The flower garden at The Mount will be in glorious bloom this season thanks to a generous $500,000 grant received in 2004 from an anonymous Boston foundation. Nearly 3,000 perennials and annuals were planted in the garden in June 2005, completing the restoration of the formal gardens begun in 2001. The colorful flower beds, described by a Wharton friend as “an oriental carpet floating in the sun” will be a breathtaking sight when viewed from the mansion and its expansive terrace, as Wharton intended.

The grant also funded the reconstruction of a trelliswork niche and lattice fence designed by architect Ogden Codman, Jr. Crowned with a graceful arch, the 11-foot high niche will provide a necessary anchor to the novelist’s elegant design. The wooden niche will serve as a focal point, drawing visitors through a garden that unfolds like one of Wharton’s novels or short stories. The reconstructed lattice fence was installed south of the forecourt in July 2005, and the niche will again embellish the flower garden beginning in spring 2006.