By Karen Wolitzer
Westbury Gardens is composed of 160 acres of land, ponds, lakes, gardens and a sprawling estate with a colorful history. John and Margarita Grace Phipps began construction of the house and grounds in 1903 and moved into the estate in 1907, with their baby daughter and two little sons. Four years later, their third son was born. Through the years, the Phipps' collected antiques, furniture and paintings. Their collections are quite extensive and remain in the house today.
After Mr. Phipps died, in 1958, his daughter Peggy and her brothers decided to create a trust to keep the house in tact, and opened it to the public in 1959. With fresh flowers in every room, you still get the feeling that the house is lived inlike the family just stepped out and will return at any moment.
Outside the house, you'll find one beautiful garden after another, filled with all of Mrs. Phipps' favorite flowers, and surrounded by huge, beautiful trees. The weeping cherry trees are already in bloom, dropping pink petals everywhere you look. The Lilac Walk is also in bloom, and as you walk through you're surrounded by the magnificent scent of lilacs.
Pink roses were Mrs. Phipps' favorite flowers, so there's a formal rose garden. The center is filled with pink roses, in all different shades, and surrounding it are climbing roses, off all different colors. Some are old roses that bloom only once and others are more modern roses that continue to bloom all season long.
Another spectacular garden is the Wall Garden. It's magnificent at almost any time of year, says Patricia Speciner, Director of Communications at Westbury Gardens (who was nice enough to give me a private tour). The daffodils and tulips are already in bloom, in yellows, pinks, reds, oranges and purples.
Besides the color of the flowers, the difference in texture and color of the leaves is amazing, Patricia points out. You have blue-greens, yellow-greens, very dark-greens, fresh-greens, large leaves, small leaves, bronze leaves and purple leaves! So there's always a beautiful contrast.
The primrose path, named for all the primroses, leads to the thatched cottage, which is a little house that was a tenth-birthday present for Peggy, built in 1916. Of course, the house has its own little garden.
If you look inside, there's a little scene of children playing gamesand a working fireplace, plus a place for the nanny. Then there are the perfect little log cabins, which were built for each of the boys, so they wouldn't be jealous of their sister's house. Kids who come to visit can run around and play in and around the log cabins, as well as the rose-covered sand box.
When you get hungry, you can get a delicious lunch from the Caf
