Ladew Topiary Gardens Harford County

Below are thumnail pictures of the Ladew Topiary Gardens. If you click on a picture, you will be able to see the larger version. If you hold the cursor over the picture, you'll be able to see its caption.

The first 9 of these pictures were taken by Dana McKinnon when he and his wife visited Maryland in June 2000. The last is a scanning from a postcard c. 1965

Harvey S. Ladew restored and enlarged an old house (late 1700's) and furnished it with a mixture of styles. On 22 acres outdoors, he designed and developed 15 gardens that are outlined by a third mile of tall sculptured hedges.

Since Mr. Ladew was an avid fox hunter, much of the decoration in and around the house shows that sport. The topiary figures (topiary is the triming of shrubs into figures) Ladew Gardens is most famous for show a huntsman and hounds chasing a fox. Others show swans floating on billowing yew, seahorses, a unicorn, giraffe, top hat, heart and arrow, a Chinese junk and a Buddha.

Before Mr. Ladew died in 1976, he set up a foundation to run the Gardens and house. Both are in the National Register of Historic Places.

More about Ladew Gardens