estoring a garden requires more than a copy of Mount Desert Island culture, Betsy Collier did not at R the original plans and some working capital, as first feel fully equipped to take on a restoration of one Essex, Massachusetts resident Betsy Collier dis- of the great designer's gardens. covered nine years ago. It requires an under- "I didn't meet Aunt Mildred until she was 80 and at standing of the landscape designer's philosophy, that time I never realized we would inherit the property," a commitment to making the original design live again, she says. "From my study of Farrand, I knew that she con- and a sense of stewardship - as well as the good sense sidered her supervisory presence in the garden for a num- to be flexible. ber of years to be part of the design contract. She may Collier's journey into the past began in 1982, have made changes that aren't recorded in the plans, when she and her husband, Sargent, inherited but I had never discussed that sort of thing with The Farm House, a shingled cape in Bar Har- Aunt Mildred." bor, on Mount Desert Island, Maine, that A number of years before her death, had been the summer home of his great- Miss McCormick had given care of the aunt, Mildred McCormick. As a boy Col- garden over to a local nursery, and there lier had spent summers in Bar Harbor was little of the Farrand design or phi- - the most important town on the losophy left in the two 80-foot peren- island - and had continued the tradi- nial beds lining the crushed-gravel rear tion with Betsy after their marriage. walk or around the rear terrace that also The Farm House's garden had been had been designed by Farrand. designed by Beatrix Farrand. Farrand, a Collier's recollection of the garden founder of the American Society of from her visits there during the seven- Landscape Architects, designer of Dum- ties, in fact, was that it was dominated by barton Oaks in Washington, D.C. and marigolds. "But the Farrand concept of other important public gardens and herself a rooms enclosed by hedges was definitely ap- Maine resident, created more than 40 residential parent," she says, "and despite the unvaried gardens on Mount Desert Island from 1898 to 1949, color, whenever I opened the squirrel gate [designed most of them on the estates of summer residents. by Farrand] into the second room, I always thought of it Believed to be among the oldest houses on the island, as a secret garden. And, of course, the gates, the benches, The Farm House had been part of Sarge Collier's great- birdhouses were all here as another reminder of Farrand's grandfather's estate; the main house, Mizzentop, burned influence." in a forest fire that swept across the eastern part of the Obtaining copies of the original plans for the garden island in 1947, destroying many of Farrand's other gar- from the Beatrix Farrand archives at the University of dens. The Farm House escaped damage, according to the California, Berkeley, and studying them as well as old Colliers, because a gardener kept the roof watered down. photographs of the garden, Collier set out to reestablish Although Farrand's work is an inescapable part of the Farrand flair. "I wanted to recreate that same infor- ALL IN THE FAMILY RESTORING A DESIGN LEGACY IN MAINE BY ANNE KOZAK GARDEN DESIGN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 51 Previous pages: mal English look of plants cascading over the vice from Patrick Chassé, ASLA, a landscape A view from an up- walk. Farrand used nothing less than 5-foot architect on Mount Desert Island who not per window shows the classic garden- drifts abutting each other," she notes, point- only has been involved in the restoration of a room style of the ing to the original garden plan. number of still-extant Farrand gardens but has Collier garden, cre- She also familiarized herself with the work also studied many of the lost gardens that Far- ated by early-20th- of Gertrude Jekyll, the important late-19th- rand designed on the island. century American and early-20th-century English garden de- The major element in the garden Farrand designer Beatrix Farrand for a rela- signer, because of Jekyll's influence on Farrand. designed for The Farm House between 1923 tive of the current "I even took art courses, for be- and 1928 was the long double owners. Details fore actually beginning any perennial border that lined the include a carved work, I needed to understand walkway running from the wooden squirrel the sensitivity and flair of house to the orchard. But Far- (inset) perched on these two women. Their one of the garden's rand did more than just de- gates. Photos by blending of color, generous sign the garden. She also cre- Peter Ralston. and fluid massing, and aware- 50K18 GATE ated the space for