45 Fayerweather Street Cambridge, MA

Garden / Landscaping

The gardens at 45 Fayerweather Street were established by Ruth and Garrett Birkhoff, and painstakingly nurtured and attended to by Ruth, a noted horticulturalist, for the more than 50 years that they owned the property. As a focal point of the landscape plan, they preserved the foundation of the original house. The second owners also highly valued the landscaping, and themselves became avid caretakers of the property.

There is a myriad of trees, shrubs and perennials including many specimen and rare plantings. Some of these include Weeping Alaska Cedar, Dwarf Beech, False Cypress and Cryptomeria. The mature evergreens along the border that frame the property provide an unusual degree of privacy screening. The thoughtful siting of the house on the east side of the lot offers an understated street presence, while preserving the majority of the lot behind the house, to be enjoyed by its occupants. On the north side of the lot (on city maps shown as #47 Fayerweather) is a shaded woodlands garden area under a canopy of ancient trees, making a striking contrast to the more manicured areas to the south. The property at 45 Fayerweather Street offers one of the finest landscaped gardens to be found in Cambridge … Truly a gardeners delight!