Vol. XII, no. 2, 3 & 4 - Southern Garden History Society

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edge . Several years later, flowers were planted along the edge . By 1952, Colonia l Williamsburg correspondence indicated that maintaining and painting the boards was deemed too time– consuming, so the boards were removed November 28, 1956 . To the west of the house a boxwood garden was planted using mature English boxwoo d obtained from various locations in the South . One of the early surveys indicated plantings in this are a but, with the exception of a few roses, no plants were identified . A letter from Shurcliff on Octobe r St. George Tucker House, pre-reconstruction . 12, 1930 discussing planting the boxwood state d that Mr. Coleman wanted to meet with Shurcliffs gardener "so he could show the gardener exactly where certain of the treasured plants should b e placed temporarily ." A similar letter one month later also emphasized working with Mr. Coleman so tha t his valuable bulbs and plants were not damaged . Unfortunately, no record was made regarding th e plants, or to where they were moved . Many plant s have disappeared over the years either through human intervention or their natural decline . Colonial Williamsburg agreed to maintain th e boxwood and perform other selective maintenance on the property but the majority of the garden wa s the Coleman's responsibility. By the early 1950s the family was doing less maintenance either because they were unable or unwilling to maintain such a large area . By the 1960s, Colonial Williamsburg did little maintenance at the request of the life tenants . The written records also dwindle at this time . Singleton Moorehead, architect for Colonia l Williamsburg at the time, reminisced in his ora l history about his time spent with the Foundation, noting "Mr. Coleman was an ardent gardener and he had a marvelous backyard full o f tulips and daffodils and narcissus ." An interesting glimpse of the property wa s recently given by a thirty–year veteran of the landscape staff for Colonial Williamsburg, Alber t Cowles. He said that the work crews would com e onto the property several times a year to maintai n the walks, the boxwood, mow large grassy areas and weed a large planting of hollyhocks that stoo d where Shurcliff placed the bowling green . He said that Dr. Janet Kimbrough, the current tenant an d daughter of the Coleman's, wa s very protective of her plants and that bulbs were everywhere. He recalled that the front yard wa s speckled with daffodils and spide r lilies and that Dr. Kimbrough loved to use them as cut flowers . She had her own maintenance perso n to tend the areas around the house. Gradually, the property became more and more overgrown and it was in that state in 1992 when Dr. Kimbrough died and Colonial Williamsburg onc e more was in charge of maintaining the site. Some clearing was done , such as of the Ailanthus seedlings (that are again taking over), which covered the former bowling green . The hedge that blocked the house from view along the front fence was removed also . In November 1993, Colonial Williamsburg Landscape Architect Kent Brinkley wrote a proposa l for the recreation of the garden . The drought tha t summer clearly revealed many previous paths . Grass dies and turns brown more quickly ove r buried features due to poor root penetration . The former paths were also slightly raised and former planting beds appeared sunken in many areas . These path patterns together with surviving plant s such as peonies and daffodils, revealed th e dimensions and geometric shapes of the forme r garden . Part of Brinkley's proposal included archaeological investigations of the site conducted b y Colonial Williamsburg's Department of Archaeological Research . Excavations opened a small area i n 1994 that was much expanded in the 1995 fiel d session. The plants surveyed have little contex t without this corresponding archaeological data t o interpret their placement in the larger garden plan . Brinkley drew up several hypothetica l 6
