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By Kate Sigety
Photo by John Arundel/WHG
Throughout June, River Farm is home to lilies, daylilies, Southern magnolia, iris, viburnum, firethorn,
golden raintree, serviceberry, hops and herbs.
Through all the traffic, noise and stress that surround our area, wouldn’t it be cool if there was a quiet, therapeutic place close by to escape for an afternoon? Somewhere your mind could easily wander? Maybe a place where the beauty of Northern Virginia’s nature peaks? How about an estate full of gardens that overlook the Potomac River? With free admission, to boot?
George Washington knows the perfect spot. River Farm, located a few miles south of the Mount Vernon Estate's main gates, serves as the American Horticultural Society’s headquarters.
Photo by John Arundel/WHG
A recent plant show at River Farm. |
The gentleman farmer and first President originally purchased the estate in 1760 in a bankruptcy sale, and Malcolm Matheson, Sr., bought it in 1919. The senior Matheson was an engineer and intrepid adventurer who had helped build Bolivia's famed Madera Railway, using some of the proceeds to purchase River Farm.
During his 52 years living there, Matheson helped transform River Farm into the charming 20th century country estate it is today, using evocative 18th century-style paneling in the ground floor rooms and clearing acres of honeysuckle, briar and blackberry to plant boxwood, wisteria and other ornamentals to create a serene-like setting for his family.
In 1971, Matheson decided to sell the 27-acre estate and retire to Florida. The Soviet Embassy offered to buy the property for $1 million and use it as a retreat, or dacha, for its staff. "They came down to see him and plied him with Russian vodka," Malcolm Matheson, III recalled recently. "It was the height of the Cold War and like everyone at the time, he just hated the Russians."
The stalemate with the Soviet diplomats was finally resolved when the senior Matheson called up his friend Harry Byrd (D-VA.) in the Senate, and Sen. Byrd proposed legislation outlawing foreign governments from buying property on National Airport's flight path. The Russians were forced to back down in one of the more minor scuffles of the Cold War.
At the time, among those concerned by the potential sale of the historic property to the USSR was Enid Annenberg Haupt, a philanthropist and gardener who bought the estate from Matheson and bequeathed it to the American Horticultural Society, then based in Old Town. In 1973, First Lady Patricia Nixon joined Haupt in dedicating and renaming the property River Farm.
As an activity for a whole family or as a one-person-getaway, River Farm has an array of options. Bursting with flowers, blooms and trees, River Farm is a place for the whole family to enjoy, dogs included. The quiet gardens serve as a perfect outdoor studio for artists and writers.
Photo by John Arundel/WHG
Trish Gibson has been River Farm's manager for 13 years. |
The American Horticultural Society also hosts scores of special events at River Farm that encourage Americans to become responsible caretakers of the Earth.
The Society’s 16th Annual Gala “Celebrating the Elegance of Simplicity” will be held on Sat. Sept. 19 at River Farm. Proceeds benefit the stewardship of River Farm and the American Horticultural Society’s outreach and educational programs.
HDN Studio, an Alexandria design firm, is donating an oil canvas painting by local artist Joan Cox, which will be auctioned during the gala. Cox hopes that the painting will help the society as well as River Farm gain more recognition. “People like to be a part of something. I hope that they will feel more attached to the piece since a local artist drew it,” she said.
With a long history of painting fruits and vegetables, Cox’s painting for the auction is full of apples, eggplants and flowers. Working as a senior designer at HDN Studio, Cox uses her weekends and evenings to work on her paintings.
The evening will include a menu created especially for the evening by Cathal Armstrong, co-owner and executive chef of Restaurant Eve and The Majestic in Old Town. Armstrong's Eve was named Best Restaurant for Fine Dining at the Washington Restaurant Awards, the Rammys, last week, and Food & Wine magazine pinned him to its “Hall of Fame” last year. Leslie Ariail, Henrietta Burke, Anne Garland Farrell and Dallas Reeve are hosting the gala.
On Sunday, River Farm hosted its first annual “Community Green” event which focused on the vital role nature plays in our lives, with interactive exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, food and music, with three different jazz bands which played hot Louisiana licks all day on the back porch. Trish Gibson, River Farm's manager, said she hopes to make the event an annual occurrence to introduce locals to River Farm.
Photo by John Arundel/WHG
Local artist Joan Cox, a designer with HDN Studio in Alexandria, is donating an oil canvas in hopes that the painting will help River Farm gain more recognition. “People like to be a part of something. I hope that they will feel more attached to the piece since a local artist drew it,” she said. With a long history of painting fruits and vegetables, Cox’s painting for the auction is full of apples, eggplants and flowers. |
River Farm offers multiple interactive educational programs for children and youth which teach children about gardening and the natural world. Summer programs include “River Farm Ramble,” “Garden in a Glove,” “Habitat Explorations,” “Art in the Garden,” “Bees Really are Busy,” “Keys to the Garden” and “Pollinator Partnerships.”
River Farm features an ivy collection, children’s gardens, historic trees (Osage orange, Black walnut, Kentucky coffee tree), display gardens and historic Boxwood year-round.
Throughout June, River Farm is home to Southern magnolia, iris, viburnum, lilies, daylilies, herbs, firethorn, golden raintree, serviceberry, hops and herbs.
During July, River Farm’s gardens boast Buckeye, crape myrtle, daylilies, oak leaf hydrangea, purple coneflower and ornamental grasses.
By August, Chaste tree, crape myrtle, mahonia (fruit), ornamental grasses, passion flower and paw paw (fruit) are in full bloom.
During the spring, summer and fall, River Farm is a popular venue for events like weddings. There's a flagstone patio overlooking the gardens and Potomac River, a ballroom, parlor, dining room, foyer, country kitchen, covered porches and gardens. Events may be hosted both outdoors on the grounds and inside the main estate house.
So, next time you’re in need of a cool getaway from the DC heat, overlooking the Potomac River, George Washington can recommend the perfect spot.
To see a slide show of River Farm, click here: http://tinyurl.com/nqwlko
River Farm is open free to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. From early April through Sept. 25, River Farm is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.ahs.org.
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