The Wilderness Garden

The Wilderness Garden. . , The Wilderness Garden was created in the 1930s and is one of four gardens designed by Alice Delafield Clarkson Livingston (1872–1964) beginning in 1908. Covering roughly one-half acre, its meandering path connects the Cutting Garden and Greenhouse with the Walled Garden and the mansion environs. It is typical of the “wilderness” gardens popularized by the English gardening authority Gertrude Jekyll in the early 20th century., Organized around a centrally located lily pond stocked with golden carp, this garden is characterized by areas of grass, trees, and shrubs noted for their foliage, flowers, and fragrance. These are complemented by masses of perennials such as crocuses, daffodils, scillas, trilliums, and daylilies. They are all arranged to create a natural feel, as though the garden were almost untended. A seasonal stream crossed by a rustic wooden bridge traverses the garden., [Captions:] , This ca. 1950 photograph of the Wilderness Garden shows the central pond, edged with irises, bergenia, and lilies of the valley. The pond’s fish wintered in the Livingston home’s bathtubs., Alice was an involved gardener who took an active role in planting and caring for her gardens. Here, she can be seen watering one of her gardens at the family’s second home in Aiken, South Carolina., Flowering shrubs and massed perennials line the right side of the garden path in this 1940 photograph. The mansion is visible in the background., This 1940 photograph was taken on the path leading north to the cutting garden.