WELCOME to a Virtual Tour of the
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead
Please join me in a stroll through the
Justin Smith Morrill Gardens
Created especially for you by Jay Tisbert as an Independent Study in the
Landscape Horticultural Program at Vermont Technical College
Spring 2006
Tour of the Justin Morrill Homestead
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Introduction
Justin Smith Morrill was born in Strafford, VT on April 14, 1810 (1).
Throughout his life he developed a love of plants and a passion for landscapes.
After living Maine for a few years, he returned to Strafford and in 1848 he began
to build this house and design the landscape for this property (2). He was
engaged in agriculture and horticulture at this site from 1848-1855 and
experimented with different trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials.
Additionally, he experimented with the different placement of plants and garden
designs. In 1851 he married Ruth Swan and moved into the house.
Justin Smith Morrill had a keen interest in plants and landscapes. This
can be seen from both his studies on design theories of landscaping as well as
from letters written to his wife when traveling. He studied methods and theories of
prominent horticulturists and agriculturists of his time. In a letter written to his wife
while visiting Kew he wrote “… their splendid glass conservatories, lawns, trees,
beds of flowers, is altogether the finest place I have seen. The…borders and
beds of rare flowers and …trees are wonderful in extent and beauty.” (3).
Morrill’s objective for the property was to create a gentleman’s villa or
small estate. In landscape designs during early the 1800’s many of the
philosophies were based on English designers and European estate styled
plantings. In such designs, each section of the property had a purpose and a
function. Areas were carefully planned out, and designs of the time incorporated
divisions throughout the property based on the needs of the families. For example,
on the Morrill estate, areas with high use, like the Kitchen Garden, were closer to
the house, and areas that were not used every day, such as the Orchard, were
located further away. Paths were designed based on functionality. For example,
some paths were made wider to accommodate carts and barrows while narrower
paths were made for walking. Morrill’s fascination with horticulture and agriculture
led him to design, develop, and improve his homestead for over 30 years. (3).
The purpose of this project was to try to recreate Morrill’s gardens and
landscape through an examination of maps and historical documents. The goal was
to create a virtual tour that leads viewers across the Ornamental Lawn, and through
the Cookie Cutter Gardens, the Fleur de Lis (the rose garden), and the Kitchen
Garden near the greenhouse. By virtually walking the paths you will step back in
time and see a recreation of Morrill’s landscape.
Ornamental Lawn Area
As you enter the property through the gate, you are in the Ornamental
Lawn Area. The area is made up of trees, shrubs, and flower beds dispersed
throughout a gently sloping lawn. The purpose of this section was to provide
aesthetic quality and beauty. There are individual specimen plants intermingled
with flowerbeds and groupings of trees and shrubs. (3).
There is evidence to support that many factors were considered when
Morrill chose his plant materials. This includes recommendations from landscape
designer A. J. Downing, as well as personal notations. Morrill chose to follow the
expression that was defined by Downing as Beautiful, rather than Picturesque,
when selecting trees. Although Morrill did use the Beautiful classification for most
of the plantings he did use some plants that were in the Picturesque
classification. The Beautiful classification included plants that had graceful and
elegant character. This can be seen in such trees as oak, maple, elm, and ash
as they all have a round form. For contrast in the landscape, Morrill used some
weeping and oblong forms which were from the Picturesque classification.
Morrill’s fascination for plants led him to experiment with a variety of
cultivars and species. He took into consideration general growing conditions, as
well as hardiness of plants, and he often experimented with plants known to be
marginally hardy in Vermont. He liked to use plants that had recently been
introduced to the trade and were at the time considered rare. He also looked at
morphological characteristics such as height, bloom time, and color when
selecting trees and shrubs. Many of the shrubs he used had pink, white, or
purple flowers. (3).
The virtual tour shows the form and design that Morrill used for the
Ornamental Lawn Area. The trees and shrubs pictured are based on original
photos and other historical data.
Ornamental Lawn Area
Tour through the Cookie Cutter Gardens
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Almost all of the Cookie Cutter Gardens are located along the paths in
the Ornamental Lawn. These gardens have different arabesque designs (3). An
arabesque is an elaborate design that uses repeating geometric shapes (4). The
shapes used for these gardens were based on Victorian garden styles. They
integrate the architecture of the Gothic styled house with the design of the
landscape (3).
The Cookie Cutter gardens are more formal when compared to the rest
of the Ornamental Lawn Area, and they consist of trees, shrubs, and garden
flowers. The geometric-shaped beds are planted in circles and lines with annuals
and perennials. The arabesque gardens are planted in irregular groupings and
have a combination of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals (3).
