300 Nettleton Hollow Road  Washington Connecticut

Situated in the Litchfield hills of northwestern Connecticut, this is a classic garden in the English manner, with a loosely formal structure, informally planted in generous abundance.

History of House & Garden

History | Bio of George Schoellkopf

History

Beautifully situated on a sloping, terraced site in the rolling hills of Litchfield County in northwestern Connecticut, Hollister House Garden is an old fashioned garden in the manner of such famous English gardens as Sissinghurst , Great Dixter and Hidcote, formal in its structure but informal and rather wild in its style of planting. Begun in 1979 by George Schoellkopf and Ron Johnson, the garden since that time has evolved under George’s care into a uniquely American synthesis of the formal and the natural, the right angles of paths, walls and hedges melting seamlessly into the lush surrounding landscape, which forms a magnificent backdrop to the garden’s exuberant plantings. Since 1993 Gerald Incandela has contributed greatly to the garden’s development with his excellent advice on design and ongoing efforts to redefine the landscape.

The garden is sited on the southeastern side of a rambling but serenely dignified eighteenth century house on 25 acres of mostly wooded landscape. Although the garden is in no way a recreation of an eighteenth century garden, it was nevertheless planned to complement the old house, and antique or hand made materials have been used wherever possible in its construction. Various eighteenth century barns and outbuildings are visible from the garden and further help to root it in the history of the place.

The garden unfolds in successive layers of space and color with delightful informal vistas from one section to the next. Eight-to-ten-foot walls and hedges with dramatic changes in level define the progression of garden spaces - “rooms” as the English like to say - and create a firm architectural framework for the romantic abundance of the plantings. A winding brook and a large pond at the bottom of the lawn add to the variety of the garden scene.

Bio of George Schoellkopf

George Schoellkopf was born in 1942 in Dallas, Texas, where he battled as a child against the harsh Texas climate to make his first garden. He was educated in Connecticut at The Hotchkiss School and at Yale University. He also holds a Master’s degree in Art History from Columbia University in New York City, where for many years he ran a gallery specializing in 18th and 19th century American antiques and folk art and was thus only able to garden on weekends. He now divides his time between Washington, Connecticut in the summer and Santa Barbara, California in the winter. He defines himself as a fair-weather friend.

George has written articles on gardening in Town & Country, House & Garden, House Beautiful, and Rosemary Verey’s The American Man’s Garden.