United States Massachusetts Massachusetts Guide Things To Do Essentials Where to Stay Getaways All Massachusetts The Gardens at Naumkeag By Kim Knox Beckius Kim Knox Beckius Facebook Twitter Kim Knox Beckius is a Connecticut-based travel writer, author, photographer, and editor. She's been with TripSavvy since 1998. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 06/10/19 Share Pin Email If you're a garden lover, history buff, architecture fan or avid photographer, a visit to Naumkeag should definitely be on your Berkshires itinerary. This glorious estate in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, not only features the Gilded Age "cottage" renowned architect Stanford White designed for attorney and diplomat Joseph Hodges Choate and his family, it features one of New England's most impressive and imaginative gardens. Naumkeag's second-generation owner, Mabel Choate, met Fletcher Steele, the father of modern landscape design, in 1926, and the two collaborated to transform the property's gardens and grounds over a thirty-year period. Mabel deeded her estate to the Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit that has carefully preserved Fletcher's vision. 01 of 11 Functional and Beautiful © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius When Naumkeag's owner, Mabel Choate, asked landscape architect Fletcher Steele to create steps leading down to her cutting garden, she got more than she bargained for! The Blue Steps provide both an easy descent and a vivid accent. Continue to 2 of 11 below. 02 of 11 The Afternoon Garden © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius The Afternoon Garden was Fletcher Steele's first landscape project at the Naumkeag estate in the Berkshires. These boxwood hedges were shaped to resemble an Oriental rug. Continue to 3 of 11 below. 03 of 11 Stone Chairs © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius Mabel Choate complained that these stone chairs, designed for the Afternoon Garden at Naumkeag by landscape architect Fletcher Steele, weren't very comfortable, but they are certainly pleasing to behold. Continue to 4 of 11 below. 04 of 11 A Statue with a View © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius Stanford White, who designed the mansion at Naumkeag, commissioned Frederick MacMonnies to create this statue, "Young Faun with Heron," for the front of the house. Fletcher Steele relocated it to his Afternoon Garden, where it enjoys a better view. Continue to 5 of 11 below. 05 of 11 The South Lawn © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius A vibrant stand of Japanese maple trees on the South Lawn at Naumkeag calls attention to an ornate, Chinese-style, cast-iron pagoda. What's inside? Continue to 6 of 11 below. 06 of 11 The Sacred Rock © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius Inside the pagoda on the South Lawn at Naumkeag is a sacred rock, which Mabel Choate, the estate's second-generation owner, brought back from China. Rub it, and your memory will improve, according to legend. Continue to 7 of 11 below. 07 of 11 Asian Influences © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius Like the mansion's interior, the gardens at Naumkeag are graced with souvenirs from the Choate family's extensive travels. Continue to 8 of 11 below. 08 of 11 A Rosy Overview © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius The rose garden at Naumkeag, with its serpentine pathways, was designed by Fletcher Steele to be best viewed from Mabel Choate's second-floor bedroom. Continue to 9 of 11 below. 09 of 11 Late Bloomers © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius The rose garden was already a bit past its prime when I toured Naumkeag's gardens in July: June would be a better month to visit if you're a rose enthusiast. These peachy rose blooms were still beautiful, though. Continue to 10 of 11 below. 10 of 11 The Evergreen Garden © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius The circular Evergreen Garden is one of Naumkeag's oldest landscape features. It was sited to take advantage of distant mountain views. Continue to 11 of 11 below. 11 of 11 Something's Fishy © 2008 Kim Knox Beckius During its restoration of Naumkeag's landscape to its mid-twentieth century appearance, the Trustees of Reservations reproduced the fountain in the Evergreen Garden. The original, which dated to 1890, had disappeared. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit