Bryce and I recently went on a tour of Bunny Mellon’s gardens, offered through the Garden Club of Virginia. We were lucky to get a beautiful day in which to stroll around this gem in Upperville, Virginia. Little Oak Springs, as her and Paul’s farm is known, is now part of Oak Spring Garden Foundation where the mission is “to support and inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants, including the art and culture of plants, gardens and landscapes.”
Bunny Mellon was a horticulturist, philanthropist and art collector who was born into a wealthy family and married into another wealthy family. While not formally trained, she was an avid and skilled gardener who went on to design gardens for the elite, most notably Jackie Kennedy’s rose garden at the White House. Bunny lived at her beloved farm for 60 years until her death in 2016.
I love reading books and touring other farms because I find it fascinating to see how other farms are set up, used and loved. Obviously, our farm is no where near, nor will ever be, on the same level as many of the places we visit but there is always inspiration to be had, ideas to develop and practical matters to put in practice.
Our tour started at the stables, where their horses were clearly very well tended too! The stables were placed rather far away from the main structures, for obvious reasons, and are now used as rooms that attendees of the foundation’s short courses can stay.
One approached the house via a courtyard that was charmingly chaotic, yet pulled together. I myself cannot seem to master this technique! Throughout the gardens there are plants within the spaces between the stones. Bryce and I decided that we should just pretend that all the weeds coming up between our own stones were intentional!
I found it really interesting that the main house, while sprawling, wasn’t grand in the way that we often see in today’s wealthy homes. The ceilings weren’t particularly high, the mudroom was rather utilitarian and I saw no gilded anything. However, I’ve read that she had a Picasso over the fireplace and other invaluable art spread throughout her home, plus there is the fact that she ordered her gardening clothes custom made through Balenciaga. I guess she was the epitome of quiet luxury!
Bryce and I spoke to her longtime Butler, who now works for the foundation, who told us that typically she had 12-15 house staff and 30 to 40 gardeners! The kitchen pictured was called the “Sunday Kitchen” because she gave her staff Sundays off and would use this kitchen to cook on Sundays.
The main gardens were surrounded by buildings on three sides. The main house had two “wings” on each side where we were told the children stayed when they came to visit.
In addition to the guest wings, there were also buildings that were used as garden sheds, her famous basket room and a building that was used as an office (I believe).
As you left this main courtyard garden you entered a Crabapple Allee that felt vaguely magical. I can only imagine it in bloom!
At the end of the Allee were the greenhouses that came off of a central vestibule, her very famous trompe l’oeil garden room. She designed this “cabinet of curiosities” to reflect her favorite things including her and Paul’s wedding rings tied by a bow.
The greenhouses themselves were filled with plants and topiaries, a particular love of hers.
We also visited the foundation’s library where works of art, rare books and various objects are kept. It was a wonderful and inspiring day and I highly recommend a visit!
A Few Details
We stayed at The Red Fox Inn and Tavern for the night and ate a delicious meal across the street at The Oyster Bar. We wandered around the darling and charming town the next morning before our timed entry to the garden. There are quite a few boutiques to spend time pursuing. We went in antique stores, home stores and a clothing boutique. The town of Middleburg has embraced the fox as its mascot (the hunt is a big deal here!) and it’s everywhere. Ya’ll know I love to run with a theme so it was my kind of place!