Elm Trees Replanted in King’s Garden
The Garden Elms
Trees are to gardens what architectural features, such as spires, towers, and accented façades, are to buildings. A garden without trees is apt to be without interest, and a lawn without them to lack shadows which make so infinitely for variety.
--Marian Cruger Coffin
Trees form the backbone of any planting scheme and the design for the King’s Garden is no exception. Landscape architect Marian Coffin expanded the garden’s existing central lawn to “give greater restfulness” to her 1921 design for the formal garden, placing English elms in each corner for shadows and interest. Photographs taken soon after the installation reveal sizeable trees were planted, and the rapid growth rate of these elms ensured significant impact on the look and feel of the garden, even in the early years.
The English elms gained notable size before they disappeared from the landscape, probably victims of Dutch elm disease. Various tree species were used as replacements over the years including Mountain ash, Weeping birch, and ornamental fruit trees. During the process of restoring the King’s Garden, careful consideration was given to what type of tree would be used. With no reliable cultivars of English elm available that are Dutch elm disease resistant, an American elm was chosen for the planting. In 1999, four ‘Liberty’ elms were installed on the tapis vert as the perennials in the flower beds were becoming established. The Liberty American Elm is a clonal variety, meaning it is not a hybrid, but a cultivar produced from parent stock of desirable specimens thought to be DED resistant. In the case of ‘Liberty’, six different “parents” are used to create a broader pool of genetic variation in group plantings.
Whether or not these elms would have stood the test of time against Dutch elm disease will never be known, as a severe ice storm on March 9, 2008, all but destroyed three of the four. They reached about thirty feet in height and had gained ten inches in diameter in just nine years before being battered by the storm. All four trees were removed by volunteers in April, leaving the garden looking oddly empty. Once again replacement of the trees on the tapis vert was necessary.
Curator of Landscape, Heidi teRiele Karkoski, researched possible alternatives and consulted with local landscaper David DeFranco to discuss a plan of action for replanting. Through the generosity of J. Terry Beaty, new American elms were installed in mid-May, once again defining the balance and symmetry of the grassy expanse as Marian Coffin envisioned it. The size of the trees to be planted was limited to what could pass through the largest of the garden’s four gates. With little space to spare, three-inch caliper specimens reaching heights of about 18’ were maneuvered into the walled garden.
The variety chosen is ‘Princeton’, so named as it was introduced in 1922 by Princeton Nurseries of Princeton, New Jersey. All Princeton elms are clones of a single tree selected for its attractive shape, leaf color and texture, and resistance to Elm yellows. DNA tests show that the probable parent source is a centuries-old elm tree that stood in a Princeton cemetery until 2005. Specimens planted along Washington Road leading to Princeton University have survived over 75 years with no sign of Dutch elm disease. Recent testing by the U.S.D.A. has established that the Princeton clones are highly DED-resistant. The rapid growth rate and spreading crown, characteristics shared with the English elm, make it a fitting choice for the King’s Garden.
At the annual Garden Party on July 12, the new planting was dedicated in honor of Trustee, volunteer and party co-chairwoman, Susan Darrin. J. Terry Beaty and his family extended their thanks for her personal commitment to the King’s Garden. Beaty remarked, “When we asked ourselves who does the absolute most for the Garden, unanimously the Beaty family agreed it is Susan Darrin”.
With the installation of the four new elms, we renew our commitment to preserving and nurturing the King’s Garden and all its plantings for the enjoyment of all who come to visit.
