Save Yaddo Gardens via Modern Sustainable Methods.
Yaddo Gardens, nestled at Exit 15 in Saratoga Springs, is a beloved landmark. Designed by Katrina Trask—a visionary artist, philanthropist, and poet—the gardens are an ornate masterpiece tied to deep history and emotion. Katrina, a true Enneagram 4, channeled her grief and passion into these gardens. Her vision was captivating but shaped by the limited plant palette and design motifs of her time.
Now, more than a century later, we’re facing new challenges Katrina could never have foreseen. Deer overpopulate the grounds, decimating ornamental plants. Invasive Japanese Barberry—known as a “Lyme tick nurseries”—has spread unchecked, worsening public health in nearby neighborhoods. Many original plants have disappeared, and what remains feels more like a haunted relic than a living garden.
Certainly, we can do better.
Save Yaddo with Ecology Integration.
Preserving Yaddo’s beauty doesn’t mean freezing it in time—it means evolving with it. We must save Yaddo. Certainly, it’s possible to honor Katrina’s intent by adapting her vision to today’s environmental realities. Permaculture, ecology driven design and integrating more native plants will result in modern solutions. With careful stewardship, Yaddo could become a lush, edible food forest—resilient to climate change, low-maintenance, and rich in biodiversity. Imagine future generations strolling through gardens that are not only beautiful but alive with birdsong, butterflies, and seasonal harvests.
Aesthetic beauty and ecological health are not mutually exclusive. In fact, sustainable design is the only path to enduring beauty. The time for change is now. Let’s truly honor the beautiful, haunting memory of Katrina Trask by evolving with modern solutions. Future Saratogians deserve our efforts to pass them forward a legacy of natural history blended with natural reality, via ecology knowledge.
Let’s Save Yaddo Together.
Let us help restore Yaddo Gardens—undoubtedly true to Katrina’s spirit, but with 21st-century tools. Together, we can transform these ethereal ruins cloaked in luminescence straightaway into a vibrant living legacy. Contact us shortly to start a conversation. Let’s make Saratoga a beacon of beauty, biodiversity, a bright future outlook and ecological leadership.