Skatutakee Farm

The gardens surround Hancock's first house, built in 1776 by the town clerk, Jonathan Bennett. Since it is a farmhouse, the plantings are informal and blend into surrounding fields and woods. On each side of the "front" door are raised beds reminiscent of Colonial gardens. The real front door (never used) is flanked by plantings of old roses and nepeta. Behind the 1970 kitchen wing is a 48-foot-long koi pond designed by landscape architect Diane McGuire and planted with lotuses, irises, and water lilies. McGuire also laid out the perennial bed and woodland border. The AIA-award-winning screened porch was designed by Dan Scully. Sculptures in the terraced vegetable garden are by Noel Grenier, and a pair of 200-year-old granite Korean rams graze on the back lawn. I followed McGuire's brilliant layout of the parallel borders but deepened the perennial bed to make a bit more room to "paint" with annuals and perennials. The woodland border is planted with witch hazel, azaleas, snakeroot, and Rodgersia. Walking beyond the borders, one comes to a new bog garden surrounded by marsh marigolds, skunk cabbage, and sedges. A trail of cardinal flowers brightens the wetland beyond.

This garden's estimated size is 3½ acres.

Open Days 2024:  Saturday, August 24
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets for this Open Day will be available on Monday, June 3.