March 2026
Through the Garden Gate
The Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield
Dear Friends of the Garden,
This spring marks the official start of the Walled Garden Rejuvenation Project, and we look forward to our Annual Design Lecture, the return of our dedicated volunteers, welcoming new volunteers, and a full season of outdoor programs.
As we anticipate what we hope will be a landmark year, please know how deeply grateful we are for your continued support. Quite simply, the garden thrives because of you.
With much appreciation,
Maria DeWald, Board Chair
The Annual Bellefield Design Lecture
Our premier cultural event of the year will be the 18th Annual Bellefield Design Lecture, featuring Charles Birnbaum, FASLA, Founder and President of the Cultural Landscape Foundation. He is internationally known as a landscape architect, author, and advocate for the protection and celebration of significant landscapes.
Birnbaum will share insights on the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield and our exciting multi-year Walled Garden Rejuvenation Project, now in the planning stages.
We anticipate that this year's Design Lecture will once again sell out.
We are thrilled by the enthusiasm of sponsors who are already supporting this important rejuvenation effort — and we warmly welcome additional sponsors. Like the garden's beautiful plantings and stone walls, which are sustained through the generosity of donors year-round, the annual Design Lecture is made possible through sponsor support.
For more information, and to obtain tickets when available, click here.
Garden Conditions
The garden paths are still snow-covered! Wear your snow boots if you plan to visit, and please avoid walking in the garden beds — if you can remember where they are! The blank-slate look of the landscape in snow reveals the beautiful architecture Farrand designed for the garden, while the ample seedheads of native plants left standing in the Wild Garden provide interesting winter texture, great fodder for photography.
Notes from our Horticulturist
As our warmer days start to bring about snowmelt, here we are on the cusp of spring! This long, snowy winter has made gardening season seem like a far-off fantasy, but in fact, the very first seeds for this year's Beatrix Farrand Garden beds have already germinated in Franklin D Roosevelt's historic greenhouses. I've been grateful for the snow as I know it has been protecting our perennial crowns from the cold temperatures and drying winds of this ever-so-wintery winter.
An early round of pansies, snapdragons and foxgloves have already popped up in the greenhouse.
This year will bring a lot of change in the garden — as we embark on the momentous Rejuvenation of the Walled Garden, we'll be thinning out some of the aggressive perennials, like anemones, phlox, and meadow poppy, that have overtaken their bounds in the perennial borders. This will allow us to inventory our plant collection as we prepare to redesign and replant these historic beds in the coming seasons. We'll preserve and incorporate our precious rare irises and other heirloom treasures that were lovingly collected from near and far for the garden's restoration in 1993.
Iris 'Queen of May', one of our rare heirloom irises.
As we strip away some of the overly enthusiastic perennials, we'll be direct-seeding lots of easy-to-grow annuals to fill the gaps. As soon as we've got bare stretches of soil on our hands, we'll seed in love-in-a-mist (Nigella), larkspur, heirloom bread poppies, and white finch (Orlaya). These are all excellent early-season annuals that you can start seeding now in your own garden. Love-in-a-mist is a particular favorite because of its lacy foliage and sculptural, bouquet-worthy seed pods. Farrand combined love-in-a-mist with gladiolas at the Harkness Gardens in Connecticut; she often designed a single garden drift as a mixture of two complementary plants like these.
Love-in-a-mist does a great job filling in between young perennials as they're getting established, and then pops up in unexpected places for a little feathery-foliaged spontaneity for years to come.
Back in November, a terrific group of volunteers joined me for a work party during my very first week in my new role at the garden — we cut back the vast, mature network of Chinese wisteria and chocolate vines to expose the historic stone walls so that they could be evaluated for repair and maintenance (the very first step of our Rejuvenation efforts!). We'll be planting fragrant, pink- and wine-colored sweet peas and other annual vines this spring to add color along the walls in areas that are not being worked on. There will also be plenty of greenhouse tasks, as we start and transplant a parade of annual flowers, as well as many native perennials, dahlias, and a few cottage garden favorites for our plant sale.
