For passionate gardeners, autumn is bittersweet
Autumn may signify the end of one season, but it’s a time to plan ahead for—and eagerly anticipate—next spring’s gardens
For passionate home gardeners, autumn can be bittersweet. As warm temperatures give way to cooler evenings and the leaves begin falling from the deciduous trees, one can miss the colors and textures of spring and summer gardens. But the autumn also brings the chance to anticipate and plan ahead for next year’s gardens.
This week, Greenwich Time takes you to two distinctive homes, currently on the market, each with remarkable gardens, poised to put on a spring show for their next stewards.
Take, for example, Clos Des Abeilles—French Norman-inspired and built in 1928—at 80 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. It’s a home that was originally built by an architect, William Dominick, as his personal residence. The six-bedroom 6,278-squarefoot residence is complemented by a pool and pool house, a carriage house and garages that can accommodate as many as nine cars. The property is currently offered to the market for $5.499 million. Douglas Elliman Realtor Monica Webster is the listing agent. Clos Des Abeilles presides over 3 acres abutting Greenwich Country Club land. Central Middle School, Pomerance Park, and Greenwich Country Day School are also close by. The landscaping surrounding the home is lush and colorful. Webster reported to Greenwich Time that among the terraced gardens are hydrangea trees and bushes, dogwoods, rhododendrons, azaleas, lilies, peonies, lavender and pink roses. The gardens at 465 Lake Avenue, Greenwich, are really the star of the show. This property is one that comes with potential. A former carriage house, built in 1900, represents the single outbuilding on the property, which is ready for a buyer who comes to it with an architectural vision. The seller is asking $8.5 million for the home.
Sotheby’s Realtor Carol Clarke is the listing agent, working on behalf of the seller. She explained how the gardens were cultivated at the 2.94-acre property. “The gardens were designed by Francois Goffinet, an internationally well-known landscape architect who did the PepsiCo gardens, among many other famous sites,” Clark noted. “They were designed to continuously bloom throughout the year.” The colorful plantings include evergreens, azaleas, hydrangeas and flower crab-apple trees. In addition to the lush perennial gardens at 465 Lake Avenue, the owner also nurtured vegetable and cutting gardens. “There’s a beautiful allée of pear trees that bloom in early spring,” Clarke continued.
“The garden was designed with a half-mile walking path that meanders around the entire 3 acres. There is also a charming guest/playhouse in the center, which was a former stable. This includes an entertaining terrace with a gas fireplace, pizza oven and barbecue grill,” she added. “The property was once part of a Rockefeller estate and includes many beautiful stone walls.”