Shrubs and perennials are also planted together to create both borders
and dense beds. Occasionally, annuals are used to fill open space in the
flowerbeds. They are mainly used in different patterns and color schemes in more
formally designed beds. Annuals improve and brighten the gardens, and they are
replanted throughout the season. Replacing the annuals allows the gardens to
maintain their vibrancy (3).
The plantings shown in the virtual tour are based on lists of plants from
Morrill’s notations, and historic pictures and maps of the time.
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List I
1. Hawthorne
2. Petunia
3. Stocks
4. Peony
7
5. Rose
‘Damask’
6
6. Double
Flowering
Almond
7. Sugar
Maple
8
5
10
8. Tamarack
4
9. Prunus
‘Hally
Jolivette’
10. Gingko
2
3
9
1
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List II
7
1. Geranium
2. Poppies
3. Verbena
4. Comfrey
5. Iberis
6. Marigold
7. Ginkgo
1
2
8
3
9
4
5
8. Ageratum
9. Iberis
1
6
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List III
1. Geranium
3
1
2. Verbena
2
3. Poppy
4. Portulaca
5. Geranium
6
6. Snapdragon
5
7. Campanula
biennis
8. Lilac
7
4
4
8
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List IV
7
8
4
1. Hosta
2. Fuschia
3. Verbena
4. Norway
Maple
5. Kerria
japonica
3
6. Larix
kaempferi
7. Tilia cordata
8. Dark
Arborvitae
6
1
1
2
5
Tour continuing through Cookie Cutter Gardens
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Tour continuing through Cookie Cutter Gardens
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Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List V
1. Yucca
filamentosa
10
4
2. Roses
3. Hydrangea
9
4. Primroses
8
5. Dwarf Irises
6
7
6. Polemonium
7. Trolius
1
8. Phlox
maculata
9. Bulb Lilies
10. Daphne
mezereum
3
5
2
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List VI
1. Petunia
2. Larkspur
3. China Aster
4. Coreopsis
5. Phlox
2
4
3
6. Tiger Lilies
7. Barberry
1
3
10
1
8. Bearded Iris
9. Peonies
10. Oenothera
9
6
8
7
5
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List VII
1. Iberis
2. Comfrey
11
1
2
3. Mignonette
10
4. Balsam
5. Godetia
1
6. Sweet
Alyssum
9
7. Dictamnus
8. Dwarf
Convolvulus
9. Ageratum
6
5
3
7
4
4
10. Ginkgo
11. Geranium
3
8
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List VIII
1
1. Sugar Maple
8
2. Norway
Spruce
3. Campanula
4. Violet
5. Hosta
6. Rhodendron
species
7. Phlox
divaricata
8. Geranium
9. Marigold
7
4
2
9
3
6
5
Cookie Cutter Gardens – Plant List IX
10
1. Toba
Hawthorne
2. Philadelphus
9
6
7
8
3. Mt. Ash
12
11
4. Convalaria
5. Viburnum
6. Mirabilis
7. Senecio
8. Marigold
9. Lilac
10. Arborvitae
11. Columbine
12. Impatiens
1
2
3
4
2
5
Final portion of tour through the Cookie Cutter Gardens
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Tour taking you to the Fleur-de-Lis Rose Garden
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As you walk around the house, to the right you will see the Fleur-de-Lis
garden. This is the most formal garden on the property and is comprised mostly
of roses inter-planted with annuals and bulbs. There is also a plinth, which is a
block or slab on which a pedestal, column, or statue is placed, in the center of the
garden. The plinth is the focal point of the garden.
The Fleur-de-Lis is a parterre, a garden in which the beds and paths are
laid out on flat ground and form a pattern. The Fleur-de-lis is the only parterre on
Morrill’s estate. In many situations, the pattern of the garden is as important as
the plants within the garden. Parterres are usually placed next to multilevel
buildings so that the pattern can be appreciated when people are looking down
on the garden. Parterres are of French origin, and they reached their peak usage
in the landscape during the 17th Century when European gardens were
influenced by the French garden (5).
In this garden the flowers were mostly shades of whites, pinks, blues,
and purples. Again, we see that Morrill liked to experiment with different varieties
of plants, as the historical list of roses and other plant materials for this garden is
quite extensive. Many of the plants that Morrill grew were not fully hardy to the
area. This indicates that he experimented with new varieties and hybrids, and that
the garden was constantly changing.
The plantings shown in the virtual tour highlight Morrill’s list of old-time
rose varieties. These varieties were very fragrant and were the color that Morrill
desired.
