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The end is here for Gifford Garden: Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook NY

SPREAD THE WORD

and join

SaveGiffordGarden.org

This group must meet with President Schlesinger to envision a reasonable future for the garden which is sustainable for CIES and its public.

There is opportunity to comment at the end of this posting. There you will find a respectful tribute to Gifford Garden written by Caroline Burgess of Stonecrop Gardens along with heartfelt observations by others.

Gifford Garden, Millbrook NY

10/25/07

Millbrook, New York

The CIES Gifford Garden is in Peril:
Science vs. Art
A House without a Garden

October 25, Dr. William Schlesinger, the new president of The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (CIES) in Millbrook, NY, proposed to his board of trustees that the historic (1817) Gifford House’s Garden should be removed.

Dr. Schlesinger, who assumed his position in May of 2007, is acting to curb CIES’s deficit. Further, he is thought to believe that the garden does not reflect the Institute’s scientific mission. However, the current CIES website states, “The Gifford Garden is an integral part of the Institute’s education mission.”

The Gifford Garden is a landmark and destination with a large following. The sunken garden and the water garden date to the early 1900’s. The butterfly and hummingbird, xeric, and poisonous plant beds have inspired and educated the public since 1987. “At the time, it was considered one of the largest collections of herbaceous perennials to be seen in any public garden in the northeastern United States.” (CIES website.)

News of the Gifford Garden’s potential demise is expected to shock and dismay both the specialty and large audiences that the garden has developed over the years. The garden has loyal and appreciative participants because of its handicap access. This year, the garden’s three day plant sale was extremely successful in raising money and in bringing the public to the CIES property. The garden’s further potential for fund raising and attracting people to the CIES grounds will be lost if the board of trustees approves Dr. Schlesinger’s expected proposal.

With the removal of The Gifford Garden, there will be a historic house without a garden and a scientific institute, whose subtitle is “Understanding How the Natural World Works,” without a garden to begin the education which leads to understanding.

Save Gifford Garden.
Find the CIES Board Members Below.
Contact them and
President Dr. William Schlesinger: schlesingerw@ecostudies.org.

Tell them what you think of their plans.

Signed,

Jennifer Benner, Garden Magazine Editor, Newtown, CT

Gail Bishop, Landscape Architect, Redding, CT

Duncan Brine, Landscape Designer, Pawling, NY
duncan@gardenlarge.com

Bonnie Burnham, International Preservation Organization Executive, New York, NY

Karen Bussolini, Garden Photographer, South Kent, CT

Gay Vincent Canal, Garden Designer, Washington, CT

Elisabeth Cary, Director of Education, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, MA

Ruah Donnelly, Garden Writer, Trustee of the New England Wildflower Society, Conway, MA

Sydney Eddison, Garden Writer, Newtown, CT

Michelle Farnum, Gallery Owner, Pawling, NY

Mac Griswold, Garden Historian, New York, NY

Dency Kane, Garden Photographer, New York, NY

Adam Levine, Garden Writer, Philadelphia, PA

Julia Scott, Owner and Designer, a Garden Conservancy Garden, West Cornwall, CT

Sharon Tingley, Landscape Designer, Sharon, CT

Darrell Trout, Garden Writer, Forest Hills, NY

Larry Weaner, Landscape Designer, Glenside, PA

 

We advocates spread news to influence CIES to save Gifford Garden.

Thank you, the above signed.

Pages: 1 2 3 4

15 Comments

15 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Dency Kane, Garden Photographer // Nov 11, 2007 at 12:22 am

    Yes, please add my name to the Save the Gifford Garden if you think it would help. Thank You.

  • 2 Gail Bishop, Landscape Architect, Redding, CT // Nov 12, 2007 at 10:12 am

    Hello Duncan,

    Wow - how wonderful to be involved in such a cause!
    It is thoroughly incredulous the mere notion of removing these invaluable gardens which further the story of the lifestyle within the house…
    Many communities are now realizing the value and ADDING such enrichments…strange to hear of a famous one going AGAINST the tide.

    Perhaps Endowements, and Named Gifts (of Benches, or original plant material needing replacement…) in Memory of loved ones is already being done??
    Have you sent this plea to all Garden Conservancy members, NYBG, and UConn, etc??
    Please add my name to the list; I will forward this on to my contacts!