Come garden with me this spring! You'll get a chance to learn new skills (and plants) while enjoying being in this beautiful space with our friendly volunteer community.
Become a Garden Volunteer
All of the gardens and landscapes at the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites — including the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield — are maintained with the help of dedicated volunteers. Anyone interested in caring for historic gardens, learning new skills, and sharing these beautiful places with visitors is welcome to join. No experience is needed, the schedule is flexible, and there are many ways to get involved.
To learn more, attend a New Volunteer Information Meeting on Tuesday, March 17 or Wednesday, April 22 at 10 AM at the Wallace Visitor Center at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Route 9, Hyde Park. Garden Managers from across the park will introduce volunteer opportunities in both gardening and visitor engagement.
You can also meet us at the Beatrix Farrand Garden on April 7 at 9:30 AM or April 11 at 11:30 AM to learn about volunteering in the Walled and Wild Gardens. The April 11 gathering follows the Plant This Not That author talk — perfect for gardeners looking for inspiration.
You're also welcome to join anytime during the season. Volunteers are the beating heart of our small nonprofit.
Home Gardeners Tip
The tail end of the winter marks the hungriest time of year for white-tailed deer. We've been keeping deer at bay in the Wild Garden with regular coatings of deer spray — we use the kinds based on a nice, stinky base of putrescent egg solids.
We spray every 2–4 weeks to keep the scent fresh. It's helpful to alternate brands to keep deer on their toes.
Whatever you do, don't stand down-wind while you're spraying!
Programming in the Garden
Garden Talk in 2025 with Dina Falconi.
At the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association, we believe in the power of gardens to bring people together. Thanks to our volunteers and members, the garden continues to flourish with engaging programs and community connections.
This season will feature Bellefield Garden Talks with experts in horticulture, preservation, birding, ecological design, and more, along with weekend concerts in the garden including Bossa Nova, Classical, Flamenco, and family-friendly music.
Hands-on art workshops and our new "Growing Gardeners" series — presented with three local libraries — will offer creative garden activities for children.
There are new opportunities to sponsor certain programs and program series, as a community sponsor or as a business — if interested, respond to this email.
Upcoming Programs
Garden Talk in 2025 with Dina Falconi.
Saturday, March 21 · 10:30 AM
Pruning Woody Plants
with Anna de Cordova, NPS Horticulturist
Saturday, April 11 · 10:30 AM
Author Talk & Book Signing
with local writer Elise Howards, author of Plant This, Not That
Presented in partnership with Oblong Books
RSVP here
Saturday, April 18 · 1:00–3:30 PM
Hands-On Workshop: Ikebana by Lin
Demonstration & Practice with Lin Meeihuey
In Honor of Earth Day
Saturday, April 25 · 8:30 AM
Bird ID Walk: Birds of the FDR Historic Site
with Bill Peterson, Waterman Bird Club
Saturday, April 25 · 10:30 AM
Favorite Design Plants for Biodiversity
with Ashley Gamell, Beatrix Farrand Garden
Our Members, Donors & Volunteers are the Stewards of The Beatrix Farrand Garden!
As a Park Partner of the National Park Service (NPS), the Beatrix Farrand Garden operates entirely through the generosity of members, donors, sponsors, and the dedicated work of Board members and volunteers.
Spring is a season of renewal and a perfect time to join, renew, or increase your membership. While there is never a fee to visit or park, BFG members enjoy special opportunities, including early access to the popular Plant Sale in late May, discounted tickets to the Design Lecture (expected to sell out), free admission to Garden Talks, and informal Member Mingles throughout the year.
Attend a Member Mingle to meet staff and Board members, share ideas for future programs, and connect with fellow garden enthusiasts. Members and volunteers alike take pride in knowing their support keeps the garden vibrant while building friendships and strengthening the community.
Join us and help keep the garden thriving.
"Gardening is a gentle art... and yet it needs imagination, strength, and perhaps more than anything else the vision that sees the future through the present and bravely works toward that end."
— Beatrix Farrand