Join Fort Ticonderoga on a Western New England Gardens Tour
May 4, 2012
Famous estates, historic landscape gardens, a botanic garden and perennial nursery will be highlighted on a two-day, all-inclusive coach bus tour that begins at the historic King’s Garden then travels to western Vermont and Massachusetts, July 23-24, 2012. Fort Ticonderoga has partnered with Dr. Leonard Perry of University of Vermont's Extension and Charlie Nardozzi, a nationally known horticulturalist, author, gardening consultant and garden coach for this one of a kind experience. Participants will have the chance to network with and get to know other gardeners, find inspiration at superb gardens and have questions answered by expert tour hosts!
Passengers may depart from the Horticulture Research Center in South Burlington or from Fort Ticonderoga following a guided tour of the Fort’s gardens. While the vegetable garden is evocative of the military gardens of the 18thcentury, the beautiful walled King’s Garden of perennials and annuals dates from famous designer Marian Coffin in the 1920s.
Additional stops include Robert Todd Lincoln’s Georgian Revival mansion, including a presentation on their famous peony collection, a guided tour of Edith Wharton’s gardens at the former home of the famous writer, the stunning gardens of a “quintessential country cottage of the Gilded Age” at Stockbridge’s Naumkeag, the popular Berkshire Botanic Garden, and finally scenic Equinox Valley Nursery for a chance to shop for unique and unusual plant selections.
Reservations are accepted through June 30 or until all seats are filled. Travelers registering before June 1 save $30. For more information on tour details contact co-host Heidi teRiele Karkoski, Curator of Landscape, at Heidi@fort-ticonderoga.org, 518-585-2821. A complete tour description and registration form is available on our website www.FortTiconderoga.org.
About the King’s Garden
The beautiful King’s Garden, one of North America’s oldest gardens and the largest public garden in the Adirondack-Lake Champlain region was originally designed in 1921 by leading landscape architect Marian Coffin. The formal elements – a reflecting pool, manicured lawn and hedges, and brick walls and walkways – are softened by a profusion of annuals and perennials, carefully arranged by color and form. Heirloom flowers and modern cultivars are used to recreate the historic planting scheme. Visitor favorites include the lavender border, towering hollyhocks, bearded irises, dinner plate dahlias and many types of phlox.
Outside of the nine-foot brick walls of the colonial revival King’s Garden, the Discovery Gardens include a children’s garden, military vegetable garden, and Three Sisters Garden. The restored Lord and Burnham greenhouse, charming gazebo, sweeping lawns and shady picnic spots invite visitors to explore the landscape at one of America’s oldest gardens dating to the French occupation of the Fort in the mid-18thcentury.
The King’s Garden is open this year from June 1 through October 8, and is included in Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission.
FORT TICONDEROGA
America’s Fort
Located on Lake Champlain in the beautiful 6 million acre Adirondack Park, Fort Ticonderoga is a private not-for-profit historic site and museum that ensures that present and future generations learn from the struggles, sacrifices, and victories that shaped the nations of North America and changed world history. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, Fort Ticonderoga offers programs, historic interpretation, tours, demonstrations and exhibits throughout the year and is open for daily visitation May 18 through October 18, 2012. A full schedule and information on events can be found at www.Fort-Ticonderoga.org or phone (518) 585-2821. Fort Ticonderoga is located at 100 Fort Ti Road Ticonderoga, New York.
Photo: Fort Ticonderoga’s Kings Garden
