Weston -- Miles Garden

This Japanese-style garden was designed by landscape architect Ethelbert E. Furlong for artist Walter Miles and his wife, Jessie, to complement their home, which in turn had been designed by noted architect and woodworker George Nakashima. Because Walter Miles wanted to install and maintain the garden himself, with as little help as possible, he modified Furlong's plan to some degree, while retaining the spirit of the design. Dry stream beds, a pavilion, a bamboo-roofed gatehouse, and irregularly shaped stones were some of the many features of the garden. Although Asian plant material was used extensively, non-Japanese plants such as as Blue Atlas cedar and a flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) were also selected. After leaving this house in 1971, Walter Miles built a second Japanese-style house and garden in Washington, Connecticut, where he lived until 1983.

Persons associated with the property include Ethelbert E. Furlong (landscape architect, ca. 1960); George Nakashima (architect, ca. 1950); and Walter and Jessie Miles (former owners, 1950-1971).