American Gardens Of

The Victorian Era

Marie Hayes of Gardens Unlimited will present her program on Victorian Gardening to the members of The Garden Club of Newtown on Tuesday, February 22, at 1 pm, in the meeting room of Cyrenius H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street in Newtown.

Ms Hayes (at left) will transport her audience back in time to the Victorian era, when gardens were filled with hollyhocks, fragrant lilacs, blush roses and flowering wisteria. Her slideshow presentation depicts American gardening during the period of 1836 to 1901, illustrated by great historical estates such as the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park, and Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, N.Y.

A master gardener and former head gardener of White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Marie Hayes has specialized in perennial borders and cutting gardens for 25 years. She is a member of Hartford Landscape Design Council, and provides garden consultation and customized floral designs through her own business, Gardens Unlimited.

She has spoken about Victorian gardening and other horticultural subjects to historical societies, garden clubs and botanical gardens throughout New York, Florida, Delaware and Connecticut. Her professional landscaping consultations have taken her to New York, Florida, Delaware and Connecticut, and she has even created and installed a garden along the Nile River in Luxor, Egypt.

This lecture is open to the public, there is no charge, and registration is not required. For more information call 203-512-7320. In case of winter weather conditions, the policy of The Garden Club of Newtown is to follow the closure decisions of the Newtown Public Schools.