Crane Estate Garden Tour: Historic Landscapes and Movie Magic Part 1~ by Caroline

Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA is one of those destinations that should be on every gardener's bucket list. I took an early June tour of the gardens, the Great House, the grounds, and ended the day with a visit to Crane Beach.

If the place looks familiar, it's not your imagination! If you are a fan of Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women, some of the European scenes were filmed in the garden. Do you recognize any of these views?

The Olmsted Brothers, known for their work on many iconic American landscapes, were first hired to plan the grounds of the Crane Estate. Later, Arthur Shurcliff—who had trained with them—designed the Italian garden, the Grand Allée, and other features of the estate.

The breathtaking gardens were lush with greenery and early summer blooms such as irises, roses, and peonies. The layout is classic and formal, with neat hedges, fountains, statues, and tucked-away corners with gorgeous views. 

Bibliography

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate – The Trustees of Reservations: https://thetrustees.org/place/castle-hill-on-the-crane-estate/

Castle Hill (Ipswich, Massachusetts) – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Hill_(Ipswich,_Massachusetts)

Crane Estate – U.S. National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/places/crane-estate.htm

Trustees Sites Featured in Little Women Movie – The Trustees: https://thetrustees.org/press-release/trustees-historic-and-cultural-sites-featured-in-upcoming-little-women-movie-released-christmas-day/

Little Women Filming Locations – Boston.com: https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2019/12/24/little-women-filming-locations-massachusetts/

Conservation in Action: Crane Rose Garden – The Trustees: https://thetrustees.org/arts-culture/conservation-in-action-crane-estate-rose-garden/

More Photos from Ladew Garden Visit-Part Two

 The Ladew Gardens offer much to see and I suggest you split your visit into 2 days as there is plenty to see. If you live near by you can also get a seasonal pass which usually is cheaper.  Besides clipped formal and fun topiary and water features you can find various stone statues such as this eagle perched on a stone base in one of the gardens  and other out buildings that were used by the farm.

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This Mighty Eagle stood proudly in one of the larger gardens

 

 Plants are thoughtfully placed

 

A beautiful, tall Lillie's  were  a standout through out the garden

 

The waterlily were in bloom

The Tea House

Ladew Gardens, Maryland, Part One

A lovely rustic water feature by the Cafe

 

 

The most beautiful gardens I have seen in a while is located in Monkton, Maryland. The garden includes 22 acres of formal gardens that are divided into garden rooms.  Ladew is known for its  gorgeous, formal topiary. You can find all different kinds, from animals sprinting across the greens to more formal European clipped hedges. But it is the rooms, each with a different water feature that caught my eye.

 

The Garden of Eden

  

The property was purchased in the 1920's by Harvey Ladew who bought the Farm to peruse

his passion for fox hunting.  It was known at that time as Pleasant Valley Farms. The property included a rustic Farmhouse  that was built in the 1700's. The  property was set on 200 acres. Ladew added plumbing and electricity to the farmhouse and then designed and created 22 acres of formal gardens.

 

A large water feature that looked like a stream

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The Formal Garden Rooms  include: The Woodland Garden, Victorian Garden, Berry Garden, Pink Garden, White Garden,  Rose Garden, Garden of Eden, Keyhole Garden, Water Lily Garden, Yellow Garden, Iris Garden and many more. A nice map is included with the price of the ticket and garden seats are scattered through out the gardens if you need to rest or want to gaze longer at the beautiful view. 

The waterlily plant were flowering in many of the water features

 

 Tickets at the time of this visit was $20.00. There is a boutique cafe serving dainty  sandwiches, desserts, cold and hot drinks. They also have tables and seats outside. The garden is open  April through October 31st. Open everyday except Wednesdays. Weekdays the garden is open  9am-4pm and on weekends  9am to 5pm. No pets are allowed in the garden  and guests are welcome to take what they refer to as "casual photographs" for personal use.

   

A lovely large pond in the Rose Garden

 

   It would be a fantastic venue for any event or wedding.  For more information on having an event here you can look at their website at WWW. LadewGardens.com or call 410-557-9466 (info line) & 410-557-9570 (office). The gardens are very well kept. If you live close by, I am sure there must be lots of Volunteers needed. I hardly saw any weeds in the garden at all. There is a gift shop on the grounds near the entrance.

