This video is closed-captioned in English and Spanish. Este video tiene subtítulos en inglés y español.
Approximately nine hundred roses grow within the Rose Garden in a scheme that is dictated by color, from pinks, reds, and whites in the southern portion to oranges and yellows in the northern portion. This terrace is the largest in the series descending east from the Orangery to Lovers’ Lane Pool, and it was the Blisses’ favorite part of the garden. Their ashes are interred in the crypt beneath a lead canopy set into the west wall.
Most of the roses are remontant, with their strongest bloom in the spring followed by repeat blooming throughout the summer and autumn. Particularly beautiful are the Hybrid Musk rose ‘Buff Beauty’, the Hybrid Tea rose ‘Chrysler Imperial’, and the Grandiflora rose ‘Gold Medal’. A few are once-bloomers, including climbing ‘Joseph's Coat’ and ‘Bloomfield Dainty’. Several of the cultivars have been grown here since the 1920s, including ‘Cecile Brunner’, ‘Gruss an Aachen’, ‘Lady Hillingdon’, and ‘Katharine Zeimet’.
Farrand thought that the Rose Garden would be “much seen in winter” and added boxwoods as accent plants to each of the rose beds and at the entrances to the garden. She suggested that the clipped boxwood in the center of the garden could be as tall as fifteen feet, with other marker boxwoods secondary to its size. She lined each bed with Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’, which was replaced by bluestone in the late 1960s to simplify maintenance.
More Exhibit Items
This small greenhouse is one of the oldest structures still standing on the grounds of Dumbarton Oaks.
This grassy terrace, shaded by a tall oak tree, provides a panoramic view of the entire estate.
The wide, shady branches of an enormous beech tree stretch over this quiet enclosed space.
The Urn Terrace serves as an ivied transition between the Beech Terrace, Box Walk, and Rose Garden.
A riotous variety of roses fills this sunny space between the Urn and Fountain Terraces.
A traditional flower garden in a blend of English Cottage and Arts and Crafts style.
The story of a terrier given to a Neapolitan girl by a French admiral inspired this column.
A shallow pool sits at the bottom of a small brick amphitheater, bordered by a stand of bamboo.
This narrow brick walk wends through a dreamlike woodland spotted with daffodils and hyacinths.
Hidden near the edge of the gardens, Lilac Circle offers a secluded spot for rest and contemplation.
When the trees blossom in springtime, this hillside becomes one of the gardens’ most magical spaces.
Blooming forsythia turns this corner of the gardens bright yellow at the beginning of spring.
Elaborate stonework and low flowerbeds play off trellises of wisteria in this stately courtyard.
This small room features custom stonework, wrought-iron furniture, and a fountain ornamented with various constellations.
The swimming pool and beautifully decorated loggia attest to Dumbarton Oaks’ history as a private residence.