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Tuckahoe was established in 1733 and has hosted both vegetable and pleasure gardens over the centuries. We were one of the original gardens featured in the 1929 historic Garden Week, and remain a stop on that annual tour to this day.
Though historic records of gardens at Tuckahoe are sparse, it is known that to the East of the house has always been the site of pleasure gardens. The Boxwood maze (picture) was well over 100 years old when it was destroyed by the English Box decline in the 1970’s.
The Gardens
Tuckahoe features the formal Floral Gardens, the colonial Herb Garden, as well as other charming pockets of gardens all around the grounds. Check out our ever-changing gardens on our Facebook Page albums entitled Tuckahoe Spring/Summer and Tuckahoe Fall/Winter!
The “Ghost Walk,” a Boxwood-lined path, still exists today and marks the grand dimension of the former Boxwood maze. To the North East of the Boxwoods are the Randolph, Wight, and Baker family graveyards. The Memorial Garden, just South of the Randolph family crypt, was designed by Charles Gillette in 1949 (picture of memorial garden)
North of the Boxwood maze was historically the vegetable yard of Tuckahoe. Today, this space is designed more as a pleasure garden, with fruiting trees, rows of shrubs, and extensive flower beds.
A parterre herb garden is situated to the West of the house adjacent to the Old Kitchen. While delighting the senses, it reflects the colonial revival period with formal Boxwoods and heirloom plantings of annuals and perennials.
In spring, the lawn is dotted with Spring flowers and crocus under the wide canopy of old Oaks, Elms, and Hackberry trees. Historic plantings of daffodils line the approach to the house from March through mid-April.
As Spring blooms fade, Summer annuals and perennials take stage with bright bold colors. Old-fashioned favorites such as Love-in-a-Mist are visually stimulating, while cherished old roses perfume the air.
Tuckahoe is truly a horticultural treasure with gardens that bloom year-round. Please see our “Tours” link for information on touring this national historic landmark!
