Cutting Garden & Greenhouse

Cutting Garden and Greenhouse. . , Gardens have been located on this part of the property since the 1850s, when Clermont Livingston (1817–1895) planted his vegetables here. He raised peas, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, muskmelon, and other vegetables for the estate. Clermont also built the first greenhouse on this site, which was enlarged in the late 19th century by his son, John Henry Livingston (1848–1927)., After John Henry’s death in 1927, his wife, Alice Delafield Clarkson Livingston (1872–1964), continued improving Clermont’s grounds by developing this area as her cutting garden. She had already created the South Spring Garden, Long View, and the Lilac Walk and would continue enhancing the gardens into the 1930s. The peonies in this garden are surviving examples of early 20th-century varieties that Alice grew., [Captions:] , Alice maintained garden journals for over ten years. She recorded weather, plantings, and how successful her favorite plants were. This was part of a long-standing tradition. Clermont Livingston, one of her predecessors at Clermont, also maintained a journal, meticulously recording the temperature, wind, and barometric pressure each day, with occasional mentions of his plants as well. At right: The Cutting Garden in late spring., Honoria and Janet are pictured under the garden trellis in this 1913 photograph. The greenhouse is visible in the background., The greenhouse, seen to the left of Honoria and Janet Livingston in this 1914 photograph, was updated in the 1920s and was in use into the 1950s. The girls are at their playhouse with their pet bunnies.