Take a walk, in Lebanon’s Heritage Garden

August 15, 2012 Arts & Entertainment, Local News No Comments

While there are many good reasons to visit Lebanon, CT, including the beautiful town green – where you will see people jogging and strolling year-round – if you are a garden lover, you might want to visit the Heritage Garden.

It’s a small garden, but chock full of history and beautiful plants and it’s located at the Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House and Museum (right on the green).

The museum, itself, is interesting for its information about the Revolutionary War era and the three generations of Trumbulls who are an important part of Connecticut history.

Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (1740–1809) was General George Washington’s secretary during the American Revolution, and later was an eight-term governor of Connecticut.

The garden adds to the museum experience.

You can park at the back of the Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House and walk over to the garden. You will notice a mailbox next to the entry arbor and inside are pamphlets with information about the plant choices in the Heritage Garden.

Basically, the garden is grouped according to three time periods – Victorian, Colonial and Contemporary.

In the Victorian section, which reflects the “parterre” style of that time, you will find such plants as buddleia, phlox, peonies and dusty miller.

The Colonial section of the garden reflects the kitchen gardens of that time, so it includes herbs such as chives, hyssop, borage and lavender.

Flowers include yarrow, hollyhocks, coreopsis and boltonia – and there are grape vines and morning glories on the split-trail fence.

By the way, the adjacent open fields create a beautiful backdrop for the garden.

The Contemporary section of the garden contains some plantings that, while more common in today’s gardens and landscaping, actually have their origins in the Colonial era.

This part of the garden includes hibiscus, ornamental grass, astilbe and a dwarf maple.

The Heritage Garden was created through a collaboration of the Jonathan Trumbull Junior House Museum Committee and the Lebanon Garden Club.

While you’re there, depending on the day of the week and the time of day you go, you can also visit the West Green Farm for fresh fruits and vegetables. They are open to the public Monday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

And at the end of the green is the Lebanon General Store where you can buy a sandwich and cold beverages.

While many flowers fade as the summer comes to an end, the seed heads of these are still lovely – at the Heritage Garden, Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House and Museum, Lebanon CT. Photo copyright 2012 Brenda Sullivan

If you happen to be there on a Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon, from now until Oct. 13, you can also visit the Lebanon Farmers Market next to the library – just up the road from the town green.
If you visit Lebanon, please share your experiences with us in the comment section.

Posted August 15, 2012

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