    Best regards,

    Gail
    Thunder Hill Designs

  • 3 Jennifer Benner // Nov 13, 2007 at 11:15 am

    Dear Duncan,

    Thank you for building awareness. Gardens are truly invaluable living laboratories and educational tools. I hope IES comes to realize this as well. Please add my name to your cause if you feel it will help.

    Best regards,
    Jennifer Benner

    Associate Editor, Fine Gardening

  • 4 Duncan Brine // Nov 13, 2007 at 11:22 am

    Dency, Gail and Jennifer–Thanks for joining the Gifford Garden advocates.
    We’re a group of designers, photographers, writers, and others concerned about the garden’s fate.

  • 5 Caroline Burgess // Nov 13, 2007 at 5:02 pm

    The Gifford Garden has been an important study destination for all of us at Stonecrop Gardens, and we visit several times each year with our interns. The garden is educational; it is well designed and labeled, and the plant collection is diverse. The demise of the Gifford Garden will be a great loss for Hudson Valley horticulture.

  • 6 Duncan Brine // Nov 13, 2007 at 5:05 pm

    Caroline–
    Your words will be memorable for the many gardeners at Gifford Garden, both staff and volunteer, especially because Stonecrop is widely regarded as one of the most exemplary gardens in the country.

  • 7 constance duhamel // Nov 29, 2007 at 6:21 pm

    visiting the gardens, attending classes, finding the perfect gift and anticipating the plant sales were wonderful experiences for us and our friends. the welcoming grounds were a way to let the communities in dutchess, putnam and columbia counties know of your work. i hope the new board finds some way to keep them open to us.

  • 8 Joan Lee Faust // Dec 24, 2007 at 2:03 pm

    Although it has been a few years since visitng the
    IES….I’m appalled that it would even think of eliminating such a beautiful, educational part of this prestigious Institute. For the modest savings the garden’s destruction would provide, don’t the powers that be realize there are some facets to our our humanity that should be nurtured?
    Former Garden Editor, The New York Times

  • 9 Duncan Brine // Dec 25, 2007 at 5:18 am

    Joan Lee Faust, your eloquence honors Gifford Garden. Unless actions are swiftly taken to Save Gifford Garden, your comment will be its obituary.

  • 10 judy rife // Jan 13, 2008 at 9:09 am

    i consider the plant sale an obligation and a pilgrimage - and i drag other gardeners with me from orange county - to see and support the place where i began my journey as a gardener - with a seminar taught by mary ann mcgourty many years ago. i can’t imagine the trustees severing ties to the public at a time when environmental awareness is growing by leaps and bounds. please add my name to the petition and thank you for leading the good fight.

  • 11 Heronswood Voice » Garden, What Garden? // Jan 22, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    There is a post to read about the controversy over Gifford Garden on Heronswood Voice, written by the man who bought Heronswood Nursery.

  • 12 Sandra Reilly // Feb 24, 2008 at 9:03 am

    Although it’s been many years since I lived in Dutchess County, the Gifford Gardens were a very important part of my gardening education. I worked at the Gifford House both as a volunteer and paid employee when they were selling plants on the porch. The gardens are truly a unique part of Millbrook and should be saved. Please keep me informed of any progress made in saving them. Sandra Reilly in Vermont

  • 13 Gillian Creelman // May 11, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    My memories of the Gifford House and Garden go back a long way and although I live in Maine now, I look forward to a walk through it whenever I return.
    I can not believe that a man of science could be so soulless as to destroy the thing that his work is trying to preserve: the beauty and very existence of this planet. This beautiful and inspiring garden gives us the kind of education we need to garden in the right way in our own spaces.

  • 14 Duncan Brine // May 12, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    Public Gardens, what public gardens?
    This spring, before it is warm, before blossoms issue their fragrance, before objections can be voiced or heard, long-appreciated gardens are going or gone. Gifford Garden, Duke Gardens, and The Mount are at risk or have succumbed. How much more will we and our children lose of the greatness and fineness of our heritage before the damage is realized and regretted?

  • 15 Eve Howard // Jul 4, 2008 at 7:19 pm

    Living on the west coast with the amazing natural beauty has been a treasure but the northeast along the Hudson is equally splendid particularly for its gardens, houses and history. Can’t imagine
    not supporting care and keep of a garden due to the small amount of money it would save in this case. Please reconsider the decision and let the public know how we can help provide ideas for another solution to support the financial need.

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