O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú Garden

Learn about what it means to preserve and maintain a historical landscape.

Margaret Menache, PhD, faculty emerita at the University of New Mexico gets us excited about spring by talking about Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú garden. Since retiring, Margaret has been working on a Certificate in Historic Preservation and Regionalism with an emphasis on historic landscapes. She has been working with the Museum’s Cultural Landscape Team to focus on current plant conditions and to create an inventory of the Abiquiú Home & Studio garden.

A properly maintained tree may live hundreds to thousands of years but as it grows over those years, it may encroach upon water sources, foundations, and overhang a roof with branches weighing in the tons. What steps must be taken to ensure the safety of the tree, the building, and the people who wish to enjoy that historical landscape? A bonus of this discussion will be an opportunity for you to think about garden planning for the very long run and potentially to find inspiration for your own garden from gardens of the past!

This lecture was recorded March 3, 2021 as part of the Mornings with O’Keeffe series.