Ask GEM: What’s happening in the gardens?

The Schuyler C. Townson Terrace Garden and the Rock Garden have been undergoing some changes. During the recent renovation of the historic Colonnade, plants were removed from the Terrace Garden for protection. Additionally, the current Garden Structures Restoration Project will improve stability of the grape arbor (Rock Garden) and pergola (Terrace Garden) and enhance accessibility. Here, Landscape Manager Dan Bellavia answers a few questions about the impact of these projects on the gardens:

What work was involved in preparing the garden for these projects?

Preparation and planning got underway last year, with the removal and reduction of the shrub borders. Space had to be made to accommodate the removal and replacement of the grape arbor and the repairs to the pergola. Some of the beds adjacent to the grape arbor will have to be removed to accommodate the re-laying of all the brick walks. All original trees surrounding the structures will be fenced off to minimize any damage.

What happens to the plants during the construction projects?

Any plant material that is removed is replanted either in pots or in an existing bed in the nursery. We will continue to tend to these plants until we are able to replant them. Any plant removed will be restored to its original bed, based on the landscape plans. Any plants that do not survive the removal and subsequent replanting will be replaced.

There are four plants that grow on the pergola that will need to be dealt with in place. The wisteria will be pruned back and laid out of the way. Once the work on the pergola is done, we will rehang the wisteria and prepare it for future flowering — there is a good chance it will bloom the following spring, but it may also be set back for a few years. The two autumn clematis will be removed, and the fox grape will be cut back and laid on the ground. The trumpet vine is a stiff, woody plant that cannot be bent out of the way, necessitating the removal of all the top growth. This plant will take a long time to come back. We will be deciding whether to remove the plant entirely, as it is is now included on the New York State list of invasive plants.

Will the Terrace Garden look the same as it did before? What will be different?

Once the Terrace Garden is restored, the plant layout will be the same. We will be introducing some new varieties of the original plants that are better performers and have some new colors. Time will be the biggest problem as, unfortunately, it will take a few years to fill out all the plants. The process of rebuilding the gardens will be fairly quick, but it will take time for the plants to adjust and begin thriving again.

What you were seeing before the construction was the culmination of thirty years of growth. Many plants will be replaced with smaller pieces of the original, which will allow for future growth and better success in the replanting. So, it will take time for the plants to come back to their full size.