Return to Sonnenberg


A couple years back I visited this historic public garden; we found it lovely but in need of some restoration. Now it looks like it’s getting some help. I met fellow Ranter Amy Stewart here the other day; we toured the gardens and shot a couple episodes of our new Cocktail Hour video series, which will be running on Rant every Thursday—more or less.


The rock garden’s water courses have been filled; this is really the most beautiful feature of Sonnenberg. The rock walls and structures follow a meandering path punctuated by cascades, pools, and streams. We both fell in love with the rock folly above; it is topped by a beautiful climbing hydrangea.


The classic Victorian glasshouses are dilapidated, but still elegant, and the plants are in good shape. We surreptitiously taped a short video in one of them—I had brought along a floral liquor I thought we could taste with Sonnenberg as a backdrop. Amy had some slight demurs about embibing at a rather early hour (10 a.m.). We’ll be posting that soon.


In the meantime, Sonnenberg is well worth a visit if you’re ever near Canadaigua, NY. I wouldn’t think cool weather would make any difference—in fact, I am sure the autumn color here is gorgeous.

Comments

Unknown said…
Not likely I'll ever get there, of course, but it was fun to see it through your eyes!
Glad Sonnenberg is getting some attention. Haven't been there for a number of years but last time was pretty depressing!

Popular Posts