Village of Mt. Kisco NY Public Library Rain Garden

When visiting great gardens in the Hudson River Valley, I came upon this delightful landscape at the Mt. Kisco Public Library. I hope you'll enjoy the images and be inspired to support a "rain garden" project in your community.

Mt. Kisco Public Library

Eupatorium in Mt. Kisco Rain Garden

Rain garden plants must tolerate intermittent dry and wet soils.

Branch Brook is protected from some runoff and pollutants.

To learn more about the the rain garden at Mt. Kisco Public Library, check out this link to the Mt. Kisco Public Library Foundation Green Space Project.

Return to GoGardenNow.com.

Washington Irving's "Sunnyside"

Washington Irving's 'Sunnyside'

Sometimes a detour from the busy highway leads to enchantment. That's especially true in the storied Hudson River Valley where all thruways and traffic seem to be sucked into New York City, and figuring where to exit can be a startling discovery in the rear-view mirror.

After a day in Manhattan, I wanted respite. My son and daughter-in-law knew where to find it. Ducking under I-87, we slowed onto Sunnyside Lane finally coming to rest at the home of Washington Irving.

Irving (1783-1859) was one of America's earliest authors of international renown. While most writers were publishing books of practical value, Irving was penning for pleasure, while his readers enjoyed his writings at least as much. His Tales of the Alhambra has enticed travelers since 1832. Irving's Sketch Book has delighted readers with magical tales such as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." Those, of course, were inspired by tales of his beloved Hudson River Valley.

Near what he called the "wizard region of Sleepy Hollow", Irving purchased a small cottage known as "The Roost" overlooking the river and began adding to it in 1835. "I have had an architect there," he wrote, "and shall build a mansion upon the place this summer. My idea is to make a little nookery, somewhat in the Dutch style, quaint but unpretending.” The new architectural elements included motifs characteristic of New York Dutch and places he loved in Spain and Scotland. He named it "Sunnyside."

He described it in his book, Wolfert's Roost and Miscellanies (1855). "About five-and-twenty miles from the ancient and renowned city of Manhattan, formerly called New-Amsterdam, and vulgarly called New-York, on the eastern bank of that expansion of the Hudson, known among Dutch mariners of yore, as the Tappan Zee, being in fact the great Mediterranean Sea of the New-Netherlands, stands a little old-fashioned stone mansion, all made up of gable-ends, and as full of angles and corners as an old cocked hat. Though but of small dimensions, yet, like many small people, it is of mighty spirit, and values itself greatly on its antiquity, being one of the oldest edifices, for its size, in the whole country. It claims to be an ancient seat of empire, I may rather say an empire in itself, and like all empires, great and small, has had its grand historical epochs. In speaking of this doughty and valorous little pile, I shall call it by its usual appellation of 'The Roost.'"

Irving wrote much about its history and more about its former owners, then gleefully announced, "I have become possessor of the Roost! I have repaired and renovated it with religious care, in the genuine Dutch style, and have adorned and illustrated it with sundry reliques of the glorious days of the New Netherlands. A venerable weathercock, of portly Dutch dimensions, which once battled with the wind on the top of the Stadt-House of New Amsterdam, in the time of Peter Stuyvesant, now erects its crest on the gable end of my edifice; a gilded horse in full gallop, once the weathercock of the great Vander Heyden Palace of Albany, now glitters in the sunshine, and veers with every breeze, on the peaked turret over my portal; my sanctum sanctorum is the chamber once honored by the illustrious Diedrich, and it is from his elbow-chair, and his identical old Dutch writing-desk, that I pen this rambling epistle."

Irving landscaped the property in an appropriate rustic style. A long curving drive led downhill and passed a small pond which he called his "Little Mediterranean." There he would sit in clement weather to draw inspiration and write. A small orchard not only provided necessary fruit but enhanced the scene as it satisfied his interest in growing things. He planted climbing vines such as trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), English ivy (Hedera helix) and wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) against the edifice, which remain to this day. Visitors will also find a small gardener's cottage surrounded by flowers and vegetables.

It was and remains an enchanting place, but think it was more so in its early days. A comfortable sitting room with plenty of glass opened onto the river view. Irving, his family and guests could rest on the veranda, stroll down the gentle slope to sun on a small beach, go boating, or fish.

