Chick Cove Manor: The Grounds

10 acres of gardens and fields.

Two hundred years ago, this area was all part of Woodport plantation. You'll pass the road to the plantation house (still a private residence), in the Wilton section, on your way here. Before WWII, this was a 200-some acre parcel known as Glen Cove Farm. In the 1980s, Chick Cove Manor was an upscale restaurant and herb farm. It reverted to a single family residence for a dozen years before being purchased for Bed and Breakfast operations. The house was completely redone; the other buildings await renovation.

Ample Parking

Back in farm days, the central area of the property was a market area. The ground there is hardpacked and a good amount of small gravel seems packed and buried under a sparse grass cover. Today, this means we have plenty of space for guest parking. The drive in is only a dirt and gravel road, and its surface does suffer in periods of heavy rains. But it is hard packed, as are its shoulders, so you can trailer in a large boat or an exhibition trailer (for a festival), and have plenty of room to park and to turn around.

Our Gardens: Scent, Herbs, Fruit

As this was a farmhouse, there are wonderful old trees surrounding and shading it: magnolia, sycamore, linden, pecan, crepe myrtle, dogwood, holly, weeping cherry.

The old corn fields are gradually being converted to gardens as we plant more trees and flowers. Our first efforts were concentrated on adding plants with highly perfumed flowers.

With kitchen gardens in mind, we have put in lots of herbs and fruit.

Color

We will always have scent, edibility, and wildlife value at the top of our list, but we have set aside those yardsticks to add plants that add color and interest to the gardens in the heat of summer: hydrangeas, canna, salvia, hosta, and other perennial groundcovers.

Our Habitat

We are committed to creating a habitat hospitable to the widest range of wildlife.

What is edible in nature is poison-free and edible here. No herbicides are spread, and no poisons are used in the garden, with the very limited exception of fruit tree protection. (The fruit trees are together in part of the southwest acre.)