Litchfield -- Ethan Allen Garden

The gambrel-roofed house built in 1736, reputed to be the birthplace of Ethan Allen in 1738, has been enlarged by many owners since then, and the sloping 1.41 acres garden always has presented challenges for ornamental presentation. Parterres with roses and perennials were established by garden designer Rosaline Spring LaFontaine in 1956. The current owners acquired the property in 1982, then in 2003 redesigned and planted a formal garden with French influences. These include extensive hedges, defined flower beds, a tea house as a focal point, and an unstructured hedge of forsythia, birdhouse and secret garden at the southern edge of the slope. At the eastern edge nine Norway spruce were planted to buffer noise from a nearby highway Directly behind the house on the most level area there are two cutting gardens bisected by a stone path. An allée of crabapples leads down the slope that culminates in the teahouse designed by the owner who is an architect. Clipped boxwood hedges with curved corners were arrayed symmetrically to emphasize the axis of the garden and, at the same time, diminish the visual impact of the slope. The formal character of the garden is seen in the four lilac standards that flank the main path. Other plants include seven varieties of daylilies, five varieties of hostas, three hydrangeas, spikes of baptisa and ligularia, large alliums, Joe Pye weed, rhododendron and azalea. Recently most of the shrubs in the boxwood parterres succumbed to infectious leaf minor blight and had to be removed. Other boxwood hedges remain. Features include tuteurs and an antique planted urn. One permanent feature of this garden, in a corner, is the stone incinerator from the 18th century when the property was a working farm. Persons associated with the garden's design: Rosaline Spring LaFontaine (landscape designer, 1956), Paul Hinkel (architect, 2003) and Jane and Paul Hinkel (owners, 1982-2023).