it, by OTHER ness of texture and foliage en- BY relocating the house's front Inset, right: Betsy abled them to achieve an im- entrance from the south side Collier sought out copies of Farrand's pressionistic effect." of the property to the north original plans - Collier, whose interest in side - work Collier describes like this detail for gardening had prompted her as "brilliant" - and created a the construction of to begin taking courses in terrace for the front. She also a gate - from Radcliffe College's Landscape drew up plans for the gar- archives at the University of Califor- Design program a year before den's benches, gates and bird- nia, where Farrand's she and her husband inher- PAIR OF ARCHES houses. papers are housed. ited the property, read books by "By changing the entrance Farrand, Jekyll, Penelope Hob- from the south to the north side Below: Farrand's house and Diane Kostial McGuire, and visited of the house, Farrand created an oasis of essen- plan for the garden's most prominent fea- Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., where tially three garden rooms - the more formal ture, the borders she did research and consulted with profes- one adjacent to the house, the restored Farrand lining the rear walk. sionals who had either worked with Farrand or garden room and the orchard and vegetable Plans courtesy studied her gardens. Robert Patterson, an ar- garden beyond," says Collier. "Even today, College of Environ- chitect and a former trustee of Reef Point, Far- with all the traffic along Route 3 [the main mental Design Doc- uments Collection, rand's own Bar Harbor garden, was one of road into Bar Harbor, located near the house] University of Califor- those Collier learned from. and the changing character of the neighbor- nia, Berkeley. Throughout the restoration, she sought ad- hood, we have an oasis of calm." Ther Boltonia Delphinivin cleep DIVE \EVPATO- Dahlia Salvia Dahlias rium Aconite bicolor lazurea Dc PILIOX campbell ,Lupines. blux Platycodon Anival Lupines Phlox E. Campbell Larkspur ,Aavilegia pink Scabiosa dragon white Schil anthus+ Jannuals stocks Lupines Campanula rapi pink Pansies Linum perenne Heliotrope Scotch pinks Alyssum Nepeta mussini sweet W. BORDER PLANTING PLAN FOR Miss MILDRED McCORMICK Pansies LIMUM perenne Heuchera gracillima Iris florentina Viola cornuta Rose Gypsophila geranivin Browallia. columbine White Purple petunia Campanula persicitotia DIV campanula canterbury bellst Snap-aragons pilik Iris - snow aveell Anchusa White MISS Lingara phlox Galivm Ery Dahlias chrysantle. Delphinium bella -donna White fire isum Inium vilgino.1 tire Dahlias need weed Aconituni napellus Evpa Dahlia torium 52 GARDEN DESIGN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 Above: Betsy garden from an homage to Beatrix days a week, of annual snap- to-grow hollyhocks. Collier, who owns earlier, more Farrand's original she made adapta- dragons that Photo by the garden with opulent era, Collier design intent. tions that included Farrand originally Peter Ralston. her husband, tried to exercise Since she tends using astilbe, a specified, and Sargent. Inheriting common sense the garden herself perennial, instead planting sunflowers a substantial even as she paid with help two of large plantings instead of hard- mopsis Thermopsis sunflower hlias Aconitum- acuta Dahlias Delphinium bella-donna Danlias holly hocks crimsonypink Phlox- white Lupines Hamerocallis Phlox - MISS Lingard, Hemerocalls, Hemeriblue & annual enculoides) Stocks flava Thunbergi Salpi- Iris locallis Montbretia snaparagons. pale citrind yellow Mont bretia glossis lliam pink Veronica- awart blue Alyssum saxatile Ageratum-A pale blue Dianthus BEATRIX FARRAND ~ LANDSCAPE GARDENER stocks Campanula carpati Heliotrope ca L+white Candy tuft carnation -mavve Forget- 1118 not Verbena Snaparagons (Geranium cleep crimson Shasta daisy grandiflorum Snapdragons pink I- Schizanthus Linnia Japanese Iris Nigella nglum Ld Gypsophila acutifolia phlox Z. Danzanvilliers Petunia Foxglove white Repeta macrantha) Eupa- Aconitum exaltatum Holly torium Dahlia Delphinium deep blue Dahlias nock Artenisia lactiflora Artenisia lactiflora GARDEN DESIGN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 53 Above: The view from the middle of the "Farrand" gar- 4'-6" den room through the squirrel gate toward the house. Collier wanted to "evoke the breath- less beauty" of the original garden of the twenties. Photo by Peter Ralston. Right: Detail from - PAIR OF SEATS Farrand's original plan for seats and ARCH AS IN DETAIL. JOLID GATE an archway. Plan courtesy College of Environmental ARCHES, GATES & SEATS Design Documents FOR MISS MILDRED Mc CORMICK Collection, Univer- sity of California, THE FARM HOUSE Berkeley. SCALE 