Square Parterre Garden

In 1902, Robert Allerton extended his path from the Brick Wall Garden alongside the estate’s greenhouse. Plantings were added beginning around 1908 when topiary and potted plants were placed along the southern side of the walkway, and patterns emerged from the gardeners’ organization of the plants. They gave the name of Square Parterre to this garden. French for “along the ground”, a parterre is a formal garden consisting of symmetrically-patterned garden beds with gravel paths in between. Sometimes they are edged in stone or hedges, entirely ignoring any use of flowers. Parterres originated in 15^thcentury gardens of the French Renaissance, as seen at Versailles.

By 1918 the six square hedge parterres were in place, although much lower and narrower than they are today. Robert’s design included over 2,000 privet plants. The Garden has been altered relatively little since it was established, except for changes in statuary. Early photographs show the Garden enhanced by two nineteenth-century lead figures, the Shepherd and Shepherdess. In the 1920s, these two statues were replaced by the huntress, Diana, and an adolescent male, Ephebe. These figures now sit on top of the columns flanking the Park’s Main (South) Entrance. The 17^thcentury Italian Baroque urns currently in the garden have been in place since 1930.

This garden functions as a connecting space between the Brick Wall Garden and the Triangle Parterre Garden. Unlike most of the other gardens, it is not fully enclosed but is open to the adjacent Meadow with spectacular views to the southwest. It is simple and understated in form with the green hedges and white urns as the primary focal points. In 2000, some minor regrading was done and the steps at the south end of the garden were eliminated to accommodate ADA.

Text in-part courtesy of Maureen Holtz.