United States of America -- Connecticut -- Hartford -- Avon
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets and a bibliography.
General:
The house, a popular Better Homes and Garden plan known as the "Maple Forest House", was built in 1997 and the first landscaping was put in that year. The two and one-fifth acre property is on a steep slope with rocky soil and surrounded by deep woods, while the garden and koi pond are close to the house with additional features further out in the lawn. The owners feel they live in the woods and must accommodate wildlife in their style of living and gardening. The lawn has not been treated with pesticides for ten or more years so in addition to grasses, ferns and mosses there are wildflowers and common weeds, including violets, white clover, dayflower, ground ivy, dandelions, smart weed, chicory, fleabane and thistle. Sunflowers and milkweed are encouraged to self-seed and provide food for birds and butterflies. Other wildlife seen on the property includes bears, foxes, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, possums, skunks, bobcats, hawks, eagles, turkeys and deer that have lyme-disease ticks. The owners grow a small vegetable garden in plastic pots on one of the decks but are able to grow herbs in a raised bed next to the house. Annual flowers are grown in clay pots and hanging baskets, out of reach for digging dogs. The original koi pond was enlarged in 2015, a massive stone slab was installed as a bridge, and net screens attached to saplings and a plastic heron at the pond's edge keep predators away from the fish.
The garden owner is a former Garden Club of America club president.
Persons associated with the garden include Robert P. Powell (garden and pond design, 1997); Aquascapes of Connecticut (koi pond re-design and installation, 2015); Dan Isakson (lawn care, 2011- ); Dexter Cheney (woodlands and woodlot management, 2005- ).
Dan Isakson provided lawn care. Aquascapes of Connecticut designed the pond. Dexter Cheny managed the woodlands.
Related Materials:
The Howard Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (24 digital images; 4 photographic prints)
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.
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.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
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.