Stonecrop Gardens facts for kids
A view of Stonecrop Gardens
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| Formation | 1992 |
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| Founder | Frank Cabot |
| Type | Nonprofit public garden |
| Location |
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Membership
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The Garden Conservancy |
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Key people
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Caroline Burgess |
Stonecrop Gardens is a stunning public garden located in Cold Spring, New York. It was once the private home of Anne and Frank Cabot. Frank Cabot was a passionate gardener who also founded The Garden Conservancy, an organization that helps protect important gardens.
In 1992, the Cabot family decided to share their beautiful grounds with everyone. They opened Stonecrop Gardens to the public. The gardens feature many different areas to explore. You can see woodland paths, water gardens, a bamboo grove, and special beds for tiny alpine flowers. There is also a classic English flower garden.
Contents
From Private Home to Public Park
The story of Stonecrop Gardens began in 1958. Garden designers Anne and Frank Cabot built their home in Cold Spring, New York. For many years, the gardens were their private project. Frank Cabot's love for gardening led him to start The Garden Conservancy in 1989 to help save amazing gardens across the country.
To help turn their private land into a public space, the Cabots hired Caroline Burgess. She was an expert gardener from England. Starting in the mid-1980s, she worked to get the gardens ready for visitors. When the gardens officially opened in 1992, she became the director and has continued to add new and exciting displays.
Exploring the Gardens
Stonecrop Gardens sits high up in the Hudson Highlands, about 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level. The gardens cover 12 acres (4.9 ha) of land and are reached by a country road. Visitors can see many types of gardens in one place.
What Can You See at Stonecrop?
The gardens are filled with amazing plants and unique areas. There are peaceful woodland and water gardens, a rock garden, and a garden full of different grasses. You can also walk through a grove of tall bamboo.
Special flower beds are organized to show more than 50 different plant families. This helps you learn how plants are related to each other. Some of the colorful flowers you might see include Ruta graveolens (common rue), Salvia uliginosa (bog sage), and Oxypetalum coeruleum (blue milkweed).
Special Garden Areas
One of the most popular spots is the "inner sanctum." This is an enclosed English flower garden with walls covered in climbing shrubs and roses. There are also beds with over 75 types of lilies, showing off a rainbow of colors and shapes.
A fun feature in the vegetable garden is a scarecrow named Miss Gertrude Jekyll. She is named after a famous British garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll, who designed over 400 gardens. The gardens also have a greenhouse called a conservatory and a special house for showing off delicate alpine plants.
