The garden at Wethersfield in springtime with the Taconic Range in the background
The tempietto at the belvedere
For the next 50 years, Stillman oversaw the evolution of the estate. He built a handsome Georgian home to house an extensive art collection, but his main focus was on the land. The 10 acres surrounding the home became beautiful formal gardens in the Italian Classical style of the 17th century (a novelty for that time, when few gardens were embracing the tenets of classicism).
Landscape designer Bryan Lynch began the design, but in 1947, Evelyn Poehler came on board and remained Stillman’s collaborator for the next 25 years. In the classical tradition, the gardens are oriented on a strong axis stemming from the house and moving north, south, east, and west. Yews clipped in cones and balls mimic the rolling hills; reflective ponds mirror the sky; an allée of towering arborvitae anchors and allures; and charming statuary heightens the meditative experience.
The elliptical reflecting pool
The rest of the property became dedicated farmland and what Stillman referred to as The Wilderness, a wooded area with 20 miles of riding trails. While his life had many of the trappings of extreme wealth, Stillman was passionate about conservation and showed a surprising streak of thriftiness in his approach at Wethersfield. Before many had heard of the concepts, he was embracing crop rotation, contour strip cropping, biodynamic farming, reforestation, and innovative drainage.
A misty morning in the cutting garden
“He was also a conservationist when it came to materials,” says Toshi Yano, head of horticulture at Wethersfield. “The bluestone here is recycled from New York City bluestone sidewalks. Whenever Mr. Stillman saw a sidewalk or street being torn up, he would call for a truck.”
For all its grandeur, Wethersfield has an element of humble restraint. Though the home Stillman built is handsome and comfortable, it is by no means a Newport-sized mansion. “The gardens here are human-sized as well,” says Yano. “It doesn’t feel like Versailles. It’s intimately scaled. It’s a garden you want to be in with just one other person or even by yourself. There are hedges, tunnels, and enclosures that make you feel like you’re in a child’s storybook exploring a secret garden.”
— Toshi Yano, Wethersfield Head of Horticulture
A fountain features Cupid astride a dolphin in an elegant niche in the East Garden
Two flautists entice visitors through an arborvitae arch.
The gardens and trails at Wethersfield are currently closed for the season and will open June 4. wethersfield.org
More Scenes from the Garden
