Pleaching-intertwining branches to form a hedge
Naturalists who traveled through the Carolinas in the 18th century*:
Mark Catesby
Andre Michaux
John Lawson
John Lawson—Londoner, botanist, appointed as Surveyor to North Carolina and sailed to Charleston, SC around 1700. Kept a journal of his trip in which he provided an in-depth look at the land and life in Carolina before the Colonial period. John recorded detailed information on many subjects such as plants, Indians, ecosystems, and animals. Helped Baron Christoph von Graffenried found New Bern. Was captured by Indians while on a surveying mission up the Neuse River. He is believed to have been tortured and then killed.
Tryon Palace in New Bern is one of those "must see" tourist places. An imposing three-story Georgian home built around 1770, it is a sight. Arched, covered porches, which reach outward as if hugging visitors, connect the house with a kitchen on one side and a carriage house on the other. The original mansion was home to the governor of the "first capital of the North Carolina colony". The building burned down in 1798, and a movement began in the 1940's to restore the palace, which involved removing 50 buildings constructed around the site over the years, and rerouting Hwy 70. The new building was opened in 1959.

According to Tryon Palace's brochure, over 200 years of gardening history is represented in the six gardens located on either side of the mansion. Still neophytes when it comes to flowers, we missed that fact as we walked the grounds, but we saw much that justified the $8.00 per person Garden Tour entry fee.

We started in the Kitchen Garden, which didn't seem terribly exciting to me, but it turned out to be aesthetically pleasing. I was impressed with their use of space. Vine fruits, veggies, and seasonings are grown in one area in keeping with Colonial times, and often in the same plot of dirt. Also practical, yaupon and what we think are grapes are grown along the edges of the garden. For those of us who can't identify plants, most rows were labeled so we knew what was growing where.

Behind the Kellenberger, bordering the South Lawn to the street, is the untamed Wilderness Garden. With its tall, shady trees, dirt paths, benches, and gazebo, this is a lovely spot to stroll, sit and read, or just rest.



For more information on Tryon Palace, go to www.tryonpalace.org/
Click here for a slideshow of the grounds.
References:
- John Lawson's New Voyage to Carolina
docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lawson/menu.html - www.amphilsoc.org/library/exhibits/nature/lawson.htm
- digital.lib.ecu.edu/exhibits/lawson/htmlFiles/BIOG.html
*As quoted in Tryon Palace's garden brochure
No comments:
Post a Comment