Winterthur Garden Blog

We are excited to have a very special speaker for this year’s Bank to Bend lecture. Author and photographer, Rick Darke, will be sharing his insights with us about the “wild garden” – a way of gardening that ushered in a whole new approach to horticulture. The write-up as it appears on our website:

Bank to Bend:
The Wild Garden in the 21st Century
March 13, 11:00 am

In his 1870 classic The Wild Garden, William Robinson called upon gardeners to bring a bit of authentic wildness into their home landscapes, and the book incited a revolution toward naturalism that continues today. H. F. du Pont owned a copy of Robinson’s book, which heavily influenced the March Bank and many other parts of Winterthur. The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition has just been published with color photography and additional text by gardener, photographer, and writer Rick Darke. In this multimedia presentation, Darke will share his insights on wild gardening and, through historic and contemporary examples, will explain why it is the most enjoyable, vibrant, and sustainable approach for our time.
$20; $15 Members. Free for WGLS and Garden Associates members. To register, call 800.448.3883 or 302.888.4600.

The annual Bank to Bend lecture is named for Winterthur’s signature March Bank display of early bulbs and perennials. H.F. du Pont and other family members used to look for the earliest bulbs on the slope to the North of the house, where the heart of this display occurs. They called the path along the slope “from bank to bend.” The Winterthur Garden and Landscape Society underwrites the annual lecture and has generously supported the restoration of the March Bank.

UPDATE
For more information about Rick and the wild garden visit the American Horticultural Society’s website for American Gardener. Included on their website is an excerpt from the book read by Rick.

Rick’s work was just featured in Garden Design. They have also included an online gallery of wild garden images.