OLD LYME — Connecticut Historic Gardens Day is being held this Sunday, June 26, from 12 to 4 p.m. and the Florence Griswold Museum is one of the 15 participating sites throughout the state.
Enjoy free admission to the Museum’s grounds in full bloom during this special state-wide celebration of historic gardens.
Members of the dedicated ‘Garden Gang,’ who tend the gardens, will be on site in vintage attire to answer garden-related questions and hand out tussie-mussies to visitors.
From garden tours and presentations to refreshments, family crafts activities, special exhibits, and demonstrations with local artists, an afternoon of nature and history is offered at each location.
Visit this link to see what is happening at each of the 15 gardens on Sunday.
The Connecticut’s Historic Gardens’ website offers some background to the gardens at the Museum, explaining, “Florence Griswold opened her timeworn family home to artists searching for a quiet country retreat where they could rejuvenate their spirits and find sources of inspiration. The group was known as the Lyme Art Colony and Miss Florence’s boardinghouse became the center of Impressionism in America.”
The text continues, “Miss Florence was a keen gardener, and had what is characterized today as a “grandmother’s garden,” in which masses of flowers were informally arranged in bordered beds close to home. From seed catalogues and references to garden books among her correspondence, it is clear she was constantly in search of new and unusual plants.”
Noting, “She helped others establish their own gardens, and filled her home with small, informally arranged bouquets of fresh flowers,” the text adds, “Many of the Lyme Art Colony artists painted the gardens and landscape around her home. This information, along with archaeology that helped the Museum identify the physical boundaries of the garden beds and walkways, guided the garden restoration.”
The text concludes, “Varieties of hollyhocks, iris, foxglove, heliotrope, phlox, cranesbill and day lilies are among the many perennials that make up the garden.”