Thank you so very much! It’s that simple. Thirty years ago Robert Dash and the founding board members of the Madoo Conservancy opened the gates to Bob’s garden for the garden visiting public and we’ve been going strong ever since.
From that first day, the garden has grown in ways that almost no one back then would have imagined. Through the generosity of our donors and friends we have kept Bob’s legacy alive.
Let’s look back at some of the milestones that have brought us to today. Eleven years ago Bob passed away here at Madoo with Barnsley at his side. Barnsley happily went on to live his sunset years with Jane Iselin in Bridgehampton. Our archive of Robert Dash paintings was treated to a quarter million dollar conservation program. The summer house had a full-on historic restoration in 2017 preserving the 1740 barn and extraordinary interiors that Bob created. We had the hedgerow fiasco which resulted in the new tapestry hedge garden rooms and a beautifully rebuilt rill–so there is a silver lining in everything. Trees have grown to extraordinary heights and sadly some have died but that is to be expected. The gardens themselves, cared for by the crew from Carlos Hernandez Landscaping for the past 25 years or so, continue to flourish in our organic 1.91 acres.
Over the years we’ve hosted weddings, performances exhibitions and more. Monday Mornings at Madoo, our storytelling hour with the Bridgehampton Library has been a hit for over 9 years with the under 4 set. Our Makers Camp at the end of August is going on it’s third year this summer this year and will be better than ever.
The challenges both good and bad continue. Our collection of twenty one beeches all have beech leaf disease, and there’s not much to be done yet–we’re certainly holding out hope. And we seem to be the last man standing on our cul-de-sac with an old building but we are delighted with our new neighbors. We’re very excited to announce that at the end of the season we will embark on building an accessible welcome center so that everyone knows they are accepted at Madoo with a broad embrace.
When asked what he wanted for Madoo’s future, Bob emphasized one thing, “I don’t want to inhibit or prohibit or fix this garden in amber; it must remain vital.” So thank you for helping to keep Madoo vital.
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