Historic Formal Garden

Compare the above photograph taken about 1940 with the below photograph taken in 2007.

Notice that where there was once a circle of tall upright evergreens there is now a three foot tall hedge. Lost is the sense not only of enclosure but also the illusion of great height when viewed from below at the garden entrance. It is the sequence of experiences that is so interesting about this garden. With the attrition of features such as the substituting of a low hedge for a towering ring of evergreens the quality of the original intended experiences has been degraded. That is why we want to raise the money to make the changes to re-establish the integrity of the original garden, and offer our visitors a rare opportunity to better experience the garden aesthetics of another time.  

For now, however, we are proud of the garden as it is. Read on for a description. 

Known for years as the Formal Garden, this is our most photogenic site for seasonal displays of tulips and annuals. Sculptures, stone walls, pools, bath houses, a trellis, ornamental stairs, iron railings, bluestone paving, and a lovely vista provide an ideal setting for massive floral color displays.

This Formal Garden had a previous life in Mr. King's time. In 1926, Mr. and Mrs. King commissioned the Cleveland landscape architecture firm of Pitkin and Mott to design a landscape to complement their new French provincial house.
Apparently, this was the Kings only designed "garden." It is a flowing sequence of connected spaces all enclosed and isolated from the rest of the estate by hedges. Each space was built around a feature such as a sunken garden, a small circular pool, a swimming pool, and at the very top of the slope a bronze sculpture of Pan. According to historical accounts, this garden was the center of Mr. King's outside entertaining activities. While the plantings have changed considerably since 1926, the basic layout and the built structures are very much as they were in 1926 (except for the swimming pool). Elements of the Arts and Crafts movement are very much in evidence, especially in the stone work. 

The garden seems to have had two distinct manifestations over its 75-year history. First was the initial creation. We have two sets of professionally photographed pictures of the garden, taken at about five and fifteen years of age. Mr. King died when the garden was about 25 years old. It must have declined considerably by then because in the early 1950's when Mr. King's estate became a not-for-profit public garden many of the original plants were replaced, and the design was slightly simplified. Most conspicuously, the cock's spur hawthorn, red cedar and arborvitae hedges were changed to American holly, taxus, and hemlock respectively. Now, the second manifestation is twice as old as the first and is showing its age again. Now is a perfect time to plan the third manifestation of this garden around the original and historic 1926 design.