Unfortunately the idyll was corrupted when the railroad was constructed between "Sunnyside" and the Hudson. His quiet retreat with its unspoiled vista and fresh river breezes was often interrupted by the iron behemoth belching coal smoke. Irving was furious, of course, fuming that they'd build a railroad through heaven, if they could. The "iron horse" has been replaced by less interesting engines, and the nearby Tappan Zee Bridge conveys thousands of vehicles across the Hudson each day.

Tours of Sunnyside are conducted by docents, dressed in period clothing, who are very knowledgeable about "Sunnyside" and Washington Irving. As we got to know our guide better, we learned that she was also well-acquainted with Savannah, my hometown, and Charleston, where she once lived. It was fun to discover that affinity.

You can buy individual tickets on site. If you live in the area, check online at Historic Hudson Valley to learn about various levels of membership that will allow "affordable, close-to-home fun along the Hudson." There are grander estates waiting for you to explore, and events to experience!

Not far from "Sunnyside", you'll find the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow where Washington Irving is buried. Walk around the church and explore the cemetery. It's free. You'll find lots of other notables buried there. Take US 9 north to Tarrytown. The Old Dutch Church address is 430 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

There is an ancient sycamore tree near Sunnyside's lane that has the distinction of being recognized jointly by The Internation Society of Arboriculture and The National Arborist Association in 1976 as a Bicentennial Tree, "having lived here during the American Revolutionary period." It's humbling to be in the presence of something so old that has weathered the winds of change. I'm reminded of another old tree within the walls of the Alhambra which Washington Irving is said to have mused to be the “only surviving witness to the wonders of that age of Al-Andalus.”

It's mysterious how serendipity works.

Return to GoGardenNow.com.

The Lasdon Park and Arboretum

"...as Envy always dogs merit at the heels, there may be those who will whisper..."

-Sir Walter Scott, Old Mortality

As I visit private gardens, and those that once were, envy often rears it's head. Gardens of the wealthy are most desirable. Never mind that I don't have the means to establish and maintain such Edens, I want very much to own them, anyway. So I'm reminded that el pecado mortal is not exclusively a transgression of the wealthy, and that contentment is a rare jewel. My recent visit to Lasdon Park and Arboretum was another opportunity to learn the lesson. Follow me to see what grows behind that garden wall.

The property was formerly known as Cobbling Rock Farm, owned by Dr. Antonie Phineas Voislawsky (1872-1939). Dr. Voislawsky, a graduate of Dartmouth Medical College, was a well-respected rhinologist and otolaryngologist from New York City. He had practiced and consulted at various hospitals in and around New York City.

Situated off Route 35 in Somers, New York, Lasdon is bounded on the south and east by New York City watershed property and the Amawalk River. When the house burned in the early 1930s, Dr. Voislawsky rebuilt it as a three-story Colonial Revival style mansion, resembling George Washington’s Mount Vernon. After Dr. Voislawsky died in 1939, William S. and Mildred Lasdon purchased the estate for a country retreat.

William Stanley Lasdon's (b.1896 in Brooklyn, d.1984 in Manhattan) distinguished career included co-establishing and serving as treasurer of the Pyridium Corporation, officer and director of Nepera Chemical Company founded by Dr. Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a partner of Harriman Chemical Company, vice chairman and chairman of the executive committee of the Warner-Lambert Company, board member of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a member of the Cornell University Medical College Board of Overseers, and a member of the Business Advisory Committee for Nixon-Agnew. In addition, he was president of the Lasdon Foundation, which he and members of his family set up in 1946 to support medical research and cultural institutions. Lasdon, along with Margaret Van Rensselaer Voislawsky (the widow of Dr. Voislawsky) and others, was also a charter member of the Somers Historical Society (1956).

The Lasdon estate provided jobs for a full-time staff to maintain the house and grounds. Mr. Lasdon had a strong interest in horticulture, so he imported many plant specimens to his estate as he traveled the world.

After Mr. Lasdon died, there was some interest in developing the property for commercial purposes. However, Westchester County purchased the land in 1986 for $4.2 million to preserve open space. It now adjoins the county's Muscoot Farm Park and the Mildred D. Lasdon Bird and Nature Sanctuary.

The Lasdon Park and Arboretum consists of over 200 acres with thematic sections joined by walking trails.

