Woodland Park
Rex and Sylvia Crippen’s 1940s
722 Forest Hills home was originally on
the first garden tour 60 years ago. Owned
by Mr. and Mrs. J. Henry Gerdes, Marie
Gerdes, a garden club founder, designed the
garden. As described in Susan Taylor Block’s
2003 book, Belles and Blooms, from the year
1953: “The Gerdes’ garden … featured
several transplanted items of interest. A
banana shrub from a Charleston plantation,
fig vine from Brookgreen Gardens and a
tree magnolia grown from a cutting taken
from the Burgwin-Wright House garden
added interest. Local cobblestones were also
incorporated into the landscape design.”
(Continued on p. 64)
COURTESY OF THE CRIPPENS
62
WBM april 2013
