The white border in June at the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield, Photo courtesy Sue Daley and Steve Gross

The Sixth Annual Bellefield Design Lecture:  Gardens of the Hudson Valley

On Sunday, June 5^th at 2:00 pm, the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association is pleased to present Gardens of the Hudson Valley, an illustrated lecture given by Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner with photographs by Sue Daley and Steve Gross.  Based on their new book, the talk will highlight many beautiful and iconic landscapes of the Hudson Valley, but will also provide a chance to see a number of private landscapes that build on tradition to create lush and resonate gardens for the 21^st century.

The lecture will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center located at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4097 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, New York and will be followed by a garden party at Bellefield amid hundreds of peonies in bloom.  Heirloom plants and garden treasures will be on sale at the party, and the speakers will be signing copies of their celebrated book on Hudson Valley gardens.

Both Susan and Nancy live in New York City, where they are longtime
volunteers at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. Together, Susan and
Nancy have lectured widely in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut on
the subject of urban public gardens.  Their acclaimed Garden Guide: New York City is currently in its second edition.

Bellefield Design Lecture series was created by the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association (BFGA) in collaboration with the National Park Service, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and brings noted speakers on topics including art, architecture, decorative arts, and gardens to the Hudson Valley where centuries of exceptional design have been preserved for public enjoyment.  These lectures also raise funds for the preservation and interpretation of the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield.  The lecture followed by a reception and heirloom plant sale in the garden at Bellefield where the authors will be signing copies of their books. Tickets are $35 ($30 for BFGA members) and seating is limited, so advance purchase of tickets is strongly recommended.  To purchase tickets, visit beatrixfarrandgarden.org or call 845-229-9115 ext. 2023.  The event is handicap accessible.

The Beatrix Farrand Garden Association has been charged by the National Park Service (NPS) with the restoration, preservation and interpretation of the garden at Bellefield, NPS headquarters in Hyde Park, New York.  This garden was designed in 1912 by Beatrix Farrand, one of the finest landscape designers in American history.  Only a handful of Farrand’s myriad gardens remain intact, and Bellefield is the earliest existing example of her private commissions.