 

 

 

There were lots of gardens that I did not see. It defiantly is a garden that you can schedule more than a day to attend.  The gardens I missed, but will visit next time include the Cutting Garden, Wildflower Meadow, Butterfly Garden and Cottage Garden. More on the Ladew Gardens next week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Mock Orange is Blooming

One of June’s quiet little pleasures here in Maine is the sudden bloom of the mock orange bush. You might not even notice it until the scent hits you—that soft, sweet, citrusy fragrance that makes you stop mid-step and look around. It’s like nature decided to splash on a bit of perfume before heading to a garden party.

I have a mock orange near my porch that I planted back in 1993, from a little seedling that had popped up in my parents’ garden. Theirs was a well-loved old shrub, and I wanted to bring a piece of it with me. I was told it would never make it, but I planted it anyway. More than thirty years later, it’s still thriving—so much so that I’m constantly pruning it back, and still it gets huge every summer. It’s a survivor with a mind of its own.

Today, I trimmed a few small branches and stripped off all the leaves to make a little nosegay. I tucked it into a tiny purple vase, and it looks absolutely perfect on the windowsill. The scent fills the room—soft, citrusy, and a little dreamy, like a mix of orange blossom, jasmine, and vanilla. There’s something so satisfying about taking something from the garden and turning it into a moment of beauty indoors.

While there are some species of mock orange native to North America, especially out west, the kind we usually see here in New England—Philadelphus coronarius—was brought over from Europe long ago. It was a favorite in colonial gardens, passed down through generations, and mine is no exception. It’s a little piece of family history, growing just outside the door.

The blooms don’t last long—just a week or two if we’re lucky—but they always feel like a reward for making it through a long Maine winter. 

Starting a Front Door Container Garden at a Studio Apartment

This summer, I found myself in a cozy little studio apartment in the beautiful historical town of Havre de Grace. Just a few streets down from the Chesapeake Bay. It was a move that was unexpected. Basically I had one week to move to a state and town I had never been to be closer to family.

 While moving into a tiny studio apartment meant letting go of a big garden. It also meant that I could downsize and get creative.  My first thoughts on where to garden were, "Maybe I will get a community garden like in Portland. 

  After that did fell through the only choice I had was to do something at my studio apartment that is a 3 unit houses. My goal was to do some gardening and turn a tiny spot into a cozy, a coastal garden oasis! Last week I begun to transform my boring landing by adding two window boxes and just plain black pots for now. 

I added  2 black window boxes first

 

This window box has 2 Geraniums and a Sweet Pepper

🪴 My Small-Space Garden Setup:

 

An assortment of vegetable plants and annuals

Here’s what I planted right outside my door:

• 2 black  window boxes (from Amazon) — Each holds:

  • 1 pink ivy geranium 🌸

  • 1 pepper plant 🌶️

  • 1 marigold 🌼 (hello pollinators!)

• 7 black 1-gallon pots (lined up on the steps and edge):

  • 1 Basil plant 🌿

  • 3 Tomato varieties 🍅🍅🍅 (a slicer, a cherry, and a Roma)

  • 1 Strawberry 🍓

  • 1 Cucumber 🥒

  • 1 extra marigold and Pepper for good measure

• A couple of fabric grow bags for overflow 🌱

Everything was purchased from Home Depot (plants and soil) and Amazon (window boxes, pots, and fabric bags). 

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💰 Estimated Costs:

Item	Quantity	Cost Estimate
Pink Ivy Geraniums	2	$4 each = $8
Peppers	2	$4 each = $8
Marigolds	2	$3 each = $6
Basil	1	$4
Tomato plants (3 types)	3	$4 each = $12
Strawberry plant	1	$4
Cucumber	1	$4
1-Gallon Pots (Black)	7	$3 each = $21
Fabric Grow Bags	2	$5 each = $10
White Railing Window Boxes	2	$15 each = $30
Potting Soil (3 bags)	3	$6 each = $18
Total Estimated Cost		$121

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Mid-June in Maine

June has arrived in Maine, and my garden is bursting into bloom—even if it’s a bit wilder than I meant it to be. 

Between a rainy spring and a busy few weeks, I’ve fallen behind on the weeding and trimming, but nature hasn’t minded one bit. 

