Sleepy Cat Farm by Caroline Seebohm
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
Sleepy Cat Farm by Caroline Seebohm
This book came out late in 2021, and the subtitle is A Gardener's Journey.
Sleepy Cat Farm is not merely a garden; it’s a living, breathing testament to the power of human ingenuity and nature’s boundless beauty. Nestled amidst the grandeur of Greenwich, this exquisite estate is a vision realized, a dream brought to life by the passionate Fred Landman.
From the moment one enters, the senses are overwhelmed. The meticulously manicured boxwoods, the undulating hornbeam hedges, the dense woodland—it’s as if a fairy tale has come to life. Every corner reveals a new surprise, a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.
The Sleepy Cat Farm Story begins in 1994 on six acres of land purchased by a retired CEO. Over twenty years later, those six acres have become a sprawling baker's dozen.
With the help of landscape architect Charles Stick, Fred Landman transformed Sleepy Cat into a true garden-lovers experience. (I do believe it is my new favorite garden…)
The garden unfolds in a series of intimate spaces, each with its own unique character. The Grotto and the Japanese Iris Garden are all masterpieces in their own right. But the star of the show, serving as the connective tissue between all garden spaces, is the Golden Path. It swoops past the signature elements in the garden, like the celestial pavilion, spirit bridge, koi pond, reflection pool, maze, serpentine hedges fashioned out of European hornbeam, and an enormous Atlas statue.
But Sleepy Cat Farm is more than just a visual spectacle. It’s a place where nature and nurture intertwine, where the beauty of the landscape is matched only by the warmth and generosity of its owners. Landman and his wife, Seen Lippert, have opened their hearts and home to the community, sharing their passion for gardening and sustainable living.
Down the hill from the main house lies an organic farm, a testament to Lippert’s commitment to healthy, locally sourced food. The farm provides fresh produce to the community, a small but significant contribution to the local food system.
The garden has become a popular stop for gardeners in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Fred often leads tours.
Now, if Sleepy Cat sounds like it appeared out of nowhere, it kind of did. There's also a bit of a mismatch between the name Sleepy Cat and the place's grandeur. The title references a dozen cats that get to live there.
Even Ken Druse, who wrote the forward to this book, was a bit dubious about Sleepy Cat the first time he was invited to visit.
As was the photographer for the book Curtis Taylor. As Ken shares in the forward, Curtis has a way of figuring out if a garden is worth his time. He casually asks the garden's owner, "How many daffodils have you planted recently?"
When he asked Fred this very question, he answered, "Only 5000".
Sleepy Cat Farm is a place of inspiration, a sanctuary where one can escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and reconnect with nature. It’s a garden that will leave you breathless, a testament to the power of human creativity and the enduring beauty of the natural world.
The Sleepy Cat story and the stunning images by Curtice Taylor make this book unforgettable.
This book is 192 pages of a garden transformation that would make Beatrix Farrand smile.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.
