Welcome to The Garden

Packwood House garden

The garden at Packwood House

This garden at Packwood House was Edith Fetherston’s sanctuary, a place to entertain, ponder philosophers, and stroll. Originally it was a sculpture garden that acted as an introduction to the art collection inside of Packwood House. Fetherston  designed the private garden with help from Professor Wayne Manning of the Biology Department at Bucknell University. He helped selected plants that were local to the Asian continent, but that would also survive the climate of central Pennsylvania. The garden has a large gingko tree, a cryptomeria tree, and a yew tree. Fetherston had the yew tree bounded to make it appear like a bonsai tree. Elizabeth Hitchcock, who served on the Board of Directors for the Packwood House Museum alongside Professor Manning (chair of garden committee), recalled Fetherston’s reasoning for the project, “because she loved flowers, Edith decided to make the livery stable area into a Chinese-type garden.” The garden was enjoyed by the local community as well. The Union County Standard-Journal wrote on November 5, 1959:

“In the garden, which was designed by Mrs. Fetherston as a replica of a Chinese garden, the carpet of fern, moss, and early spring wildflowers is interspersed with small figures in lead or bronze including a rare original “Hebe” by Bareau; a copy of Michelangelo’s “The Slave”; tiny statues of Bismarck and Franz Joseph; and a peacock from the Egyptian Sudan.”