08-20-2023 Harford Magazine - Flipbook - Page 38
Abby Evans, a horticulturalist at Ladew Topiary Gardens, trims the horse and rider that are part of the hunt scene.
topiary rooms. Then, they can immerse
themselves in the lessons that nature teaches
by walking along the 1.25-mile nature walk
that includes a wetland forest and a bird
blind. They can sharpen their observational
skills at the Butterfly House and get up
close and personal with 20 species of
native butterflies and moths, taking note of
their evolution from eggs to caterpillars to
chrysalis to adults with iridescent, stainedglass wings.
“We try to give our visitors the full
experience of nature,” Emerick said, “from
carefully cultivated formal gardens that are
about order and structure and geometry
to a watershed stream and a quarry and
pollinators like butterflies where our guests
can observe the cycle of life.”
Years of close observation have taught
Borowy to recognize the signs that an
individual monarch butterfly is nearing
the end of its time on Earth. The vibrant
colors fade, the wings begin to look torn and
raggedy. Seeing a little body lying still on the
ground gives her a pang, but she’s become
accustomed to it.
“Insects pass through the cycle from birth
to death in a matter of weeks,” she said. “It’s a
cycle, a system, and death is part of it.”
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| Fall 2023 | harfordmagazine.com
Events at Ladew Topiary Gardens
Come Inside: Join Ladew on Aug. 25 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for“Come Inside”— a Manor
House Open House at Ladew when guests can stroll through the 18th century home at no additional cost. The house is filled with English antiques and fox hunting memorabilia, and the oval
library is listed as one of the“most beautiful rooms in America.”
Annual Art Show & Sale: Ladew founder, Harvey Ladew, was an amateur painter and sculptor
with a keen appreciation of art in many forms. In his spirit, over the years, Ladew Gardens has
welcomed local, national and internationally renowned artists to the Gardens to exhibit and sell
their work. This year, Ladew is welcoming acclaimed painters Quang Ho and Adrienne Stein as
their artists-in-residence, and Sam Christian Holmes, who will fill Ladew’s Wildflower Meadow
with his striking sculptures. Sept. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 pm. ladewgardens.com/Event-Calendar/
Events-at-Ladew/Art-In-Our-Gardens-2023
Twilight Tuesdays: Enjoy the gardens in the magical early evening hours during Twilight Tuesday, now through Aug. 29. Guests can enter the gardens any time and stay until 8 p.m. to enjoy
sunset views, blooms, music and specialty cafe offerings. ladewgardens.com/Event-Calendar/
Events-at-Ladew/Twilight-Tuesdays-2023
After years of working with insects,
Borowy said she has begun to internalize
lessons about mortality, about the way
growth inevitably is followed by decay,
and how that in its turn becomes the raw
material that fosters new life.
“When you start to see how
interconnected everything is, how it all
works together, it’s humbling,” she said. “You
start to realize what your actual place in the
world is.
“Not everything revolves around us.”
