33 Gardens in 17 States

April 09, 2020

All added to The Garden Club of America Collection at The Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Gardens

For more than a quarter century, the GCA has been a national leader in preserving America’s garden history. Through its work with the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens (AAG), the GCA helps preserve the visual record and collective narrative of gardens. In 2019, thirty-three gardens were added to The Garden Club of America Collection at the AAG. The collection now holds thousands of images and records, documenting 4,801 historic and contemporary American gardens.

Two very unique gardens were accepted in 2019. The 99-year-old Druim Moir Formal Garden, which is now owned and maintained by an eighteen member homeowners' association, and Mary’s Moveable Feast, a garden grown entirely in containers.

Druim Moir Formal Garden was built in 1921 in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was commissioned by the owners, the Houston family, as a distraction from the tragedy of their son being killed in WWI. It was designed by architect Robert Rodas McGoodwin and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary’s Moveable Feast garden in Sewickley, Pennsylvania is a container garden that began in 1998 when the homeowner purchased the property. The expansive hardscape became the foundation for the owner’s impressive container garden. Planting in containers provides an opportunity to experiment with soil type, sun exposure, and plant material since most plants can easily be moved and transplanted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photographs courtesy of The Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The GCA Collection.

The Garden Club of America donated over 37,000 35mm slides and 3,000 glass lantern slides featuring American gardens to the Smithsonian in 1992. Through its national network of member clubs, GCA volunteers continue to expand the collection by photographing and documenting gardens. Forty-seven states are represented in the GCA Collection with contributions from thirty-one GCA member clubs.

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