Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Garden designer:
Petrell, Wally  Search this
Architect:
DeArmond, Ashmead & Bickley  Search this
Provenance:
Garden Club of Wilmington  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Rowland Garden (Wilmington, Delaware)
United States of America -- Delaware -- New Castle County -- Wilmington
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, and additional information.
General:
Located adjacent to Olmsted-designed Rockford Park, this garden has been under development by its owners since 1973, although the house was built in 1900-1904. In the early 20th century formal gardens stretched toward the park and many magnificent tall trees remain, although some have been removed due to age and condition. In the 1950s a border of azaleas, rhododendron, mountain laurel, leucothoe, and dogwood, designed by the head gardener at Winterthur, was added against the fence opposite the formal terrace to the southeast of the house. During the 1970s, while clearing overgrown ivy and trees, the owners discovered a rock garden set against a granite retaining wall. Over the years they have sought to echo the original plantings as well as to add rare plants and natives suitable to the conditions of the soil and the various sites within the garden. Containers, troughs, and built-in brick terrace beds are used for a variety of plantings, from vegetables to summering house plants, while a unique propagating bed is filled with worm castings. No chemicals are used in the garden. Future plans include a formal garden, English Tudor in feel (as is the style of the house), with tall conifers at the corners and triangle-shaped parterres reflecting the shapes on the timbered house. The garden continues to be a source of intellectual stimulation, inspiration, delight, and good health.
Persons and firms associated with the garden include Wally Petrell (garden designer, 1950s) and DeArmond, Ashmead & Bickley (architects, 1900-1904).
Related Materials:
Rowland Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (6 35 mm. slides (photographs))
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Delaware -- Wilmington  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File DE046
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Delaware
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb688d9b405-f718-4f53-8761-05c53f28677f
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref6092