Photo © Jim Via

history continued

The Landmark Society continues to maintain the half-acre perennial garden, while the main house and carriage house are privately-owned and managed. Research and rehabilitation of the garden is ongoing. Today, the Pear Trees continue to greet visitors as they enter the garden and line either side of the main east-west walkway. While several of the Pear Trees have been lost, the fourteen original trees that survive still flower and bear fruit, providing historical context, beauty, and protection for the perennials that bloom below their canopies. As with the extant historic orchards at Walter Gropius’ home in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and Warren Manning’s fruit tree plantings along the approach road at Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio, the Pear Trees depict both functionality and appreciation of the aesthetic. The Ellwanger Garden continues to be a place where history and horticulture combine to create a unique experience for 21st century visitors.