Summerseat’s Gift
When visiting Summerseat, one will discover an unexpected surprise at the rear of the house as you roam toward the colorful gardens. Nestled in the back next to a peaceful gazebo, are the gardens of Summerseat. Planted by previous owners and very loosely based on English cottage gardens, there are six separate areas, including the gazebo.
Each season is appropriately represented by its own source of color and greenery. The trees and spring blooming shrubs start to put out buds with the promise of heavenly scents and sights when they bloom. The bulbs, such as daffodils, can’t wait to push themselves out into the sunlight. A slight warm spell at the end of winter will sometimes encourage them. But not to worry, when it gets cold again and snows on them, they’re fine. The snow acts as an insulator and they go dormant until the next warm spell brings them out a little more, then produce buds, and finally burst forth in all their golden glory! The Spirea blooms pure white, looking like a bride’s veil billowing down over Mother Earth’s shoulders. The Mock Orange also blooms white but with the sweetest scent that beckons to you as you stroll. The Dogwood and Redbud are anxiously showing off their vibrant whites, pinks, and violets. The French Lilacs are blooming with an unmistakable scent and delicate lavender colored blooms. The peonies are vying for your attention in reds, pinks, and whites. And then, just when you can’t imagine anything more beautiful, the Bearded Iris and Siberian Iris burst forth in all their glory like a sky full of fireworks! In a palette of yellows, lavenders, royal purples, pure whites, browns, peachy orange, various two-tones, the gardens just pop!
The Iris are in bloom just in time for our annual Plant Sale that takes place at Summerseat each year on the day before Mother’s Day. Everyone loves this opportunity to wander about and see Summerseat in all its spring glory. 
Eventually, The Butterfly Bushes burst forth in blues, purples, and yellows; they become inundated with another mass of color from the many varieties of butterflies who just love these shrubs. The Magnolias bloom, the roses produce their gift of color, the Shasta Daisies are a bed of crisp white, the Purple Coneflowers are a vivid show of magenta. The Bee Balm stand tall in vivid reds and fuchsias. Daylilies show their fire in each of the beds.
As you wander along, there are many plants tucked in among the showy blooms, such as sedums, snow-on-the-mountain, lamb’s ear, an herb here and there, as well as other surprises. You’ll find annuals adding additional color in unexpected places.
Nestled right in the middle of all of this wonder is a sparkling pond filled with bright orange goldfish darting about among the reeds, lily pads and other pond flora. Be careful as you walk to the edge of the pond, as a huge bullfrog will sometimes startle you with a loud croak and a big splash as he dives for the safety of the water. The pond is surrounded with various grasses and daylilies. It’s such a lovely photo opportunity.
As fall arrives, things start to settle down. The blooming plants are becoming tired, so we start to cut back and clean up the flower beds to ready them for their winter’s rest. The chrysanthemums are blooming in huge masses of gold, bronze and red. As the temperatures cool down, the foliage of the trees and shrubs becomes a deeper green, and the colors of the remaining flowers become more vivid after the heat of the summer. We decorate with the traditional pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks as a bright presentation for our fall visitors and attendees to the Annual Quilt Auction in October on the third Saturday.
The gazebo is a lovely space in the garden area which is a prime location for many activities. The brides who choose to use our gorgeous property for their most memorable occasion, often use the gazebo as the centerpiece of their wedding, taking their vows at the beautifully decorated gazebo. 
At our Open Houses, some of our families enjoy a picnic in the gazebo. On work days in the garden, you’ll find workers in the gazebo having a much-deserved break, enjoying an ice cold glass of lemonade. When a class of little children visits the farm for a tour, we find them having their snack at the gazebo. The gazebo was donated to Summerseat by former owners, Shelva and Bob Davis, in memory of her mother. How pleased they must be to see it getting so much use.
Working in the gardens is a wonderful way to appreciate all we’ve been given in the form of flora, fauna, the soil we work, the sky above us. Although we work hard, it is a wonderful way to appreciate the gift we’ve been given in the form of Summerseat and all it has to offer. Our volunteers who work the landscape and gardens are all so talented and work very hard to keep it looking so lovely. Walking the grounds gives one a feeling of peace and helps to melt away the day to day worries, if only temporarily. One can immerse oneself into the era of the property, which originated with a land grant dated June 20, 1678, and the manor house to forget about the hustle and bustle of today for a while. This is Summerseat’s gift to you. Please come and visit when you can and then come back again to enjoy each season’s gifts which we continually receive year after year.