William Paca House and Gardens Maryland

William Paca House & Gardens – My Capital Gardens USA.co.uk

William Paca House & Gardens
Many colonial Annapolitans had gardens, but only Paca’s has been restored to its original splendour and opened to the public. The William Paca House is one of the most elegant National Historic Landmarks in Annapolis and was built between 1763 and 1765 as a town home for William Paca, a wealthy young planter who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Paca laid out the two-acre pleasure garden, an oasis of natural beauty, while the house was being built. Over the years it sadly became overgrown and eventually disappeared, but during the 1960s and 1970s extensive excavations and research revealed the garden’s original features and led to their recreation.

The garden is defined by a series of stylish terraces. The upper terrace provided Paca with space for entertaining and viewing the rest of his garden. The precise geometric parterres of the middle terrace show off three seasons of colourful blooms, heirloom roses, and period-styled topiary. The lower terrace features an innovative fish-shaped pond with a bridge leading to a summerhouse, plus serpentine paths winding through lush lawns and beds of native plants. The garden is filled with plants popular in the 18th century that were researched from books and letters of the period.

The house and gardens are open daily from April to December, excluding Christmas, from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5pm on Sunday, and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm during March. Tickets are available to visit the gardens only and cost $5.

Website
www.annapolis.org

William Paca Gardens with Summerhouse, credit www.visitannapolis.org