Green Animals Topiary Garden to open April 15

Green Animals Topiary Garden will be blooming with spring daffodils when it opens for the season on Friday, April 15.

In addition to more than 80 topiaries in the shape of animals and geometric designs, this historic garden is planted with 19,000 daffodils in 58 varieties, along with more than 6,000 tulips and thousands of uncommon and unusual flowering bulbs.

“Spring is always a great time to visit Green Animals, and every year we plant more bulbs in new varieties to make it even more spectacular,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO and Executive Director of The Preservation Society of Newport County, which owns the topiary garden as well as 10 historic properties in Newport. “We hope to build on the incredible success of last year, when Green Animals was visited by far more people than ever before.”

Also new this season, plant labeling is updated throughout the garden to help visitors learn about what is growing; the Formal Garden will be refreshed with new boxwoods, replacing 800 plants in all; and new paths will be added to improve mobility around the property.

Situated alongside Narragansett Bay, Green Animals is the oldest and most northern topiary garden in the United States. The boxwood, privet and yew topiaries – including a giraffe, elephant, ostrich, bears and much more – were begun in the early 20th century by Joseph Carreiro, an immigrant gardener from the Azores. The 7-acre property also includes an array of flowering bulbs, perennials, annuals and shrubs that bloom colorfully throughout the spring, summer and fall. In 2019, Green Animals was recognized by the American Daffodil Society as one of 28 official Daffodil Display Gardens in the United States, and one of only three in New England.

Other Newport Mansions schedule changes

Green Animals will join The Breakers and Marble House in Newport as the three Preservation Society properties currently open for tours, but schedule changes are coming in May.

Marble House will close from May 1 through May 26. During that time, The Breakers and Green Animals will remain open daily, while Chepstow, an Italianate villa built in 1860 and filled with a remarkable collection of fine and decorative arts of the Morris family, descendants of Founding Father Gouverneur Morris, will be open Saturdays and Sundays.

Starting Friday, May 27, The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff and Green Animals will be open daily, while Chateau-sur-Mer and Kingscote will be open Saturdays and Sundays.

For the full Newport Mansions operating schedule, go to www.NewportMansions.org and look under “Plan A Visit.” The operating schedule is subject to change.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.

For more information, please visit NewportMansions.org.