I spent a grand day at Ladew Gardens in October 2010. It was one of those cool, sunny, blue skied days that makes autumn such a welcome change of pace. Especially so this fall, as the hurricane season brought in torrential amounts of rain to Maryland just before we arrived. Everything was lush and green. The air was moist and fragrant. As we are living through a terrible drought at home in the Ohio River Valley, this place had the feeling of abundance, of promise. Even autumn felt full of life.

It was perhaps because my senses and spirit were so refreshed that Ladew Gardens was even more magical today somehow than the few other times in summer I have visited. Located in Monkston, Maryland, here is an exceptional estate home and garden. What sets this place apart from other gardens, I asked Tyler Diehl, horticulturist and lead gardener who comes from the esteemed Longwood Gardens in southeastern Pennsylvania.  The fact that this was someone’s home, and that the homeowner, Harvey Ladew (1887-1976) designed and maintained the gardens, makes this place extraordinary, he told me. These weren’t public gardens. They were intimate places, modeled after the famous gardens Ladew had seen on his travels abroad.

What visitors will enjoy are the remarkable garden rooms Ladew created, (there are 15) many with color as their theme. Most notably whimsical topiary can be found throughout these 22 acres of gardens on this 250 acre estate. In 1971, Garden Clubs of America awarded the Distinguished Service Medal to Harvey Ladew for the most outstanding topiary gardens in America without professional help.

Diehl likes the fact that homeowners can take home ideas for their own gardens. He thinks about Ladew when he chooses plant material, looking at the natives first. Diehl removes what doesn’t work and keeps the grounds historically as Ladew had intended. Each topiary is maintained by the same horticulturist over time, so that that person’s artistic vision will remain intact.

As you enter the property, the first thing you’ll notice on the left is a large topiary display of a hunter and fox scene. Ladew had a passion for fox hunting, and his home reflects a love for all things related to this sport. In fact, the southern boundary of the property adjoins the Elkridge-Hartford Hunt Club.

Once you’ve parked your car, you begin a short walk to the buildings that were apart of the Ladew estate. The barn has been turned into a place for lunch or afternoon tea (Fridays through Mondays). Visitors can eat in the horse stalls, or on a lovely stone veranda that overlooks the cutting garden. The building also houses Ladew’s painting studio. The garage now accommodates restrooms, a charming gift shop and a large greenhouse attached to the rear of the building. Adjacent to this area, are offices for the staff. This courtyard is meticulously maintained and adorned with window boxes and containers. Oversized bird feeders add a playful feeling to the space, giving a sense of the sort of illusion Ladew wanted to create. 

My heart cries out... I want to live here---- even before we have begun a house tour and seen the rest of the property. 

The white painted federal style farmhouse was built in stages before Ladew purchased it in 1929, we learn from our tour guide.  Once in each century: first a 1750 colonial farmhouse, 1850 and then in 1929, the house was built, renovated and additions were made.

What is most remarkable is that this house remains virtually the way that Harvey Ladew left it. He was enamored with the British way of life. Paintings, china, collectibles, all have images of hunt scenes. Most of the rooms are masculine feeling, painted in colors like “yew” green, and aubergine, gray blue, or paneled in wood purchased in Europe. Ladew added an enormous oval library with a hidden door. A grand piano in the corner of the drawing room was once played by Cole Porter. In fact, Harvey Ladew collected beautiful objects and friends. Designer Billy Baldwin, the Duchess and Duke of Windsor, Noel Coward, Charlie Chaplin and many others were apart of his social circle.

Another lovely touch in this magnificent home filled with antiques are the fresh floral arrangements made by members of local garden clubs. Several rooms are decorated with the flowers Ladew so loved.

Ladew Gardens receives more than 25,000 guests a year, hosts a fine lecture series, garden classes, and nature stories and crafts for children. The grounds close for the winter, but reopen for special holiday events, December 10, 11 & 12. “A Gardener’s Christmas” is this year’s theme. The house will be festooned for the holidays.

For more information, call  410.557.9466 or go to www.ladewgardens.com