PURPOSE
The goal of this committee is to support members in developing an appreciation and understanding of significant American gardens and their historic impact.
This committee is responsible for providing opportunities to Club Members to view historical gardens, study influential landscape designers and horticulturists, and attend lectures to see how garden styles and designs have evolved. The committee will also identify notable gardens for inclusion in the Smithsonian Institutions’ Archives of American Gardens (AAG), and provide instruction and assistance in the documentation process. The committee oversees projects through completion.
MEMBERS
Chair: Maryann Lynn & Marilyn Elsworth
Previous Chair: Carol Warner
Committee Members:
Cordalie Benoit, Peggy Eatherton, Maggie Gottschalk, Billie Ladd, Jennifer Morvan, Pat Sabosik, Nessie Stewart, Carol Warner, Ellen White
Garden History & Design 2024 Historical Moment
Click the box below for the slideshow:
Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution
In conjunction with the GCA’s Garden History & Design Committees, the Archives of American Gardens (AAG) at the Smithsonian was established to provide scholars and interested persons with visual documentation of cultural, historic and vernacular gardens. The Garden History and Design Committee of The Garden Club of New Haven addresses the importance of this work by documenting gardens within the required framework of the AAG. The committee meets regularly to pursue either the documentation of a garden or to increase knowledge of garden design. Visit their collection.
To date, the Garden Club of New Haven has documented 16 gardens for inclusion in the AAG’s collection:
The GCNH is currently documenting a garden in Old Lyme for submission to the Archives of American Gardens.
If you know of a garden that should be documented for inclusion in AAG’s collection, please let the chair of this committee know. For more information about how to document a garden, please visit The Garden History & Design Committee section on the Garden Club of America website. It includes a specific section on Documenting a Garden for submission to the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens with a procedural manual on how to document a garden and includes sample submissions, maps and images.