Rare tulip varieties shipped from the Netherlands fill the gardens with springtime color. Photo: Jennifer Hughes
A four-year, multi-million-dollar project by Kimmel Studio Architects restored Cloverfields, a historic 1705 estate on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Principal Devin Kimmel relied on ground-penetrating radar, archaeological finds and period writings to reinvent the formal gardens that once graced the grounds. “The classical design is intact, with plantings that are a spirited interpretation of the gardens at their peak in 1784,” Kimmel recounts. “We adapted today’s natural, flowing style to the historic space.” Nearly 700 boxwoods, more than 6,000 perennials and 85,000 bulbs adorn the 44-acre landscape—along with topiary fruit trees and medicinal flowers and herbs.
Cloverfields plans to operate as a private museum dedicated to research and education, providing a glimpse of llife in Colonial Maryland.
Restoration Landscape Architecture: Devin Kimmel, AIA, ASLA; Brian Hjemvik, ASLA, Kimmel Studio Architects. Restoration Contractor: Lynbrook of Annapolis. Landscape Installation: McHale Landscape Design.