Ladew

Even though he died nearly a quarter of a century ago, Harvey S. Ladew's 250-acre landmark estate on Jarrettsville Pike near Monkton continues to draw more than 30,000 visitors a year from 40 countries. They come to visit its 22 acres of formal gardens and legendary topiary that the Garden Club of America has designated "the finest topiary garden in America." Known formally as Pleasant Valley Farm and perhaps more commonly as Ladew Gardens, the 15 formal gardens and restored 18th-century manor house are the lasting vision and handiwork of Harvey S. Ladew, the wealthy raconteur, horseman, writer, collector, artist, gourmet, world traveler and horticulturist, who died at 89 in 1976.

What he does: Tyler Diehl oversees the design, planting and maintenance of 22 acres of lush gardens in Monkton. The Ladew property, which is 250 acres in total, includes a nature walk and 15 “garden rooms,” each with its own theme. While most of the design work takes place in the winter, along with seed-starting and mechanical maintenance, a typical day throughout the year involves cleaning, mulching and pruning. How he got his start: As a child, Diehl enjoyed playing outside, reveling in the plants of his own backyard.  “Then one day somebody said, 'You know, you can go to school for this,' ” he says.

Ladew Topiary Gardens begins its summer concert series this year with the MacMillan Pipe Band performing a Father's Day show at 6 p.m. June 15. The MacMillan Pipe Band features Scottish music on bagpipes and drums. Rain date is June 22. The summer concert series runs from June through August and features a variety of musical styles, from reggae to bluegrass, in the Great Bowl of the 22-acre flower and topiary gardens on Jarrettsville Pike. Admission includes self-guided tours of the gardens, and tickets are available at the door.

With spring here, the change of season has Emily Emerick and her staff at Ladew Topiary Gardens hopping. Emerick, executive director of the historic house and gardens in Harford County, spent recent weeks prepping for the March 28 opening of the 2009 season. At Ladew, she's doing something she has loved since she was 4 years old. The Towson native's earliest memories revolve around watching her mother in a denim wrapped skirt and a bandanna preparing garden beds and planting rhubarb, asparagus and strawberries.

Elizabeth W. Constable, an avid gardener and a founder and trustee of the Harvey Smith Ladew Foundation that administers the Ladew home and its famous topiary gardens, died of heart failure Tuesday at Harmony Hall, her 125-acre Monkton farm and home for more than a half-century. She was 89. Born Elizabeth Whedbee in Baltimore, she was raised at Edgewood, her family's estate on Lake Avenue. She was educated at Notre Dame Preparatory School, Convent of the Sacred Heart in Noroton, Conn.

REWIND A FEW DECADES and you could've said Ladew Topiary Gardens was the cat's pajamas last weekend. But pajamas were scarcely the style. Instead, think lots of fringes and feathers, headbands and pearls as guests celebrated Ladew's 35th anniversary at a 1920s-themed gala. Party co-chairs Wendy Griswold, Dudley Mason and Susie Reichhart were completely flapper-ized. "My signature thing is my fishnet stockings. I wear them to every event," announced Griswold, bedecked in a black feather boa. Though most of the men went the present-day black tie route, there were a couple of exceptions.

When Cher is declared an "icon," and glamour clones like Jennifer Lopez are saluted for their "style," it's easy to argue that those words have lost their meaning. But there are people worthy of such terms. And they will be the focus of the Maryland Historical Society's "Icons of 20th-Century Style" exhibit on Feb. 11. In a day-long symposium, expert speakers will make presentations on local luminaries including fashion visionary Claire McCardell, famed epicure and horticulturist Harvey Ladew, music pioneer Eubie Blake and the Duchess of Windsor.

The name of Mrs. E. Phillips "Bunny" Hathaway, former chairwoman of the Ladew garden committee, was reported incorrectly in a photo caption in yesterday's editions.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 4/13/96

Ladew Gardens has Bluegrass Where: 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton When: 6 p.m., Sunday Why: Take a blanket, picnic basket and folding chairs (no alcohol or pets), plunk yourself down near the flower and topiary gardens and watch the Shiloh Ridge Band wail traditional bluegrass tunes. Information: 410-557-9466, www.ladewgardens.com, $12; $10 for senior citizens and students; $7 members; $3 children

Rebecca Ladew has cerebral palsy and it shows.Her head is cocked at an angle.Her body is hunched and twisted.She needs a cane to walk.Her speech is slurred, tortured, punctuated by erratic fits and starts as she struggles to get her words out.Sometimes she closes her eyes -- so great is the apparent effort to speak. Sometimes she is forced to spell the word she wants. Sometimes spittle appears on her lips which she quickly wipes away.I know that this is a brutal description of Rebecca Ladew and I apologize to her.But I cannot observe the usual niceties here, for if I do, you are sure to miss the point about this northeast Baltimore woman.

Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, is holding a series of talks by its professional gardeners, who will give behind-the-scenes views of plant care and demonstrations this spring and summer. "In the Garden" includes a nature walk at 9:30 a.m., before the program. The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members. Scheduled programs are: composting, May 1; guided walking tour of trees and shrubs, May 5; wisteria pruning, June 26; espalier pruning, July 1; yew shearing, July 8; pond care, July 15; climbing rose pruning, July 22; boxwood shearing, July 29; repotting, Aug. 12; turf maintenance, Aug. 19; hemlock shearing, Sept.

Donna Hepner said she generally avoids nature whenever she can. But when the opportunity arose to take an outdoor art class, she took it. On a recent afternoon, she sat in a garden and sketched reflections of a tree in a pond, with ink, pencils, and charcoal. As she made marks on the paper, her work took on life. "When you create art outdoors you need to be relaxed and open," said Hepner, 41, of Joppa. "If you try to control nature, it doesn't work well." Hepner was one of several students who participated in art classes offered by the Maryland Institute College of Art at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton.

REWIND A FEW DECADES and you could've said Ladew Topiary Gardens was the cat's pajamas last weekend. But pajamas were scarcely the style. Instead, think lots of fringes and feathers, headbands and pearls as guests celebrated Ladew's 35th anniversary at a 1920s-themed gala. Party co-chairs Wendy Griswold, Dudley Mason and Susie Reichhart were completely flapper-ized. "My signature thing is my fishnet stockings. I wear them to every event," announced Griswold, bedecked in a black feather boa. Though most of the men went the present-day black tie route, there were a couple of exceptions.

Ladew Gardens has Bluegrass Where: 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton When: 6 p.m., Sunday Why: Take a blanket, picnic basket and folding chairs (no alcohol or pets), plunk yourself down near the flower and topiary gardens and watch the Shiloh Ridge Band wail traditional bluegrass tunes. Information: 410-557-9466, www.ladewgardens.com, $12; $10 for senior citizens and students; $7 members; $3 children

Elizabeth W. Constable, an avid gardener and a founder and trustee of the Harvey Smith Ladew Foundation that administers the Ladew home and its famous topiary gardens, died of heart failure Tuesday at Harmony Hall, her 125-acre Monkton farm and home for more than a half-century. She was 89. Born Elizabeth Whedbee in Baltimore, she was raised at Edgewood, her family's estate on Lake Avenue. She was educated at Notre Dame Preparatory School, Convent of the Sacred Heart in Noroton, Conn.

Spring into the season at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton. Visit the 22-acre garden Saturday as it officially opens for the 2005 season, and see flowering bulbs, shrubs and trees, as well as hundreds of topiary forms. "Opening day features guided house tours, self-guided garden tours and self-guided Nature Walk tours," says Karen Babcock, Ladew's associate director. "Spring bulbs are starting to bloom, and the hundreds of topiary forms throughout the 22 acres always delight visitors of all ages.

The House of Welsh, owned by the same family since 1900, closed its doors in downtown Baltimore in January. It's reopened in Fenwick Island, Del. The new place has much the same menu of steaks and seafood but much larger quarters. (It seats some 300.) Interestingly, it moved into the spot vacated by Galeano's at 1106 Ocean Highway. The Italian restaurant moved to Little Italy and reopened New Year's Eve at 413 S. High St.Brass Elephant at LadewThe Brass Elephant is taking over the cafe and catering business at Ladew Topiary Gardens, the 18th century estate in Monkton.

John Smith's first exploration into Harford County was during the summer of 1608. Even before that time, the area around the Chesapeake was full of history and artifacts. Each museum in the county documents a small piece of that history whether it is about the geology of the land, the people who lived on the land or the art inspired by the land. Here are some of the museums found in Harford County: The Concord Point Lighthouse at Lafayette and Concord streets in Havre de Grace is the oldest continuously operated lighthouse in Maryland.

Ladew Gardens' holiday celebration offers tours, greens Ladew Topiary Gardens will present "Christmas at an English Country House" on Friday, Saturday and Dec. 12. This annual holiday celebration features tours of the circa 1747 Ladew Manor House. This year's theme is "The Twelve Days of Christmas." A holiday greens sale is also scheduled on the three days. The 22-acre gardens at 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, will be open for self-guided tours. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

New York-born Harvey S. Ladew was a wealthy, cosmopolitan bon vivant and sporting gentleman whose greatest pleasures in life were gardening, traveling and riding to the hounds. In 1929, Ladew purchased a 250-acre farm in rural Harford County, near the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club in Monkton, where he delighted in racing his ponies and entertaining such renowned guests as Cole Porter, Lawrence of Arabia and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Over the next decade, Ladew added several new wings to the original farmhouse and created a 22-acre garden devoted to cultivating the fantastically sculpted ornamental shrubs for which the Ladew Topiary Gardens are famous today.