicated volunteers. I am very pleased to work with him as we move Maymont’s horticulture program forward.” As Sean states: “I hope to count my time at Maymont in decades, learn a few new things, and share something positive with generations yet to come.”
Sue Thompson
The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton
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Have a Question?
What Are the Benefits of Trees in the Landscape?
“Too old to plant trees for my own gratification, I shall do it for my posterity.” Thomas Jefferson
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, the next best time is now.” Chinese Proverb
The Value of Trees
- Provides shade to cool the air, lessening costs of air conditioning in buildings as much as 30%
- Improves water quality by less water run-off and erosion, thus recharging ground water reserves
- Prevents sediment and pollutants from washing into streams and rivers
- Absorbs carbon dioxide and puts out oxygen
- Root system ameliorates effects of flooding, tames storm water
- Composted leaves add nutrients to soil
- Increases property values
- Visual exposure is proven to reduce stress
- Creates a habitat for wildlife
- Bears edible fruit
- Source of pharmaceuticals
Judy Perry
Elizabeth River Garden Club
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After
(Photo Courtesy of LuAnn Hunt, City of Lynchburg)
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Restoration Fellowship 2020
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2020 Rudy J. Favretti Fellowship
Comparative Study of Terraced Landforms in
the Chesapeake Region
Surry County, VA
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2020 William D. Rieley Fellowship
Mount Pleasant
Surry County, VA
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The 2020 Fellows will be selected in March 2020 and announced on April 1.
Their research during the summer, May through August, will result in a
about the Fellowship sites.
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Special Events at Historic Properties
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See what other Restoration Properties are doing to entice visitors and raise funds.
Monticello
Let’s Go Explore the Past Through Archeology; Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Designed for children ages 7-11. In honor of Black History Month, join archaeologists in Monticello’s Archaeology Lab to discover how the enslaved community lived at Monticello.
Green Springs, Fairfax
EcoSavvy Symposium: Four Season Garden; Feb. 15, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Discover ways to expand the beauty in your garden with author and garden columnist Marianne Willburn and Smithsonian Gardens Horticulture Collections Manager Cindy Brown. $58 fee.
Poplar Forest
Winter Weekends: At Home with Mr. Jefferson; Jan. 18-Mar. 15, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spend time as Jefferson did in his personal retreat. Read and relax in a historic setting, enjoy complimentary coffee and tea, and explore the grounds and special exhibits at your own pace. Parlor talks of subjects related to Jefferson’s time on Saturdays. Admission fees.
Montpelier
Specialty Tours for Martin Luther King, Jr., Weekend; Jan. 18-20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Including “Madison and the Constitution,” “Journey from Slavery to Freedom” and “Montpelier’s enslaved Community.” Some fees apply.
Mount Vernon
2020 Mount Vernon Symposium, May 29-31. "Under my Vine & Fig Tree": Gardens and Landscapes in the Age of Washington and Now.
Registration. $375 for the General Public and $350 for Members and Donors.
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