Return to Sonnenberg

A couple years back I visited this historic public garden; we found it lovely but in need of some restoration. Now it looks like it’s getting some help. I met fellow Ranter Amy Stewart here the other day; we toured the gardens and shot a couple episodes of our new Cocktail Hour video series, which will be running on Rant every Thursday—more or less.


The rock garden’s water courses have been filled; this is really the most beautiful feature of Sonnenberg. The rock walls and structures follow a meandering path punctuated by cascades, pools, and streams. We both fell in love with the rock folly above; it is topped by a beautiful climbing hydrangea.


The classic Victorian glasshouses are dilapidated, but still elegant, and the plants are in good shape. We surreptitiously taped a short video in one of them—I had brought along a floral liquor I thought we could taste with Sonnenberg as a backdrop. Amy had some slight demurs about embibing at a rather early hour (10 a.m.). We’ll be posting that soon.


In the meantime, Sonnenberg is well worth a visit if you’re ever near Canadaigua, NY. I wouldn’t think cool weather would make any difference—in fact, I am sure the autumn color here is gorgeous.