History of the
Vanderbilt Estate
The Vanderbilt Gardens in April |
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Early Spring - April
The Vanderbilt Estate is located approximately 80 miles north of New York City, which puts it in "temperate zone 5". Gardeners use temperate zone ratings as a guide for determining when a killing frost is likely to occur in the fall and when the last one is likely to occur in the spring. They also help guide gardeners as to what types of plants should be planted at different times of the year.
In our location, killing frosts can occur as far into spring as
mid-May. Therefore, we enjoy a long spring during which many types
of hardy plants and trees flower. Annual plants, however, are not
usually planted until well after the danger of killing frost has
passed. Magnolias, forsythia and dogwood are among the earliest trees
to bloom.
Garden work starts as soon as the snow melts and the soil is workable.
That is usually early to mid-April.
