WHAT: Autumn visitors to Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens will find the gardens ablaze with red Japanese maples, bright chrysanthemums, and the orange-red fruit of the firethorn. The fall season of docent-led garden tours will begin September 11, 2007.
Since Marjorie Merriweather Post resided at Hillwood in the autumn months, the gardens feature many shrubs and trees with magnificent fall foliage. Mrs. Post planned Hillwood's 12 acres of formal gardens as outdoor "rooms," each with unique focal points, including statuary, fountains, and pools. Subtle transitional features link the eight diverse gardens together creating an oasis of manicured grounds in the midst of 13 acres of woodland abutting Rock Creek Park.
The fall foliage in the surrounding woods compliment the colorful formal gardens with the delicate purple and pink flowers of the fall crocus and colchicum, the bold golden ginkgos, the red berries of hawthorns.
Garden docents lead visitors through Hillwood's gardens, explaining the story behind each of the garden rooms and identifying the plantings. After the garden tour visitors are encouraged to explore Hillwood's greenhouse, filled with orchids reminiscent of the displays preferred by Mrs. Post.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - Sunday, November 11, 2007. Tuesday – Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Select Sundays, September 23, October 7 and 28, and November 11 at 2:30 p.m.
COST: $12; $10 for age 65 and over; $7 for full-time students (over 18); $5 for ages 6 to 18; Free for Hillwood Friends. Admission includes mansion visit. Call 202-686-5807 for more information.
WHERE: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Metro: VanNess/UDC (20 minute walk)
