Westport -- Blau Gardens

These 2 acres of gardens were developed over 50 years by owners, Eileen and Barry Blau. Before Ralph Alswang purchased the property in 1963, the land remained a wooded lot that had never been developed. It was not until Alswang built the midcentury modern house on the property that the former lot began to transform. The Blaus moved to Westport in the mid 1950s and purchased the property in 1964. Since then, Barry Blau has developed a complex arrangement of formal and informal gardens that exemplify mid-century garden design. Major hardscape features on the property include meandering stone paths and walks that connect each garden space with various benches placed throughout. Ornamental gates and double stone sculptures mark the entrance to new paths. Stone retaining walls and boxwoods supply the structure for each of the garden spaces. Major plantings on the property are large rhododendron groves planted below oak trees.

An allée of pollarded crabapples lead to a Neptune fountain circle surrounded by columnar Norway spruce. The entrance is guarded by two metal griffins. The Neptune fountain circle is paved with limestone and surrounded by columnar Norway spruce. The entrance is flanked by two concrete sphinx sculptures with ceramic pots filled with spider grass on their heads. Bamboo groves form a backdrop to the Asian garden with a large Buddha sculpture, waterfalls, and stream with water lilies and water iris and a new grass garden. A vibrant red bridge crossing over stream creates a colorful contrast amongst the green. This area also features Pinus parviflora and a controversa variegate and bamboo grove. A sunken rose garden is framed by stone retaining walls with an ornate sunken boxwood parterre and an old fountain pool. Cherubs and Roman sculptures punctuate beds of Geranium macrorrhizum and Digitalis purpurea near the entry circular drive. A folly of astilbe-filled terraced beds is surrounded by stone retaining walls and steps. Fenced in gardens feature lilacs surrounding roses, lilies, and other flowers and vegetables. The house also includes front entry terraces, a roof deck with a commanding view of the gardens, and a sky lit pool room and mezzanine filled with interior plants. The back patio features a wide set of stairs leading to beds of astilbe folly. A roman relief sculpture amidst ferns lies at the end of a path of fescue.

Persons associated with the garden/landscape design include: Ralph Alswang (1963), Barry Blau (1967-1999). See 55 year chronology for detailed list of designers and design changes.