Gardens of the Gilded Age

Step into the era when American wealth created landscapes that rivaled European royalty and discover the magnificent gardens that still captivate visitors today. During the Gilded Age in America (1870-1920), wealthy industrialists, such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Gardeners, built extravagant homes and gardens that rivaled the palaces and villas of Europe. Gardens of the Gilded Age showcases a selection of estates all down the East Coast, diving into their histories and the elements that make them striking and unique. Each garden profile includes enticing information about the estate's owners, history, and the evolution of the garden, including significant plants and architectural features. Enjoy beautiful color photographs of the gardens and mansions, augmented by historic photos of the owners and the gardens when they were first built. Along the way, learn the Gilded Age intriguing garden history, its international movement, and the associated trends. 

Jana Milbocker is a garden designer, lecturer, tour operator, and author of four garden travel guides which profile 310 gardens on the East Coast. Her books are self-published and have sold more than 22,400 copies combined since 2018. Milbocker lives in the Boston area, and worked as a graphic designer and marketing specialist for 30 years before launching her garden design business in 2010.

Contents Introduction Global Influences Landscape Architecture is Born in America Elements of a Gilded Age Garden Grand Entertaining  Saving Our Gilded Age Estates The Gardens Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vermont Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, Manchester, Vermont Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich, Massachusetts Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts Blithewold Manor, Gardens, Arboretum, Bristol, Rhode Island Rough Point Museum, Newport, Rhode Island Rosecliff, Newport, Rhode Island The Elms, Newport, Rhode Island The Blue Garden, Newport, Rhode Island Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, New York Vanderbilt Estate, Hyde Park, New York  Untermyer Gardens, Yonkers, New York Wave Hill, Bronx, New York Kykuit, Sleepy Hollow, New York Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury, New York Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay, New York Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park, Sands Point, New York Greenwood Gardens, Short Hills, New Jersey Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pennsylvania Morris Arboretum and Gardens of the University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar,Wilmington, Delaware Nemours Estate, Wilmington, Delaware Maymont, Richmond, Virginia Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina Swan House, Atlanta, Georgia Hills & Dales Estate, Lagrange, Georgia The Ringling, Sarasota, Florida Vizcaya, Miami, Florida Visiting the Gardens Further Reading Additional Photo Credits About the Author