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Catalog Data

Former owner:
Bankhead, William Brockman, 1874-1940  Search this
Keck, Andrew  Search this
Keck, Andrew Mrs  Search this
Garden designer:
Boasberg, Susan  Search this
Provenance:
Georgetown Garden Club  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Digital images
Place:
Rackley Garden (Washington, D.C.)
United States of America -- District of Columbia -- Washington
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets.
General:
A small formal urban garden extends the living area of a 1930's colonial style house with comfortable seating on the sunnier side and outdoor dining furniture on the shadier side, directly behind the house. French doors and flanking full-length windows also connect the outdoor room with the living room inside. The walled garden that was planted in the late 1990's is bisected by a wide brick path with a diamond-shaped lozenge centered by a small stone fish pond. There are patches of lawn bordered by miniature boxwood hedges and behind them are flowering shrubs and trees, including climbing roses, wisteria and clematis that all flower together. More flower beds at the rear of the garden feature the color blue which is cooling and seems to extend the space. Planted here are a vitex tree, hosta, scabiosa, speedwell, columbine, creeping phlox, catmint and ajuga. Pairs of antique and classically styled planted containers are placed throughout the garden, and a crate in the alley outside the garden wall holds surplus annuals. The formal design features were inspired by the Federal style of nearby Tudor Place and the gothic style of the National Cathedral garden close while the dense plantings were designed to soften the straight edges.
Persons associated with the garden include: William Brockman Bankhead and family (former owners, 1939-1969); Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Sager Keck (former owners, 1969-1994); Susan Boasberg (garden co-designer, late 1990's).
Related Materials:
Rackley Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (7 digital images)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Gardens -- Washington (D.C.) -- Georgetown  Search this
Genre/Form:
Digital images
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File DC161
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / District of Columbia
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb654cd4231-5727-4844-950a-284fc2adae72
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref5941