The stunning gardens at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme are in full bloom for Connecticut Historic Gardens Day on Sunday.
OLD LYME — Connecticut Historic Gardens Day is being held this Sunday, June 27, from 12 to 4 p.m. and the Florence Griswold Museum is one of the 15 participating sites throughout the state.
Enjoy free admission to the Museum’s grounds in full bloom on this special state-wide celebration of historic gardens. Members of the dedicated ‘Garden Gang,’ who tend the gardens, will be on site to answer garden-related questions.
“The Magnificent Garden,” acrylic and oil (16″ x 20″) by Peter Kokoszka is the 2021 CT Historic Gardens Poster Contest winner. Image from CT Historic Gardens website.
Also, visit with artist Peter Kokoszka of Meriden, the winner of the eighth annual Historic Gardens Day Poster Art Contest with his 16” x 20” acrylic and oil painting titled, “The Magnificent Garden.” Kokoszka says his painting, “Pays tribute to the Historical Florence Griswold House, barn, garden and the flowers and wild life found within gardens of Connecticut that have inspired artists throughout generations to express their creative ideas of our beautiful state.”
Visitors can also choose to visit the historic house and gallery (admission fee required) where ‘Blooms with a View’ is on display in the gallery.
From garden tours and presentations to refreshments, family crafts activities, special exhibits, and demonstrations with local artists, an afternoon of nature and history is offered at each location.
Visit this link to see what is happening at each of the 15 gardens on Sunday.
Enjoy the beauty of the Florence Griswold Museum’s historic gardens this Sunday.
The Connecticut’s Historic Gardens’ website offers some background to the gardens at the Museum, explaining, “Florence Griswold opened her timeworn family home to artists searching for a quiet country retreat where they could rejuvenate their spirits and find sources of inspiration. The group was known as the Lyme Art Colony and Miss Florence’s boardinghouse became the center of Impressionism in America.
Miss Florence was a keen gardener, and had what is characterized today as a “grandmother’s garden,” in which masses of flowers were informally arranged in bordered beds close to home. From seed catalogues and references to garden books among her correspondence, it is clear she was constantly in search of new and unuusal plants.
She helped others establish their own gardens, and filled her home with small, informally arranged bouquets of fresh flowers. Many of the Lyme Art Colony artists painted the gardens and landscape around her home. This information, along with archaeology that helped the Museum identify the physical boundaries of the garden beds and walkways, guided the garden restoration.
Varieties of hollyhocks, iris, foxglove, heliotrope, phlox, cranesbill and day lilies are among the many perennials that make up the garden.”