David Davis Mansion garden restoration wins Master Gardeners award

BLOOMINGTON - Sarah's Garden at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington is not just another pretty place.  It's now an award-winning garden recognized by people who should know.

 

            The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners in McLean County have presented Sarah's Garden the 2006 John English Award of Merit for Noteworthy Contributions to the Field of Horticulture.  The award was presented by the Master Gardeners on May 3 at their annual meeting in Bloomington.

 

According to Lyn Ash, immediate past president of the Master Gardener program in McLean County, "the award is given annually to individuals or projects that have contributed greatly to the local community in the field of horticulture.  Honorees are expected to live in McLean County and to have helped educate people in the field of horticulture."  Past recipients have included John English, highly recognized tree expert, in 2002; Don Schmidt, the "Dean of Green" and Horticulturist at ISU, in 2003; Bob Brooks, Arborist for the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Dept., in 2004; and Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses in 2005.

 

The David Davis Mansion is currently restoring a garden that was created more than 134 years ago, using cultivated plants dating back to the era of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  Although Sarah Davis' original garden on the mansion grounds may have a few modern plants, it still has the same design, location, and some of the same plants that were there when Mrs. Davis created the garden in 1872.  In a long-term restoration project, the mansion is working to return the garden to its 1870-1880 appearance using original plants and heirloom seeds from Monticello and other historic garden sources.

 

Sarah Davis planted three different gardens during the 41 years she lived at Clover Lawn, the family name for the David Davis Mansion.  She cultivated her gardens using plants from the early 1800s that she brought from the east coast to the Illinois frontier, in addition to native Illinois prairie flowers.  In 1872, she transplanted specimens from her 1840s doorstep garden and her 1850s circular garden to a starburst garden, which remains essentially intact after 134 years on the east side of the mansion.

 

Her starburst garden was unique in the Midwest because its design was patterned after classical Italian gardens of the 17^th century and formal English gardens of the 18^th century, reflecting the Italian villa design elements in the mansion's architecture. 

 

Original letters written by Mrs. Davis include a wealth of information about her gardens and the types of plants she placed there.  In a letter to her sister dated July 1872, Sarah described the starburst garden:  "I wish I could set you in [the garden] this moment while the dew is on the flowers - such a wealth of Scarlet Geraniums, Tiger Lilies, Verbenas [and] Candy Kiss Gladiolas coming into bloom and various other annuals would gladden your eyes, while the mignonette would refresh your senses generally."

 

Recent research on the garden has shown that Sarah also planted pink, white and red tea roses in her garden, filling it with delicate specimens that were difficult to preserve in the harsh Illinois climate.  This year, for the first time since the early 20^th century, gardeners are again attempting to plant and preserve the types of hybrid perpetual heirloom roses whose heady perfume delighted Sarah more than a century ago.

 

Horticultural historian Steve McDaniel spent eight months researching Sarah's gardens, using letters and period photographs from the collections of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield.  Based on McDaniel's meticulous research, the mansion staff, landscape architect Marsha Fogarty, and volunteers from the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners in McLean County are removing modern plants in the starburst garden and replacing them with heirloom seeds and plants from several sources, including Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia. 

 

The David Davis Mansion Foundation, private donations, and the proceeds of the annual Glorious Garden Festival are the major sources of funding for the Sarah's Garden restoration.

 

The David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (www.Illinois-History.gov), is located at 1000 E. Monroe in Bloomington and is open Wednesday through Sunday for free public tours.