Over the course of any given summer, Stonington Borough residents will see thousands of tourists walk the streets of their historic seaside village. These visitors generally come to appreciate the quaint, historic charms, ocean views, and of course, the large, Greek Revival houses which date back to the 1800s.
One characteristic about these residences not often seen, however, is what lies behind their high fences. Those gates are opened to the public only once every three years as the Stonington Garden Club hosts a walking tour of 10 of the most impressive private gardens in the Stonington Borough. And so, on June 20 and June 21, Gardens by the Sea was held as nearly 3,000 visitors flocked to the small village to take part in the triennial event.
While all the gardens featured are worthy of note, this year’s tour did feature a few interesting stops, including three houses that were once part of one large property owned by Samuel Denison in the 18th century. The original house, built in 1789, features numerous terraced gardens complete with architectural features and a reflection pool with a “floating” stone walk.
The carriage house, which was converted into a home in the early 1900s, is next door and features an alley surrounded by large rock walls and lined with 10 tall, elegant hornbeam trees. On the terrace above sits a small teahouse complete with original wallpaper dating back to the 1840s.
And just down the hill, the third house, built as a wedding gift for a previous owner’s daughter in the early 1900s, is characterized by large rock ledges and a wide array of flowering plants. Another favorite stop on the tour was Salt Acres, an 11.25-acre ocean-side estate featuring large English gardens, 270-degree views of Long Island Sound, and a 60-foot salt water pool with bluestone surround. Stonington Garden Club member, and co-organizer of the event, Carole Barnard, said she was thrilled with the turnout.
“It was a very successful event,” Barnard commented. “The weather was wonderful and everyone who came was very complimentary of the gardens we chose to be highlighted. Our own committee worked extremely hard to organize and host the event and we’re all very pleased with how everything went.”
Barnard added that all the proceeds from the tour will be used to support local and community-based beautification projects.