You could say that our entire forty-acre property is like one big garden, but horticulture really reigns supreme in our Harvest and Healing Gardens. In addition to keeping the ornamental plants flourishing all over the Castle Hill landscape, Leita remains at the helm of the Castle Hill Garden program, after five years as our chief horticulturist. She is now aided by a new member of the team, who began at Castle Hill this spring, her assistant Maddie.
Leita (l) with her new assistant Maddie
I recently spent a glorious harvest day with them to showcase the veggies, flowers and fruits of their labors. The Harvest Garden was at full production level and luckily the day was not too hot or humid – somewhat of a rare occurrence this summer, but we are not complaining! We know that the heat does not stifle nearly as much in Newport, especially out at Castle Hill, with the cooling waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Narragansett Bay lapping at our shores. It must be all that sea air that keeps the verdure in Newport looking ever so lush. Even through this summer’s drought!
New to the Harvest Garden this year is the installation of a deer fence, which has helped preserve the growing cycle of the plants immensely. We are happy to share the land with the deer folk, just not our produce!
The Harvest Garden at Castle Hill has taken shape over the last several years. Our newest garden, now transformed into a Healing Garden, was merely a patch of grass down by our beach house rooms just a few years ago, now it sports a variety of restorative and medicinal plants.
It is the perfect spot for our weekly meditation sessions held on Thursdays at 10am or just a place to relax for a while and see what floats by.
Back in the big garden, the day’s harvest is complete.
Now it is time to bring all the fresh produce up to the chefs.
Thank you, Leita and Maddie, for letting me follow in your footsteps for a day.
– Shea C Nelson