Stonecrop Garden NY, is a public garden in Cold Spring, New York, United States. Anne and Frank Cabot founded the Garden Conservancy here, and in 1992, Caroline Burgess transformed it into a public garden. The grounds include woodlands and water gardens, bamboo groves, flower beds filled with alpine species, and an enclosed English flower garden.
Anne and Frank Cabot started Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, New York, in 1958 as a private residence built for their use. Frank Cabot formed the Garden Conservancy in 1989, and following his death, the house was passed down to a nonprofit organization that runs the gardens from there.
During the mid-1980s, the Cabots commissioned English horticulturalist Caroline Burgess, to turn Stonecrop Garden into a public garden, which was opened to the public in 1992. The display gardens have continued to diversify as she has remained the director. These gardens are often included on tours of other public gardens in the region.
The Stonecrop Gardens are located at a height of 1100 feet in the Hudson Highlands. In 12 acres of gardens, they exhibit a variety of landscapes and a vegetable garden. It is accessible by unpaved roads. A gorgeous garden located in the Hudson Highlands consists of a number of smaller gardens.
The gardens offer tranquility and beauty. There was a diversity of plants, trees, and shrubs that we had never seen before. There are some that are educational, some that are enchanting and magical, and some that are surprising. They are all breathtakingly beautiful and welcoming.
Stonecrop Garden Plants
Woodland gardens, water gardens, grass gardens, a bamboo grove, rock beds with alpine plants, and perennial flower beds adorn the grounds. Ruta graveolens, Salvia uliginosa, and Oxypetalum coeruleum are among the blooming plants. There are 50 plant families displayed in orderly flower beds. “Inner sanctums” are enclosed gardens that are enclosed with shrubbery and roses.
There are 75 varieties of lilies in the beds, in varied colors and shapes. There is a scarecrow named Miss Gertrude Jekyll providing protection to the vegetable garden. The Stonecrop Garden NY designer has developed over 400 gardens in Europe, primarily in England and the United States.
A conservatory and an alpine house serving as a display are also included in the gardens. In the enclosed garden, there are dozens of flowering plants and unusual plants in bloom. Frogs hopped across our path as we passed by, and hummingbirds flitted in and out.
Best Time to Visit Stonecrop Garden, NY
You’d had a great time visiting Stonecrop for about an hour or so. Despite the cool weather, the gardens were beautiful and the staff was very friendly. You won’t find anything like that at a glitzy botanical garden in the city. It might seem underwhelming at first, but if you look closely, you’ll find plenty of beauty to enjoy.
Visitors are highly recommended to pay a visit to the garden if you’re nearby. Among the features are wooded areas, ponds, and more formal gardens. Unfortunately, there is no accessibility for the disabled. Walking paths are uneven and narrow, and dogs are not allowed.Â
Picnic tables are provided under the pine trees. Currently, food can’t be purchased there, but a larger visitor center is under construction. Listening to the chirping sounds is a wonderful way to spend a few hours in a peaceful environment. When the leaves turn colors in the fall, they must be stunning in a different way. Finish your trip by taking the 301 west toward cold spring and stopping at Jane’s ice cream on the left.
Students and seniors can get ice cream for $5. It is not necessary to worry about parking or restrooms, as there are plenty on site. There was an impression that all the grandmothers had accumulated their backyard gardens into one mega-garden. As there are several small greenhouses in the garden, and a dense woodland area nearby, it is actually a very charming garden.Â
The highlight of the day was a stone garden teeming with frogs that winded through swampy terrain. It is not uncommon to see a good 40 of these little critters hopping around during the monsoon season. Depending on your interest in flora and your appreciation of nature’s little details, it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to see the complete garden collection.
Visiting should not take up your whole morning or afternoon. As well, it is not accessible to both the disabled and those who have difficulty traversing rocky or uneven terrain.
 Stonecrop Garden NY, Facebook Page & Official Website