I’ve planted pots of herbs, lilac petunias, red begonias, and dusty miller around the edges and on the deck. 

 

The Siberian irises are standing tall in the breeze, the phlox is starting to spread, the wild rambling roses are blooming, and the peonies are opening. My old rhododendrons are having a good year too.

The overgrown look seems to suit the wildlife just fine. A female cardinal has made her nest atop the arbor, hidden among the grapevines and climbing roses. She doesn't mind when I walk by. However, the house wrens have strong opinions about me being anywhere near their corner of the garden. They scold and chirp loudly whenever I step too close—but they keep coming back year after year, so they must not mind me too much.

Just this morning, I saw a tiny garter snake near the lilac bushes. I also heard the soft chatter of wren babies, tucked safely away in their birdhouse while their parents dart in and out feeding them.

 

It’s noisy, chaotic, and full of life out there, and even though the weeds are creeping in and the garden paths are a bit less defined than I’d like, I feel grateful.

 

There’s something special about a garden that’s alive with blooms, bugs, birds, harmless snakes, and, of course, the ever-present squirrels and chipmunks.

 

Now I’ll be rolling up my sleeves and getting back to it—cutting back a few things, staking what’s falling over, and giving the garden my attention. 

But I’ll be careful not to disturb the little families who’ve made their homes here. After all, they were here first this season, and I’m just the lucky one who gets to share the space.

Starting a Fresh: Gardening in the Mid Atlantic Zone

A new state and a new downsized spot to garden for the time being. I moved a few months ago to be closer to family and friends not far from the beautiful Chesapeake Bay.  I now live in a small, coastal town where the streets are named after the American Revolution, and all types of Victorian houses line the streets  The photos were taken from the Boardwalk. 

 

One of the first things I had to do was look up the average first and last frost dates for this area. In Northern California,  I barely had to worry about frost, but here, it’s a different story. In the Mid-Atlantic, the last frost can hit as late as mid-April, and the first frost may come by late October. That changes everything — when to start seeds, what to direct sow, and how to time my harvests. 

 

Starting Over: What I’m Considering Before Planting

Before I put anything in the ground, I’m taking time to assess and plan. Here's what I’m focusing on:

🧪 Soil Conditions

The soil here is much heavier — more clay-based — compared to the loose, well-draining soil I was used to in California. I’ve started testing the pH and texture and am amending with compost, aged manure, and a bit of sand to loosen it up where needed.

🌧️ Rain and Humidity

Mid-Atlantic summers are more humid and bring more rainfall than I’m used to. This means I need to keep an eye out for fungal diseases and over-watering. I’ll be mulching heavily to help with moisture balance and weed control.

☀️ Sunlight Patterns

Every garden has its own rhythm. With more tree cover and different angles of sunlight, I’ve been tracking sun exposure throughout the day to choose the best spots for full-sun crops like tomatoes and peppers.

🐞 Local Pests and Wildlife

I’ve already heard about Japanese beetles, squash bugs, and deer — none of which were major concerns in North California. I’m brushing up on natural pest deterrents and thinking about fencing to protect my young plants.

🌸 What Grows Best Here

One of my favorite things about gardening is connecting with locals and learning what thrives in each unique environment. This year, I’ll be leaning into native plants, pollinator-friendly flowers, and hearty vegetables that are proven winners in this zone.

Growing Through Change 

Gardening in a new region is a humbling experience — but also an exciting one. It’s a chance to learn, experiment, and reconnect with the rhythm of the land. While I’m still figuring things out, I’m grateful to have my hands back in the dirt and to be growing roots in this new community — both literally and figuratively. 

Are you gardening in a new zone this year too? What adjustments have you made? I’d love to hear how you’re growing through the change. 🌼💚 Next week I will decide where to garden. I obtained a community garden plot, but may have to give it up due to some challenges. The only other spot I have to garden is a tiny area by my front door.  I also intend to make a gardening plan, shop for plants and plant them. Playing Catch up for the season.

Let us know what is happening in your garden and where you live? What's the weather like now? Have you finished planning and planting your garden? Have you had to downsize and do you have any tips?

Caroline is also off to a late start and due to a busy summer including her sons wedding she is also planning on downsizing her coastal garden in Maine.  She will be posting soon.