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A Spring Visit to Planting Fields Arboretum
State Historic Park and Coe Hall
(Planting Fields Website)
1395 Planting Fields Road
Oyster Bay, NY 11771
516.922.9200
Current Exhibition: Chocolate: A Dip Into History
June 7, 2009 – September 30, 2009
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
May 11, 2009
It was wonderful to leave the City today, on this warm, sunny May Monday. I met a friend in Oyster Bay, and we explored Planting Fields Arboretum, where I had led so many school groups, through the seasons, when teaching on Long Island, some time ago. According to the Planting Fields’ Website, William Robertson Coe established Planting Fields Foundation for “the enhancement and development of his former estate, Planting Fields in Oyster Bay, New York.” The Planting Fields Website lists the “History Timeline”, including the 1918-1921 construction of the Tudor Revival-styled Coe Hall, that required Scottish masons to live onsite. Although Coe Hall has 65 rooms, only certain floors and spaces are open to the public. There’s also a Main Greenhouse and a Camellia Greenhouse. The Main Greenhouse, built 1914-1929, includes tropical plants, orchids, a hibiscus collection, cacti, ferns, begonias, and hydrangea. The plants can shift with the seasons.
The grounds for leisurely walks includes elegant manicured gardens, as well as natural settings for reflection and an earthy catharsis, with numerous birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other adorable creatures. Highlights on the grounds are an Italian Blue Garden Tea House, a Garden Court with roses, a Magnolia Collection, with 80 varieties of magnolia trees, and a wide variety of rhododendrons. It’s important to know when the various trees and plants bloom, so you don’t miss your favorites. The joy of an arboretum is to return often, as it’s a constantly changing landscape, a panorama of color, aroma, and natural motion.
We found Coe Hall to have enchanting décor, such as a dark, round antique table and tufted chair, a full built-in wooden bar, rare tapestries on the very high walls, stained glass window ornamentations, an elegant desk with a high-backed chair, a library of unique collections, warmly lit chandeliers, a grand piano, a French-inspired drawing room, a cabinet of sculpted treasures, Asian-inspired porcelain, a fireplace adorned with a buffalo mural, and an iconic iron fireplace set. After another leisurely walk on the grounds, we headed for Wall’s Wharf Restaurant, for a steaming hot lunch, facing wraparound water views on Long Island Sound. Wall’s Wharf in Bayville, close to Planting Fields, is a year-round restaurant, family owned and operated, with an elegant dining room, a party space with dance floor, and a very busy bar. I recommend Wall’s Wharf as your lunch or dinner destination (try to catch the sunset), after a refreshing visit to Planting Fields Arboretum.
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Planting Fields Arboretum Greenhouse
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Coe Hall at Planting Fields
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Wall's Wharf in Bayville, LI
Photo Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
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