eighteenth–century layouts based on al sources available and from a knowledge of eighteenth–century garden design . Brinkley believes that the few surviving portions of th e original layout that are still visible most likely indicate an eighteenth–century rectilinear garden style. The interior layout of this space is still open t o debate, however, the planting beds fit precisely into a sixty–foot by thirty–foot block with a tenfoot–wide, unknown area between the first and third blocks . Because the property remained in th e hands of Tucker's descendants until recently, and Shurcliffs existing conditions map of 1928 show s the site one–hundred and one years after the death of Tucker, Brinkley and I feel it is possible that some of the planting beds shown on the map were survivals from Tucker's original garden continuously maintained by his descendants. A number of examples of plants support this hypothesis . Brent Heath, a noted bulb expert from Gloucester, Virginia, identified the bulbs photographed on the site during the spring of 1994 and April through September 1995 . Narcissus varieties and cultivars include : `Red Guard' (1923), the species Narcissus poeticus radiiflorus, Òrange Cockade' (1938), Àvtaea' (pre–1927), `Sempre Avanti' (1938), Èmperor' (1890), and `White Lady' (1898) . These cultivars were likely planted prior to 1928 because they correspond directly to th e planting beds noted on Shurcliffs survey of existing conditions. They are probably also the ones that mark visible borders and cross–paths in the photographs. Several other old narcissus appear very near or just outside the areas planted prior to 1928. These are a Narcissus poeticus cv . (possibly Àce of Diamonds' , introduced in 1923), more Òrange Cockade' , one identified as ` L 'Innocence' or `Laurens Koster' (1923), and `Limerick' (which is known t o date prior to 1938 and is no longer in commerce . ) Other old narcissus remain in the back garde n but do not appear to be related to earlier planting beds. These could have been planted later or moved from another location on the property. They include more Òrange Cockade' as well as Èmpress ' (from 1890 and no longer in commerce), `White Lady', Àflame' (1938), Èlvira' (1904), `Damson ' (1925), and Èmperor' (1890) . Tulipa sylvestris, a species tulip, appeared under the crape myrtle west of the central path and could relate to an earlier planting bed . The Leucojum and Ornithogalum nutans could also remain from an earlier planting since both were recorded i n England in 1594 . However, they were popula r for a number of centuries so they may relate to a later planting. Leucojum appeared in one of the photographs from the 1930s , immediately after the house was renovated, so i t would have been on the site prior to Shurcliff s plantings . Sterile bulb cultivars, such as the Narcissus, will perennialize and slowly form a larger clum p whereas plants that set seed can naturalize and will eventually cover areas much larger than th e intended planting . The species tulips that have not bloomed have spread in this manner. Closer to the house, an area indicated on th e 1928 existing conditions survey currently contains a white peony and an as yet unidentified plant . These two plants need further study to determine if they Computerized version of Arthur Shurcliffs on-site survey of existing conditions in 1928 . could have existed during the years Tucker gardened. I believe it is critical to preserve thes e plants for further study because of their location an d possible antiquity. Many clumps of bulb foliage never bloomed, while others may have bloomed in May prior to our photographs . Brent Heath suggested that the site be heavily fertilized in the fall to encourage the blooming of bulbs that may no t have done so in decades . A number of plants on Shurcliffs survey nee d further research . A climbing rose and mock orange appear in a clump that is now overgrown wit h Japanese honeysuckle. The rose was indicated o n the map and mock orange was grown in America in 7
Page 1 and 2: St. George Tucker's Buried Landscap
Page 3 and 4: the bar on April 4, 1774, but prior
Page 5: In 1810, shortly before his retirem
Page 9 and 10: Book Review GRANDMOTHER'S GARDEN Th
Page 11 and 12: The second half of the book is a hi
Page 13 and 14: . non .e by Michael T. Trostel, Bal
Page 15 and 16: above 45 to 46 degrees farenheit. T
Page 17 and 18: to sell the governor a thermometer
Page 19 and 20: Society Visits Maryland's Eastern S
Page 21 and 22: New SGHS Officers and Board Members
Page 23 and 24: Recent Publications of Note ,from t
Page 25 and 26: A Nurseryman Evaluates Southern Gar
Page 27 and 28: x opaca)- Southern Gardens of th e
Page 29 and 30: Legendary Southern Horticulturist W
Page 31 and 32: 1997 Annual Meeting . . . continued
Page 33 and 34: Southern Gardens of the 1850s . . .
Page 35 and 36: Gardens of Blennerhassett Island .

Vol. XII, no. 2, 3 & 4 - Southern Garden History Society

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