Dear Pamela,

We seem to be in very similar situations.  I am director of the Colby-Curtis
Museum, a small-size history museum (bordering on medium-sized!) owned by a
local historical society.  Two years ago, when I took over direction, I tabled a
development plan for the board's approval.  As is your case, the museum also
inhabits an 1858 victorian mansion called Carrollcroft with immense properties
to be exploited and the major aspect of the development plan was the
relandscaping of a late-victorian garden.  As it often happens, we had late
19th-century photographs of the original owners in the garden and we could
safely tell what kind of plant we saw on them.  However, we faced an overall
lack of information and we had to face the fact that we just were not able to
reconstruct Carrollcroft's late-victorian garden.  Instead, we settled for an
interpretation of a late-victorian garden that would be in keeping with the site
and the house and we made sure that what we knew about thew original garden was
included in the intertretation.

Now, on a practical side, this is how we proceeded: we called for bids from
landscaping architects (plans, budgets, etc.) and we basically chose the project
that appeared the most convincing while still within our budgetary limits.  We
never had a formal policy.  A good landscaping architect is somewhat of a garden
historian as well and, in our case,we had a jewel of a professional who knew
exactly what kind of plant would have been used where, in which context and next
to what other plant.  We have landscaped Phase 1 of the garden project this
summer.  At the moment, we have new pathways leading from the sidewalk to
Carrollcroft's façade door, pathways leading to the left side of the property
where a losenge-shaped garden full of victorian perennials and annuals await the
museum's visitor, with the possibility to sit and take the garden in on
period-looking wooden benches.  Adjacent to this garden is a victorian tea-room
where people can go stock up on tea and scones and go back in the garden to have
tea.

Nex summer, Phase 2 will include another surface next to this year's victorian
garden.  A pergola will be circled by three concentrys rows of roses and
peanese.  Also in Phase 2: a reconstruction of the original fense that separated
Carrollcroft from the street  and a victorian play area where kids can play
period-games on the lawn at a rate of maybe $3/hour under supervision by a
monitor while the parents visit the museum, the garden and the tea room in
peace.

Although the picture was taken before we started work on the garden, you can see
Carrollcroft on our (very modest, which is good according to a current thread of
discussion) web site at www.3villages.com (look in the "visit" section).

Is any of this of any help to you?  I guess everything depends on the size of
your project.  But, in all honesty, I find that too many policies is just as bad
as not at all: it paralyses creativity.  My advice: get good people, work with
them, get a real team going and build a nice garden.

Do tell me more about your project.  It's really fascinating for me to learn how
others are doing something similar to what I'm doing.

Hervé Gagnon, Ph.D.
Director-Curator
Colby-Curtis Museum
Stanstead (Québec)
J0B 3E0

Kontowicz, Pamela KONTOWIP a écrit:

> Our local historical society is interested in knowing if anyone has
> established policies for the types of plants, plantings, etc that can be
> used in the yards of historic houses.  The society's museum is in a
> Victorian home and the Board of Directors would like to establish a policy
> about the types of plants and plantings that should be done on the museum
> grounds.
>
> Does anyone out there know of any institutions that have such a policy?
> Could anyone send us a copy of their policy?  Either electronically or via
> the regular mail.  It is hoped to use the policy in establishing a
> lanscaping plan for the grounds.  Until now, all the gardening has been done
> with donated plants, some of which are not accurate reflections of the types
> of plants used in VIctorian homes.
>
> The society is not looking for sourcebooks on Victorian gardens.  They have
> plenty of those, they are looking to see if anyone has any formal policies
> in place about gardening.
>
> Thank you in advance for your assistance.
>
> Pam Kontowicz
> Leavenworth County Historical Society
> 1128 5th Ave
> Leavenworth KS 66048
> email:[log in to unmask]