1/4" 11-0 DAR HARBOR - ME 4-o LOCATION PLAN OF BEATRIX FARRAND SEATS & ARCH LANDSCAPE GARDENER 54 GARDEN DESIGN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 While doing her research, Collier became eties that bloomed in July and August rather aware that one of the guiding principles in any than from April to October. By carefully se- Farrand design was the owner's use of the gar- lecting plants, she managed to shift the den and the need to fit the space to the people blooming time without altering Farrand's who would occupy it. Unlike Miss Mc- planting concept and without disturbing the Cormick, who occupied The Farm House with shadowing effects that give a Farrand garden live-in help, the Colliers were a young family its sense of tranquility and repose. of five, and along with the children came not In addition, rather than purchasing all the just swings and playhouses but pets. plants, Collier used many specimens Another difference was the length given to her by friends at home in of time they would be in resi- Massachusetts and on the island. dence. Miss McCormick usually "I'm always amazed," she says, left New York around the first "that with simple plants - of May and stayed in Bar Har- sedums, thyme, forget-me- Inset: Detail from bor until early November. The not, allyssum, rose geranium, one of the border's Colliers, on the other hand, gypsophila, candytuft, ceras- plantings shows were primarily summer resi- tium, artemisia, monkshead, Liatris spicata next dents. Baptisia, dahlias, dusty Miller, to the brick edging Using Farrand's concepts, phlox - I was able to create lining the garden's and particularly the choices gravel path. Photo this old-fashioned, chintzlike by Peter Ralston. of color and massings indi- combination, much like the cated by her plans, Collier be- interior of the house." gan the restoration with an eye But even with all her research to her family's use. The Farrand and her expert consultants, Collier room - the middle of the three gar- still encountered problems. One was den rooms - has a wide lawn where some the soil. "I lacked knowledge of soil sci- day Collier plans a pool, but where now the ence and I couldn't afford to hire an expert," children play croquet. She ripped out a weedy she says. She did know, however, that the soil bed on one side of the middle Farrand room, needed enriching, and that many of the is- and replaced it with a Farrand-like border of land's summer estates bought soil amend- astilbe, lady's mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) and ments from the same local contractor. She did Filipendula in front of the arborvitae hedge SO as well, and estimates that she spends $300 that encloses that room along with much of to $400 every other year on composted sludge. the rest of the property. In each of the first two years of the restora- Like any home owner who wants to restore tion, Collier spent approximately $1,000 on a garden from a grander time, Collier felt that plants. "Even now there are holes in the plant- some practical adaptations were necessary. ings, and although I put in some new plants "Although I wanted to evoke the breathless each year, I can't afford to mass the plants beauty one finds in the old photos, I also knew quite as luxuriantly as Farrand did," she says. I could not afford the annual nursery bill or Still, it's difficult to believe that Farrand the labor to replant annuals each year - even wouldn't be pleased with Collier's results. The if I could find the help," she says. She tends latter's sense of stewardship - a combination the garden herself with the help of gardener of respect and practicality - is what sustains James Day, who comes in two days a week. her in her "collaboration" with Farrand. "One That is why, for example, she left out the of the reasons Farrand was SO successful in cre- 10-foot-long beds of white snapdragons that ating this garden room is that the garden, like Farrand designed, replacing those annuals the house, reflects the same historical period," with astilbe, a perennial that Farrand had used she says. "To bring back Farrand's flair and am- extensively. "With the astilbe I was able to cre- bience, I had to restore the garden. It's both ate the drifts Farrand is famous for - and far the garden and the period I want to preserve more economically than with snapdragons," - but in the living context of the 1990s." she says. Collier also eliminated salvia and eu- patorium and replaced hollyhocks - a plant Freelance writer Anne Kozak gardens in she had difficulty growing - with sunflowers. Maine, where she teaches writing at the Col- In deciding on plants, Collier chose vari- lege of the Atlantic. GARDEN DESIGN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 55