Eloise Ray

January 26, 1905
Today is the birthday of the Connecticut landscape architect Eloise Ray.
In Ruth Harley’s book Pest-Proofing Your Garden, we get a little glimpse into Eloise’s approach to gardening:

“Eloise confesses that she long ago gave up her battle with the local groundhog. Over the years, she determined which plants appeal to him. 
Now she limits her crops to the plants the groundhog doesn’t eat — tomatoes, eggplants, red and green peppers, chives, all kinds of onions and, perhaps, parsley.”

As a Landscape Architect, Eloise often worked with her husband, Jo Ray, who was also a Landscape Architect.
Eloise was a marvelous artist, and she was known for her delicate illustrations, and she was exceptionally fond of realistic sculpture.

Eloise is remembered through her gardens and estate work throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut.
In 1978, the New York Times featured an interview with a 60-year-old Eloise at her Westport Home. Eloise reflected on her career,

“[I started] in the heyday of the large estates of the late ‘20s, when we would put in gatehouses, decorative brick walls, dramatic driveways, servants’ driveways, formal gardens, walks, greenhouses, and shrubs designed for intricate topiary. We would estimate the need for at least eight full‐time gardeners for most of our estates.”