North Star Self-Guided Legacy Landscape Tour
The Woodland Garden of Arthur De Wint Foote
Welcome to the North Star House. This beautiful home, designed by famed architect Julia Morgan, was completed in 1905 as a gathering place at the North Star Mine for leaders in the mining industry. It was also the residence of mine superintendent Arthur De Wint Foote and his family, who had lived in the North Star Cottage from 1895-1905.
In addition to being an innovative engineer, Arthur was an avid horticulturalist. To showcase the Arts & Crafts style home, he chose an Edwardian garden where informal woodland planting schemes are used. The authentic Edwardian garden was interwoven with the architecture, softly draping the hard, architectural lines.
Many trees and shrubs on the property were developed by Felix Gillet, the father of perennial agriculture in California and the Pacific Northwest. He was a resident of Nevada City.
The gardens at the NSH were created in the Gertrude Jekyll style.
for a brief description
of Felix Gillet and
Gertrude Jekyll
This landscape tour is in two parts.
PART 1: Heritage Garden. This garden was designed and created as a tribute to Arthur. It showcases many of the plants and landscaping concepts that he used on the property.
The Heritage Garden is level walking with close parking.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Heritage Garden (HG) is not always open. We keep it locked when no one is present to prevent the deer and their friends from devouring it.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10am – noon, there are almost always construction volunteers present. They will open the Garden during those hours.
PART 2: Walk around the Property. See some of the Legacy trees and shrubs on the property. Many were planted by Arthur and the south orchard of Felix Gillet fruit and nut trees pre-dates Arthur.
CAUTION: GROUNDS AROUND PROPERTY ARE UNEVEN IN PLACES. COUNTRY “CRITTERS” MAY BE PRESENT. PLEASE WEAR STURDY SHOES, EXERCISE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND STEP CAREFULLY.
Start Part 2, Walk around the Property