The William and Mildred Lasdon Memorial Garden, is located next to a parking area, so might be the one you'd visit first. The one-acre garden was made possible by a donation by their daughter, Mrs. Nanette Laitman. Within it are an entrance court and fragrance garden, the Formal Garden with fountain and busts of the Lasdons, and the Synoptic Garden. The Synoptic Garden features a collection of shrubs from A to Z, literally, beginning with Abelia x grandiflora 'Compacta' and ending with Zenobia pulverulenta.

The small Rain Garden appears to be a new addition. Rain gardens are becoming very popular as the importance of water conservation gains more attention. The rain garden at Lasdon serves a functional as well as educational purpose.

I visited in late July, so missed the Lilac Walk and Azalea Garden in bloom. For the same reason, I was unable to enjoy the magnificence of the Magnolia Collection and the Flowering Tree Grove. (I did see the Fragrant Epaulette, Pterostyrax hispida, in display.) This is true of any single garden visit; the seasons and their beauties are ever changing. You must visit often. I do intend to visit Lasdon during the appropriate seasons if I have opportunities.

The Magnolia Collection is home to a variety of species, including rare yellow-flowered ones. Some of the specimens were developed at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in the 1950s.

The Conifer Collection includes species large and small. A special area is devoted to dwarf conifers. Among them I believe I spotted several varieties of Pinus parviflora, and P. thunbergiana 'Thunderhead'. It was difficult to be sure exactly for many of them were unlabeled.

The Street Tree Grove lines a drive, appropriately enough. Lindens, maples and oaks dominated the collection. Though the species were on trial for the New York State climate, any city planner and arborist would do well to visit the grove.

The Famous and Historic Tree Trail is a bit off the beaten path, though it's an easy walk to reach it. It features species that commemorate historic events and notable people from American history. The trees were propagated from seeds of parent trees that were witnesses to these characters and times. Small signs along a path tell their stories. The seeds were provided by the American Forestry Association.

The Chinese Friendship Pavilion and Cultural Garden symbolize the friendship between citizens of Westchester County and its Sister City, Jingzhou, in the People's Republic of China. The pavilion, the focal point of the garden, was given by that city, where it was constructed, disassembled, and shipped to the United States. It was reconstructed in the Cultural Garden by Chinese craftsmen with the assistance of park staff. The pavilion is surrounded by native Chinese species and overlooks a picturesque pond where we found deer meditating despite a gaggle of geese.

The Lasdon House was only recently opened to the public. Guided tours are available. The house provides offices for various horticulturally oriented civic groups, a library, and offers meeting spaces for workshops and classes. The pool house has been converted into a gift shop.

When I visited, concert-goers were arriving for an evening of music during the Midsummer Night Music Series. I wanted to stay for it, but couldn't. Other pleasant events are scheduled throughout the year.

I was unable to explore the Mildred D. Lasdon Bird and Nature Sanctuary. It's a 22-acre preserve which was donated to the county in 1976 by William Lasdon and named for his wife. Trails provide bird-watchers opportunities to view many species in various habitats.

The Westchester Veterans Memorial and Museum is also on site, but was closed the day I visited. It's only open on weekends.

Horticultural research is ongoing at Lasdon Park and Arboretum. A number of surviving native American chestnuts were discovered growing there, so a cooperative effort has been in progress since 1992 to develop blight-resistant chestnuts. Similarly, Lasdon is home to a large number of dogwood trees from around the world where they are studied to develop resistance to various diseases of Cornus species.

The park is open from 8 am to 4 pm daily. Fees are not charged for general visits.

Researching the lives of William S. and Mildred D. Lasdon was about as interesting as exploring their country estate. Perhaps it has to do with a common fascination of wealth, the people who attain it, and by what means. Lasdon had a lot of it. Wanting a piece of it is prevalent. Suspecting the motives and means of those who have it is pervasive. Though he had some argument with the IRS, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had issues with his Estate, it seems he was a man of merit and earned his estate fairly. He certainly dispensed with a lot of it philanthropically.

As I strolled through the Lasdon Park and Arboretum, I caught myself thinking, "Why can't I have something like this? Why them and not me?" Though too natural, it's odd how envy stirs in the hearts of men and women, even when walking through a garden.

Return to GoGardenNow.com

View Larger Map
Return to goGardenNow.com.