GARDENS : History and Innovation Grow at Spectacular Biltmore Estate
For 100 years, the gardens of Biltmore Estate have grown as living testimony to the genius of one of America’s most visionary landscape architects.
Frederick Law Olmsted, widely known as the dean of American landscape design and creator of New York City’s Central Park, surveyed several thousand acres of depleted farmland in western North Carolina in 1888 and deemed it unfit for gardens--at least gardens on the scale envisioned by the new landowner, George Washington Vanderbilt.
This was certainly unwelcome news for the grandson of the legendary “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had the family reputation for palatial homes to uphold. But, undaunted, Vanderbilt would raise Biltmore Estate--a 250-room chateau on 125,000 acres in the remote Blue Ridge Mountains. When it was complete in 1895, it became the largest private residence in America.
After making his dire judgment of the land, Olmsted would go on to help create spectacular grounds for the estate. The renowned architect and early conservationist saw beyond the overworked site to the beauty of the terrain and the value of native plants, which he combined in creating this landmark landscape. His solution was to restore most of the acreage by turning it into forest--the first scientifically managed woodland in America. He then set aside 250 acres for a “small” pleasure park and devised a series of gardens around the house that would become increasingly naturalistic as they reached toward the woods.
The simple wisdom of his design, now rendered in mature specimens, is abundantly evident as Biltmore celebrates its centennial.
Indeed, the estate, now at 8,000 acres and still owned by a Vanderbilt descendant, represents one of the best-preserved examples of Olmsted’s work. The forest he planned spreads across 4,500 acres in stands of pine and oak so lush they seem never to have been touched. His park rolls south and west of the house in undulating meadows strewn with oak, beech and poplar. And his gardens lie as softly around the shoulders of the mansion as a mantle.
Olmsted called these latter gardens the “Home Grounds” and designed them to complement the style of the house and provide settings for recreation. The lawns, terraces, allees and pools immediately surrounding Biltmore House serve as a subtle frame for the stately chateau. The Shrub Garden, with almost a mile of meandering paths, was conceived for strolls amid hundreds of woody plants.
Nearby is the four-acre Walled Garden, which is given over to flowers. Its central beds contain mosaic-like arrangements of blossoms in season--including spring bulbs, summer annuals and fall mums--and its perimeter borders boast old-fashioned perennials. Half the garden is occupied by 2,000 rose plants in 200 varieties, from Victorian-era classics and modern hybrid teas to floribundas and grandifloras.
The 20-acre Azalea Garden contains specimens gathered by Chauncey Beadle, a horticulturist at Biltmore from 1890 until his death in 1950. Beadle spent years hunting azalea plants throughout America. He donated his collection of 3,000 plants in 1940.
The large task of preserving the gardens as they grow and change falls to Bill Alexander, landscape curator, and his staff of 45. Not only must they keep history alive--quite literally--they also must share it with 700,000 annual visitors. “Our goal,” says Alexander, “is to maintain the integrity of the landscape while helping guests enjoy the gardens.”
Integral to Olmsted’s work was a commitment to environmentally sound cultural practices. It is ironic that, in keeping current, Alexander has adopted techniques that would have been familiar to Victorians.
He says, “At a time when we’re concerned about using too much water and too many chemicals, we can look to Olmsted’s naturalistic plan as a guide.”
Accordingly, Biltmore relies on native plants that thrive in local conditions, just as Olmsted suggested. Plus, it annually composts tons of organic debris for soil amendment and mulch. It is also curtailing pesticide use, which encourages birds, bats and beneficial predators such as ladybugs to return.
Just as Olmsted wanted to rescue the abused farmland, so does Alexander seek to rehabilitate the abused environment.
And just as Biltmore was a leader in naturalistic landscaping at the turn of the 19th Century, so does the estate strive to set the standard in ecologically responsible horticulture at the turn of the 20th Century.
