The Greenhouse at Bailey Arboretum
In the Spring of 2010, the North Country Garden Club provided a grant to support the renovation of the derelict greenhouse at Bailey Arboretum. It was dedicated to our beloved former member, Saidie E. Scudder at the Bailey Arboretum Annual Picnic on June 13th, 2010.
The Friends of Bailey Arboretum describe the project:
“In 1911 Frank and Louise Bailey bought the property that is now Bailey Arboretum, expanded the original 1820s house, and erected a number of outbuildings. The larger of their two greenhouses was demolished in 2008 because it was dangerously unstable.
The smaller greenhouse was restored. We recycled whenever possible and carefully replicated the original design. The foundations were essentially sound and we were able to repair the original steel understructure. All of the wood was replaced by sustainably harvested Spanish Cedar and the door is an exact copy of the one installed by the Baileys.
The only changes to the original design were introduced to make the greenhouse more energy efficient. A version of an old-fashioned attic fan was installed and a row of operable windows was added providing needed ventilation in the warm seasons. Otherwise the new glass in the greenhouse replicates the old.
The 500 gallon oil tank and hot water-based heating system that Mr. Bailey installed were replaced by a small propane fueled heater so that plants overwintered in the greenhouse will not freeze, although they will not enjoy tropical conditions. Several solar heating alternatives were considered, but all proved economically unfeasible. To provide effective solar heating for the greenhouse the roof on the adjacent Visitors Cottage would have to be four times its current size.
The Saidie E. Scudder Greenhouse was made possible only by joint efforts. Nassau County removed the rusted oil tank, the piles of broken glass and rotten wood, and the derelict heating system. Harry Whaley & Son substantially underwrote the cost of installing electricity. Bob Thornton of Oakwood Construction was responsible for the meticulous reconstruction work and donated a significant portion of his own time. The North Country Garden Club was instrumental in the project from start to finish and generously covered the major construction costs.”
Sadie Scudder
Saidie E. Scudder (1907 – 2001) was born to Halstead and Sarah Townsend Scudder and attended Friends Academy in Locust Valley before graduating from Vassar College in 1929. She majored in English, but clearly horticulture was her first love. In 1931, she took courses in horticulture at Columbia, her father’s alma mater.
For her 25th Vassar Reunion profile Miss Scudder reported that she had begun offering classes in practical gardening in 1938 when it had become “prohibitive” to run their greenhouse “for pleasure.” She noted her hobbies as tennis (until lately), now supplanted by directing children’s tennis matches and planting holly from seeds and camellias from cuttings. When asked in what ways the past 25 years had been a complete surprise, Saidie wrote: “In 1929, I never expected to be absorbed in gardening. I was led into it by choosing Botany as a ‘snap’ course because of the gardening knowledge always held in the family!”
NCGC member Nancy Hussey remembers Saidie and her sister Hazel living across the street from Nassau Country Club where they were very active on the tennis court. “They had a huge green- house where they gave lectures and a hands-on series of horticulture and gardening classes. They provided experiences in all fields of nature, including birds, bees, wildflowers, greenhouse maintenance and even some cooking on the side. I took every course they gave and started seed flats and learned to transplant tiny plants. The sisters also loved birds and fed them all year, protecting the birdseed with clever inverted wire baskets from the Parks Department. Both ladies were very popular and served homemade scones, jam and cookies.”
For her Vassar class reunion bulletin in 1966, Saidie reported that she and her sister Hazel had completed the 20th year of classes in practical gardening for adults in their greenhouse at their home in Glen Cove. They sold “Westerly” (inherited from their mother) and “undertook to build a house ‘right for us’ in Mill Neck.” A greenhouse, no surprise, was attached to the house for “our camellias and our hollies (from some seedlings twenty-five years old!)”
Miss Scudder was made an Honorary Member of the North Country Garden Club in 1946 and was a long-time supporter and board member of the Friends of Bailey Arboretum. She was honored in 1980 by the Garden Club of America with a Horticultural Award in Zone III. Saidie was also a founder of the Matinecock Garden Club. Always loyal to her alma mater, Saidie helped organize the Long Island Vassar Club and she served as Secretary of the Vassar Club of New York board. A lifelong Quaker, she received a Distinguished Alumna Award from Friends Academy in 1992 and played an instrumental role in the reconstruction of the Friends Meeting House in Locust Valley.