Fleur-de-Lis Rose Garden – Plant List
1. Roses
2. Delphinium
1
1
3. China Asters
4
8
4. Alyssum
5. Tulips
1
10
3
6. Iberis
7. Petunia
8. Verbena
9. Double
Flowering
Almond
10. Plinth
2
5
86
7
1
3
2
9
Final portion of Fleur-de-Lis Rose Garden Tour
&
Approach to Kitchen Garden Area
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Kitchen Garden Area
Across the road from kitchen on a large plateau is the Greenhouse and
Kitchen Garden Area. The design of the Kitchen Garden follows patterns that
were introduced well over a century ago. The garden is surrounded by hedges on
three sides with the greenhouse being the fourth side. It is enclosed and
separated because of its function. (3).
The main function of this area would have been the production of food
crops and ornamentals. It was used in conjunction with other areas of the
property where larger amounts of space were needed to produce abundant
harvests. Areas such as the Orchards (e.g. apples) and the ‘coarse’ vegetable
gardens (e.g. potatoes) are examples of places where more land was required.
Crops grown in the Kitchen Garden included mixed vegetables, culinary herbs,
some small fruits, and there were also ornamental plantings.
This area also allowed for the production of nursery stock for later use in
the landscape or orchard. Flowers grown in this garden were used as stock plants
for other garden areas, hanging baskets, and cut flowers for the house. Although
the main purpose of the Kitchen Garden was production, it also included
ornamental characteristics such as trellises and fountains. (3).
The area is rectangular with small paths creating planting areas. The
more heavily traveled area is a wider path around the perimeter. The greenhouse
was used to produce seedlings, tend to transplants, propagate cuttings, and force
tropical plants into flower (3). Morrill also used the greenhouse to grow wine
grapes (6).
The virtual tour for this garden area is based on historical sketches, plant
lists, and interviews with Historical Society staff members.
Tour of Kitchen Garden Area
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Kitchen Garden - Arbor
Kitchen Garden - Parasol
Kitchen Garden - Vegetable and Fruit Beds
Greenhouse
Final portion of Kitchen Garden tour
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End of Tour from Kitchen Garden back to the Front Gate
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Historical documents demonstrate that Justin Smith Morrill had a
fascination with how plants and landscapes interact. He was able to further his
love of gardening starting in 1848 at this Strafford Estate. The property was
always evolving and was constantly changing. Morrill experimented with many
different types of plants and developed a particular fondness for fragrant roses.
He designed the property with both function and aesthetic ornamental quality in
mind. Morrill’s designs and plantings on the property fulfilled his quest to have a
small estate.
The four components illustrated in this virtual tour show Morrill’s
intended designs and plantings. You can see the assorted varieties of plants and
the intricate designs that he used. The Ornamental Lawn Area, the Fleur-de-Lis,
and the Cookie Cutter Gardens were designed mainly to be ornamental, and they
added artistic quality to the landscape. On the other hand, the Kitchen Garden
Area had a broader role for the homestead. The area allowed for the production
of food crops used on a daily basis.
I hope that you have enjoyed stepping back in time while taking
the virtual tour of the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead. The tour was
created to represent and preserve the history of Morrill’s designs and
gardens.
Thank you for viewing the tour and I hope that you enjoy the
rest of your time at the Morrill Homestead.
Literature Cited
(1) Baker, C.B. “Morrill, Justin Smith.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 1974.
(2) Parker, W.B. “The Life and Public Service of Justin Smith Morrill.”
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company: 1924.
(3) Anderson, J.L. and T.R. R. deGiacomo. “The Ornamental Landscape: A
Study with Site Plans for the Restoration of the Justin Smith Morrill Historic
Site.” Barnard, Vermont: Primavera Landscaping. 1990.
(4) Arabesque. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabesque. This page was last
modified 18:27, 5 February 2006.
(5) Parterres. This page was last updated on November 25, 1999
http://www.harborside.com/~rayj/parterre.htm
(6) Rutz, Lorenz. Personal interview. 11 Sept. 2005.
We would like to thank the following:
Vermont Technical College
Instructor Mary Waldo
Instructional Tutor Nate Sands
Instructional Tutor Jason Young
Instructional Aide Anne Tisbert
Vermont Department of Historic Preservation
John Dumville
Friends of Justin Morrill Homestead
Andersen Thorp
Lorenz Rutz
Sue Cain
Lois Overton
A special thank-you to the Landscape and Horticulture Department at VTC,
Phil Petty and Pamelia Smith for creating an independent study for this
Design Project.