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Farm
The animals at Hildene are managed using rotational grazing. By grazing the animals on small sections of land and moving them every two or three days, they are moved onto fresh grass many times during the growing season. Each section then has 20 to 40 days to recover and produce a new crop of constantly high-quality forage.
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Formal Garden
The formal garden was designed in 1907 for her mother, Mary Harlan Lincoln by Jessie, daughter of Robert Todd Lincoln. She wanted the garden to resemble a stained-glass Gothic cathedral window. The panes of colored glass were produced by different colored flowers and privet hedge was planted to represent the leading between the panes. In mid-June, over 1,000 peony blossoms from the original plantings fill the garden with color.
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Meadows
The Meadows in the verdant Battenkill Valley sit three hundred feet below the main house and gardens. Land that was once used by Robert as grazing pastures for his livestock and as an airstrip by Peggy Beckwith, is now the site of many Hildene events. The Meadows are also home to a number of farmhouses, outbuildings, and an original 1832 one-room schoolhouse.
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Cutting & Kitchen Gardens
The Cutting & Kitchen Gardens at Hildene were once the center of much activity. From these gardens the Lincoln family servants would gather an abundance of fruit, flowers and vegetables for household use. A playhouse for the Lincoln grandchildren once stood at the edge of the gardens. The paths and arbors have been restored and the flower and vegetable beds have been replanted.
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Walking Trails
We enourage you to explore the natural areas of Hildene. To make your walk more interesting, there are interpretative signs along the Farm Loop Trail highlighting a variety of trees, shrubs, ferns and other natural phenomena.
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