Innisfree Garden

New York State, United States

---

Innisfree Garden, located in Millbrook, New York, is a unique public garden spanning about 200 acres and designed with influences from Chinese, Japanese, Modern, and ecological landscape principles.

It was originally a private estate developed starting in the late 1920s by artist Walter Beck and gardener Marion Beck, who were inspired by ancient Chinese scroll paintings and garden traditions. Landscape architect Lester Collins collaborated with them from the late 1930s onward and, after the Becks' deaths, transformed Innisfree into a public garden in 1960.

The garden is known for its “cup gardens,” which are distinct garden rooms or focal areas, organized around a large 40-acre glacial lake set in a natural bowl-shaped landscape that fosters a sense of intimacy and privacy.

The design integrates natural landforms with sculptural berms, water features, and native plants to create a harmonious blend of cultivated and wild elements. Innisfree Garden has been recognized for its exceptional landscape architecture, including being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it remains a destination for garden enthusiasts and designers worldwide, admired for its artistic landscape and ecological sensitivity.