Queset

The Italian Garden at Queset, located on the former Oakes Angier Ames family estate, was designed in 1911 by Winthrop Ames, who inherited the property from his father, scion of a manufacturing and railroad dynasty.  

Winthrop transformed the former kitchen garden into a classically-inspired Italianate garden typical of trends during America's Country Place Era. The garden – a hortus conclusus approximately 100' x 100' - was hidden by the surrounding native vegetation. A gently sloping hillside and series of descending terraces surrounded a central greensward that cascaded from the brow of the hill to its base. An exhedra and pergola anchored the design at either end.
 
Enclosed by tall hedges, the principal parterre was dominated by a rectangular reflecting pool with a stone Assyrian figure as the focal point. Arborvitae and other columnar trees, evocative of the vertical cypress found in Italian Renaissance gardens, flanked the pathways and marched up the terraces. Clipped bay trees in wooden “caisses de Versailles” tubs were placed throughout for additional dramatic effect. Yew hedges, perennial beds with roses, and a rich herbaceous palette completed the lush look of the garden.