Yaddo Gardens, Saratoga Springs. 11th August 2025
With afternoon appointments three days in a row at the end of this week, I can’t say I was terribly excited with the idea of an outing yesterday morning.
However our neighbour having told Grant about these gardens, he seemed keen to go and the flowers wouldn’t always be in bloom.
So, off we went…
From Wikipedia…
Yaddo is an artists’ community located on a 400-acre (160-hectare) estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is “to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.”[1] On March 11, 2013, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.[
The estate was purchased in 1881 by the financier Spencer Trask and his wife, the writer Katrina Trask. The first mansion on the property burned down in 1891,[3] and the Trasks then built the current house. Yaddo is a neologism invented by one of the Trask children and was meant to rhyme with “shadow”.
None of the three Trask children survived to adulthood, so the property was left in perpetuity to the artist community. The gardens are open free of charge to the public and maintained by volunteers.
Although it was expected to be a very warm day, we went early and with low humidity, the temperature was just right for wandering about a garden.
The water in this fountain really was blue. It’s not an optical illusion! There was a noticeable absence of insects which was a bonus. There were no birds to be seen either and we wondered whether it was due to some sort of chemical in use, though there was no evidence of such.
I can think of no other reason for the absence of insects or birds. We saw one chipmunk but no other wildlife which you might expect. At any rate, we walked bug-free and I enjoyed the scent of the pine trees.
The trees were mostly very tall, casting deep shade on the walkways beneath which were easily negotiable by elderly feet!
One of those trees intrigued us! It had shot up into two trunks, holding together curiously. I know little about trees but I’ve never seen this before.
The house and artist’s quarters are not open to the public. I thought it looked a bit sad but maybe that’s due to the sombre colour.
As we approached the gate into the rose garden, the scent of the pine trees was overpowered by that of the flowers.
A row of statues overlooks the flower beds.
The garden is on a gentle slope.
With a stairway leading up to a trellis on a long terrace.
At the base of the stairway, a pond where water hyacinths floated. .
Koi swam there too but the photo I took was inadequate.
The name on the state: Christalan
Christalan is a novel written by Katrina Trask and first published in 1903. The story takes place in the late 19th century and follows the life of the main character, Alan Christison, a young man who is struggling to find his place in the world.
Tomorrow I will take you up the stairway and offer you some pictures of the flowers!
Patricia Highsmith wrote the draft of “Strangers on a Train” at Yaddo in 1948. She left her sizeable estate to Yaddo. That does not explain the absence of insects though.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the wonderful trip to the garden devoted to the arts and the beauty of plants. Looking forward to tomorrow’s post!
Joanna
What a fantastic place and what wonderful people the Trasks were. I love the inscription on the sundial there: “Hours fly, Flowers die, New days, New ways, Pass by, Love stays.”
Artists are weird. Maybe the bugs and birds and the rest know to keep their distance.
An interesting place that I had never heard of. I find the absence of birds and insects very worrying. That is simply unnatural.
Best wishes, Pete.
What a gorgeous and peaceful space, and I love the house.
Artists aren’t weird, we’re just a little different. 😉
I love the smell of pine trees! It’s strange that there were no insects, birds or other small wildlife – except for the one chipmunk. Although, no insects – read mosquitoes and midges – is a bonus on a walk through a park. It’s a beautiful place and I look forward to the next post with more flowers!