Tickets-Entertainment
Visit Ladew Topiary Gardens Four Guest Passes
- Item Number
- 150
- Estimated Value
- 52 USD
- Sold
- 31 USD to rmjsd
- Number of Bids
- 5 - Bid History
Item Description
Horselovers will especially enjoy this tour of the Manor House, Gardens and Nature Walk
Harvey S. Ladew’s passion for fox hunting started early in life and is what lured him to the Maryland countryside in the early 1920’s. Born into wealth and privilege in 1886, Harvey S. Ladew grew up in Westbury, Long Island. As the area became more suburbanized in the 1920s, it became less and less agreeable to the sport of fox hunting. Friends of Mr. Ladew had heard “…great tales of the wonderful hunting country in Harford County and thought it would be fun to try it.” Ladew spent several seasons hunting in Maryland, not only enjoying the hunt, but the variety of social opportunities that accompanied the sport.
His increasing fondness for the Maryland countryside and new friends inspired him to buy the house and property known as Pleasant Valley Farm from the Scarff family in 1929. It was no coincidence that the 200+ acre property was adjacent to the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club. He sold his home in Long Island and moved to Maryland – “…where I have been happy ever since,” he wrote in the 1960s.
The house is a living legacy and a wonderful tribute to the style, elegance and wit of the man who created them. Visitors enjoy docent led tours through the Manor House with the last scheduled tour at 3pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends.History of the Gardens
With the house mostly completed by 1937, Ladew had turned his attention to the grounds. In addition to garden rooms including the Rose Garden, Pink Garden and Yellow Garden, to name a few, there are over 100 topiaries on the property. Ladew’s introduction to topiary came early one morning while riding to a hunt in England. As he rode alongside a tall yew hedge bordering a large estate, he was astonished to see sculpted out of the top of the hedge several hounds chasing a fox! He wrote that he knew he would never be happy if he “could not reproduce this marvelous piece of living sculpture in his garden…” And in true Ladew fashion, not only did he re-create the fox and hounds, he also added two riders and their horses.
Item Special Note
Open April through October
Valid until 10/31/2014
This item will be mailed to you at the conclusion of the Auction. There will be a $2.50 handling fee associated with your Auction purchase price.
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