Seasonal change at Ladew Topiary Gardens
While visiting Ladew Topiary Gardens this summer, I was curious to see how the gardens would look in autumn during the changing of the seasons. So I paid a visit on Oct. 31, the last day of the 2013 season.
- Snow-white clusters of berries on a Callicarpa bush, also called Beautyberry, in the Berry Garden at the Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Rosa “Knockout” roses in various stages adorn the Rose Garden at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The colors of autumn are on display in the Water Lily Garden on the last day of the season at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Autumn colors mix with the already vivid hues of the lilies on display in the Water Lily Garden at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A Rosa “New Dawn” rose in bloom contrasts against the dark evergreen shrubs and trees at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Snow-white clusters of berries on a Callicarpa bush, also called Beautyberry, in the Berry Garden at Ladew Topiary Gardens. Ladew’s Garden Guide says they were designed by Harvey Ladew to provide berries for birds in the fall and winter. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Drops of rain are caught on a spider web on an iron gate at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A koi swims under a leaf in an Iris Garden pond at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The colors of autumn mix with the pastel hues of water lily blooms in the Water Lily Garden at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A Rosa ‘New Dawn’ rose, adorns an archway at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- “Swan Boy,” a fountain cast by H. Crowther Ltd., an English manufacturer of lead garden ornaments, is surrounded by the colors of autumn in the Water Lily Garden on the last day of the 2013 season at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- One final view from the last day of the 2013 season at Ladew Topiary Gardens. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
Though it was a damp, overcast day, it was a pleasant one to roam the environs and enjoy the change in the season. The gardens had an interesting mix of colors — orange leaves mixed with roses and water lilies as Mother Nature created a palate of hues.
Harvey S. Ladew, a self-taught gardener, bought the property in 1929. Twenty-two acres of his property were fashioned into 15 gardens with various themes. The gardens and the Ladew house are both listed in the National Historic Register of Places.
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