Triangle Parterre Garden

The Triangle Parterre Garden is a continuation of the formal pathway connecting the Square Parterre Garden on the east with the Annual Garden to the west. It began around 1908 as a simple garden path lined on either side with fastigiated Irish juniper, providing a vertical element in the very horizontal landscape. By 1910, low hedges linked the junipers, and arborvitae, an evergreen tree from the cypress family, were planted at the north and south edges of the garden, giving it a more formal enclosed appearance.

Between 1925 and 1930 the juniper were replaced by arborvitae and Allerton arranged for the privet hedge to be planted in triangular arrangements between the gravel. Sweet corn once graced the garden as a border, but Allerton replaced it with other unusual choices: yucca and lilies.

Columns at the east and west entrances of the Triangular Parterre, topped with lead urns, were added in 1918. Four years later, the west entrance columns were topped instead with the limestone Assyrian Lion sculptures that you see there today. In 1935, Allerton added more Assyrian Lion sculptures on the east columns. The carving only appears on the front of the figures while the backs are flat to more easily fit as wall or doorway decorations.

There is a small stair tower in the tea house at the northwest corner, which used to provide access to the wall walk along the northern edge of the Peony Garden.

Since arborvitae are one of the most popular food of choice for deer and other mammals during the winter, a fence was erected around this garden to keep the plants from being destroyed. The basic structure of the garden as it exists today was intact by 1930 and has changed relatively little since then, other than the plantings becoming overgrown. Thanks to a generous donation from Dana Brehm and Larry Baumann, this garden was renovated in 2019 and endowed in memory of Barry Brehm.