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| Georgetown Gem |
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The tightly trimmed hornbeam colonnade surrounding The Ellipse contrasts with the loose blooms of Forsythia Hill.
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The notched elliptical pond with statuary, one
of two, serves as the focal point of the Fountain Terrace, which is fringed
with tulip beds. Beyond is the wisteria-covered Arbor Terrace.
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The Ellipse
Farrand originally planted boxwoods to encircle the
elliptical lawn. Today, The Ellipse is surrounded by a double row of
clipped hornbeams introduced by landscape architect Alden Hopkins in the
late 1950s. This colonnade of trees forms the "walls" of the
garden room. In this simple layout of strong forms, the plants become the
principal architecture. Farrand also managed to create a space that is not
only intimate in scale but also open and large, with the ellipse garden
embracing the domed ceiling of the sky. An entire hillside of forsythia
blooms beyond the ellipse, adding a fringe of yellow in spring.
Arbor Terrace
An outdoor terrace interweaves refined limestone
copings and rusticated stone walls, flagstone, and wood. The dramatically
arched wood arbor, masculine in scale yet feminine in its lines, is covered
with wisteria contorted and gnarled by the passage of time. The bare vine
has distinctive character in the winter, striking lavender blooms in
spring, then dense foliage to block the summer sun. A small balcony of
wood, wrought iron, and stone overlooks the English-style Herbaceous Border
below. Beneath the arbor, the sound of water emanates from a limestone
wall fountain. Intimate seating areas, including niches of built-in stone
benches, invite reflection.
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