Gardens
The Essex National Heritage Area is home to many unusual and
special gardens. Some are quite old and others are very
new, but all are worth exploring. Here’s just a sampling
of what you can find blooming in the Area this spring.
Glen Magna Farms, Danvers Glen Magna Farms
The Kelsey Arboretum The Kelsey Arboretum in Boxford includes four acres of ornamental trees and shrubs planted by Harlan Kelsey, an early 20th century landscape architect, nurseryman and conservationist. Known for his use of “hardy American” plants, the Arboretum features rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel and more and is in bloom from early April through July. Maintained by the Horticultural Society of Boxford, the arboretum is free and open daily to the public. 18 Kelsey Road, Boxford, MA, 01921. Boxford Horticultural Society
Long Hill, Beverly www.thetrustees.org
Lynch Park Rose Garden The Italian Rose Garden at Lynch Park in Beverly was originally the site of a summer White House. During the summers of 1909 and 1910, President Taft rented the Stetson cottage on Burgess Point, owned by the Evans Family. Rumor has it that Mrs. Evans became annoyed with Secret Service agents and curiosity seekers running through her yard and ruining her gardens and in 1910 informed the President that the cottage would no longer be available as she was planning to construct an Italian Rose Garden in its place. Built within the foundation of the cottage, the sunken Italian Rose Garden features rare plants and shrubs imported from around the world. The garden is guarded by a statue of “The Falconer” commissioned by Mr. Evans and inspired by the original, which appears in Central Park.www.bevrec.com/lynchpark.html
Seven Gables, Salem www.7gables.org
The Stevens-Coolidge Place The Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover was the summer home of diplomat John Gardner Coolidge and his wife, Helen Stevens Coolidge. Mrs. Coolidge devoted herself to preserving and improving the property that her family had first acquired in 1729 and transformed the property into an elegant agricultural estate that epitomized gracious country living. The estate includes a perennial garden, a kitchen and cut flower garden, a rose garden, a French potager garden with brick serpentine wall and a greenhouse complex. www.thetrustees.org
Whipple House Museum, Ipswich Housewife’s Garden with more than sixty different colonial flowers and herbs. Meticulously researched in order to present as accurate a garden as possible, the plantings are primarily herbs that were used in cooking and for medicinal purposes. The Whipple House and Garden is owned and maintained by the Ipswich Historical Society. The Society’s archives contain articles and other related materials on the Housewife’s Garden that are available to researchers – or those with a green thumb – by appointment. www.ipswichmuseum.org
