This content is sponsored by Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.
Season’s Greetings at Hillwood draws inspiration from the publication A Garden for All Seasons: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood, with beautiful Christmas trees and holiday décor throughout the estate.
Virtual workshops and holiday tours add to the Christmas grandeur.
A renowned philanthropist, art collector, and businesswoman, Marjorie Merriweather Post created her most lasting legacy when she left Hillwood to the public to educate and inspire future generations. Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens celebrates this enduring gift with the publication of A Garden for All Seasons: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood, written by Kate Markert, Hillwood’s executive director, and published in partnership with Rizzoli Electa, featuring vibrant photography by Erik Kvalsvik.
When the visionary Post purchased Hillwood, she planned and created a garden paradise, shaping a setting with a diverse and verdant array of trees, shrubs, and plants to offer something to see in all seasons. She believed it was important to have an appreciate beauty in the world around us. In her greatest act of generosity, she left not just her grand mansion, with important art collection, but also a garden oasis, so that others could benefit and learn from her exquisite way of life.
Christmas Trees on Display
The beauty and botanical bounty of Hillwood’s gardens permeate the holiday décor that adorns the entire estate. As the lush gardens burst into bloom and flourish with growth, so too do the Christmas trees, each inspired by a particular season as explored in the publication.
The mansion entry hall warmly welcomes visitors with the colors of fall. Reds, rusts, golds, yellows, and oranges reflect Hillwood’s place as a leaf peeper’s paradise. This bountiful season comes to life with a tree featuring mostly natural objects, such as leaves, mums, and gourds. Taking its cue from the bright colors and renewal of the season, spring arrives in the French drawing room as the tree overflows with peonies and tulips. Post enjoyed color, ensuring every part of the garden at Hillwood beckoned with vibrant splendor, as they continue to do today. Soft pinks and whites complement the room, emulating the calming and welcome sanctuary of the spring gardens. Summer, the season at Hillwood for colorful annuals, brightens the dining room, as the large tree bursts with color. Vivid blossoms and tropical plants abound, seen in the bright dahlias and snapdragons that reflect the plentiful cutting garden, which Post grew to source the ever-present arrangements on view in the mansion. A winter-inspired tree, featuring whites, silvers, and purples, enhances the pavilion. Winter reveals the elegant bones of the garden, and everything on the tree is something grown at Hillwood, from verdant kale and magnolia leaves to intricate branches. Orchids—Marjorie Post’s favorite flower—join glass bulbs on this tree to add an elegant touch.
In the visitor center, bright greens, pinks, and reds greet guests upon arrival as a glittering tree takes inspiration from the gemstones on view in the special exhibition Natural Beauties: Exquisite Works of Minerals and Gems. Diamonds and glass ball ornaments add a shiny and elegant flair.
