Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion

Sonnenberg Gardens has been on my ‘to do’ list since before I moved to Rochester. For one reason or another, it took until Cindy and Mike, friends we met in London who now live in Arizona, visited recently. I didn’t know how Sonnenberg would compare to our day trips to various British gardens, and I was also worried that we had missed the prime flower time. I needn’t have been concerned on either count.

Roman Bath

Charlie’s nephew who was visiting from Israel also accompanied us on a glorious Saturday morning. We decided to wander the gardens on our own, but we did occasionally eavesdrop on a tour that was in progress (and learned a bit about the Roman Bath, which would have been fed from the lake, and the Sub-Rosa Garden’s double entendre – not only is it a secret garden, but it is located several steps below the Rose Garden). 

Japanese Garden

The grounds are a manageable size to walk around, and we made sure we saw each highlighted area on the map. The Japanese Garden, built in the early 1900s, was one of my favorites. But I also loved the Old Fashioned Garden, with its arbor, and the wonderful scent of the colorful Rose Garden.

View from the upstairs balcony of Canandaigua Lake

One can only imagine the view the Thompsons, the original owners of the late 1800’s mansion, would have had of Canandaigua Lake. A sliver of the lake is visible from the upstairs bedrooms and balcony, but 100 years ago, when the intervening trees would have been shorter, the view must have been incredible from the “Sunny Hill.” It was remarkable that each upstairs bedroom in this summer home (the Thompsons lived primarily in New York City) had its own full bathroom (one bedroom even had two bathrooms!). We didn’t linger to dial up the cell-phone descriptions, although I noted the number (585-797-6304) and listened to a few selections when I returned home!

Charlie admiring the dining room

Yigal under the weeping beech

We couldn’t decide whether a woman in a sort of bridal dress and blue lipstick, who was being professionally photographed in the Rock Garden, was posing for real wedding photos or an art project, but we all agreed that Sonnenberg would be a lovely spot for a wedding (in good weather). We returned to the Greenhouses via the South Lawn, past some magnificent weeping beeches, weeping willows, and other wonderful tree specimens. Lunch in the café, including some New York cheeses, was a perfect end to our visit, before the boys headed back to Rochester, and Cindy and I spent a little time on Main Street supporting the local economy... 

A massive trunk for such a little tree!

Cindy & Mike in the Old Fashioned Garden