Gardens
Oak Spring Garden
“A garden, hovering always in a state of becoming, sums its own past and its future.”
If “gardening is a way of thinking,” as Bunny Mellon once wrote, then her garden at Oak Spring was her journal writ in plantings and pathways. Of all the gardens she created in her lifetime, this half-acre space was her most personal. It grew as she did, and was a place where she experimented over the years of her long life with color, texture, and form.
OSGF actively manages the Oak Spring garden to sustain the principles and spirit of Bunny Mellon. Our garden team works closely with the Oak Spring Garden Library to research archival photographs that document Mrs. Mellon’s evolving garden style as they thoughtfully plant, prune, and pleach for the future. This includes the integration of forward-thinking practices that support sustainability; such as the inclusion of more native plant species, greatly reducing the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and adopting regular and repeated applications of chopped leaf mulch throughout the year to help develop the health of the soil over time.
Garden Highlights: October
From the records: Dahlias
For Mrs. Mellon, introducing massive dinner-plate Dahlias alongside “weeds” like buttercups and tiger lilies was a way to ground her garden properties in organic elegance. They have large, vibrant heads, and a broad range of geometric textures. They naturally disrupt the strict formality of traditional estate gardening.
The cut flower beds at Oak Spring continue to be a highlight of the Foundation. Reflecting Mrs. Mellon’s spirit of careful, deliberate botanical experimentation, the gardeners at Oak Spring use these beds to conduct ongoing trials. For instance, they utilize overwintering techniques, such as planting Dahlia tubers eight inches deep rather than the standard six, to study how specific Dahlia varieties weather freezing temperatures directly in the ground.
The Dahlia Plot in the Cut Flower Garden.
A Place to Grow
Bunny Mellon’s garden is maintained not only for enjoyment, but also to serve as a place for learning and inspiration. This has included gardening internships, workshops, and conferences hosted within the garden.
Visiting scholars, artists, and writers utilize the garden as both a living library of floral specimens, as well as a place of respite and connection. We believe strongly in supporting the development of leaders in the world of plants and the environment.
Every year we continue to develop and refine programs that will offer opportunities to learn in and from the garden. Explore our current programs under the “What We Do” tab.
Garden & Horticulture Programs
Come learn in our garden! We offer a series of one-day events and multi-day short courses on many topics relating to our mission. Below is a list of programs currently available that relate to gardens & horticulture.
Explore More
Gardens are full of stories, and we love to share them. Whether its news from the Oak Spring Garden, fascinating places and people from garden history, or practical horticulture tips, you can find our latest garden-related blog posts here.
Banner Image by Roger Foley
Few species of plants have captivated people for centuries quite like orchids. Taking the world by storm, orchids of every size and color are now readily available and can be kept alive by even the most novice gardeners. Thanks to our archives and garden records, we know that Mrs. Mellon also was swept up in the orchid craze. Read on as our Horticultural Apprentice, Julie, dives into the history of orchids and their history at Oak Spring.