Mill Neck -- Merson Garden

Although Alice Recknagel Ireys worked on the design of the Merson garden between 1955 and 1970, the images in this series were taken no later than 1967, since several of them are featured in her book of that year. The Merson's large Georgian house was built in the middle of a field, so Ireys' design included plenty of trees and shrubs to frame and soften its rather formal entrance. Azaleas provided springtime bloom at both the main entrance and elsewhere, while laurel, hollies, andromeda, and myrtle were used for year-round green affect. A terrace at the rear of the house was accented by a honey locust and a dogwood, while holly hedges separated a broad lawn area from surrounding woods and delineated a parking area from the rest of the property.

Additional documentation relating to the garden may be found in the Alice Recknagel Ireys papers in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College.

Persons associated with the garden include: Alice Recknagel Ireys (landscape architect, 1955-1970) and David and Hazel Merson (former owners, circa 1955-1970).