The gardens at Hillwood Estate make great use of the terrain and are quite impressive. Exploring them was fun for old and young alike.
We first went to the greenhouses, which were rebuilt in 1996 on the original spot. They contain a large collection of orchids and other rare and tropical plants.
Just outside the greenhouses, the cutting garden provides decorative flowers for the mansion and other buildings on the estate.
Estate owner Marjorie Merriweather Post was fascinated by Russian culture so she had a dacha built on the property. Even though it is in the style of a Russian country home, it does have modern amenities. It's now used for special exhibits. We only saw the outside.
Marjorie also loved dogs and had many as pets throughout the years. She had a pet cemetery built on the estate.
On the other side of the cemetery is the vista terrace, just below the Lunar Lawn.
The lawn was the center of outdoor entertaining. Marjorie hosted garden parties for the social and political elite of Washington, often resulting in busy summers for the staff.
The lawn also has a sun dial (perhaps a bit of humor on the Lunar Lawn?) and a flag pole taken from one of her boats.
The view of the lawn from the house lets visitors see the top of the Washington Monument in the distance, though perhaps the best views are in the winter or from the upper floors of the house.
The stone lion dates from 1700 and was taken from Old Somerset House in London. The house was torn down in 1909 and the lion was brought to America.
A pathway leads down into the Japanese Garden.
We visit the Japanese Garden and more in the next post!
We first went to the greenhouses, which were rebuilt in 1996 on the original spot. They contain a large collection of orchids and other rare and tropical plants.
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| Greenhouses |
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| Entrance |
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| The first display |
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| A fabulous orchid |
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| Delicate flowers |
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| A nice combination of colors |
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| Cute and fragrant |
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| More delicate beauties |
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| Amazing |
Just outside the greenhouses, the cutting garden provides decorative flowers for the mansion and other buildings on the estate.
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| Cutting garden |
Estate owner Marjorie Merriweather Post was fascinated by Russian culture so she had a dacha built on the property. Even though it is in the style of a Russian country home, it does have modern amenities. It's now used for special exhibits. We only saw the outside.
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| Dacha |
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| Window close up |
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| Back of the dacha |
Marjorie also loved dogs and had many as pets throughout the years. She had a pet cemetery built on the estate.
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| Pet cemetery |
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| Guarding the entrance |
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| Lady Margaret |
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| Scampi |
On the other side of the cemetery is the vista terrace, just below the Lunar Lawn.
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| Vista terrace |
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| Lunar Lawn viewed from the edge of the terrace |
The lawn was the center of outdoor entertaining. Marjorie hosted garden parties for the social and political elite of Washington, often resulting in busy summers for the staff.
The lawn also has a sun dial (perhaps a bit of humor on the Lunar Lawn?) and a flag pole taken from one of her boats.
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| Sun dial |
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| Flag pole |
The view of the lawn from the house lets visitors see the top of the Washington Monument in the distance, though perhaps the best views are in the winter or from the upper floors of the house.
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| Lunar Lawn seen from the house |
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| Zoomed in to see the Washington Monument peeking over the treetops |
The stone lion dates from 1700 and was taken from Old Somerset House in London. The house was torn down in 1909 and the lion was brought to America.
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| British lion |
A pathway leads down into the Japanese Garden.
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| Stairs to the Japanese Garden |
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| Cool statue of Pan |
We visit the Japanese Garden and more in the next post!
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