Fairfax, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Boxwood Garden
Historic Blenheim
"She is establishing a reputation as the blue ribbon girl."
William Scott, October 8, 1968
So wrote William Scott when his wife, Barbara, won two blue ribbons at a Fairfax Garden Club show.
Moving to Blenheim in September 1962, the Scotts immediately began transforming the landscape: farm fields became flower beds, vegetable gardens, berry patches, and a fruit orchard with cherry, crab apple, nectarine, and peach trees. "Our suppers now are nearly all home grown. Tonight we had tomatoes, squash, beets, and lettuce," he noted in July 1971.
Their passion for gardening produced a profusion of flowers: dahlias, tulips, roses, lilacs, lilies, peonies, and irises. Daffodils were a favorite. "Barbara picked her first full size daffodil," her husband noted on March 15, 1977. In April 1982, Barbara's miniature "Calcicola" daffodil won the Garden Club of Virginia's Jacqueline Byrd Shank Memorial Trophy.
In the 1940s an earlier generation installed a boxwood gardencomplete with a sundialpopular elements of Colonial Revival landscape design. The Scotts added roses and paths covered with buckwheat hulls. Becoming overgrown
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[Captions:]
Mural: The Scotts frequently entertained guests in the garden. Recalling an evening in June 1980, William Scott wrote: "as it turned dark the yard took on a new atmosphere with the candlelight and floodlighted fountain."
Left: Barbara Duras (right) and unidentified guest pose (c. 1945) at the sundial, the central feature of the original boxwood garden.
Inset: During the Scotts' residency, a profusion of roses enveloped the north side of the house and the c. 1948 kitchen addition. "The rose garden does look its best with new flagstones laid on black plastic and surrounded with buckwheat hulls," William Scott noted in 1967.
Erected by City of Fairfax, Virginia. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical date for this entry is March 15, 1977.
Location. 38° 51.322′ N, 77° 17.554′ W. Marker is in Fairfax, Virginia. It can be reached from the intersection of Old Lee Highway and Heritage Lane, on the right when
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Blenheim House (a few steps from this marker); Willcoxon Family Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Dairy Barn Complex (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Blenheim (within shouting distance of this marker); Blenheim (Willcoxon Farm) (within shouting distance of this marker); Grandma's Cottage (within shouting distance of this marker); Fairfax (approx. 0.9 miles away); Historic Fairfax Elementary School (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairfax.
Additional keywords. landscape architecture
Credits. This page was last revised on May 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 7, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 384 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 7, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
