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From Historic Gardens to Hope Eternal: Co-Founder Chris Alonso’s Role in Restoring Edith Wharton’s Legendary Garden

  • lauren32286
  • Jun 1
  • 3 min read

Lush garden with colorful flowers, including blue and pink blooms, surrounded by greenery and trees under a clear sky, creating a serene mood.
View of the restored Flower Garden. Photo by Chris Alonso.

Architectural sketch of The Mount, Lenox, MA, showing building layout, gardens, and paths. Monochrome with detailed shading.
Drawing of the gardens at The Mount. Drawing by Chris Alonso.

Gardens are more than just plants and flowers—they are living stories that connect us to the past.


For Chris Alonso, helping to restore the historic garden of Edith Wharton, a famous American writer from the early 1900s, was an opportunity to bring a piece of history back to life. Edith Wharton was well-known for her novels and stories, including The Age of Innocence, and she was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her home, The Mount, is located in Lenox, Massachusetts. Working alongside renowned Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA) Susan Child, Chris dove into old photographs and historical records to recreate a garden that Edith Wharton once loved. This project was not only about plants but about honoring a legacy, blending art, history, and nature in a way that continues to inspire visitors today.

Three people garden near a historic building under clear skies. The headline "The Mount's garden revival" is featured below.
Newspaper article covering the day the plants were positioned for planting.

A Pioneer in Landscape Design

Susan Child was known for her work in historic garden restoration and thoughtful, natural designs. She helped preserve many important gardens and landscapes, making sure they stay true to their original style while also fitting into today’s world. Her expertise was crucial for bringing Edith Wharton’s garden back to life. You can learn more about her legacy through the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s profile.


Elegant white mansion atop a hill, surrounded by lush greenery. Stone statue on a fountain in the foreground under a clear blue sky.
View from the Flower Garden toward the house and Rock Garden. Photo by Chris Alonso.

The Mount

Today, The Mount is a vibrant cultural center and historic house museum that welcomes over 50,000 visitors each year. Guests can tour Wharton’s home and explore her restored gardens, which include a sunken Italian Garden, a formal French Flower Garden, and the peaceful Rock Garden. These spaces have been carefully brought back to life based on Wharton’s original photographs.


This restoration was important because it allowed visitors to see the garden as Edith Wharton had designed it more than a hundred years ago. By bringing the garden back to life, the team helped preserve an important piece of cultural and landscape history. Chris is proud to have been part of this effort to connect the past with the present through plants, design, and meaningful landscapes.


Stone steps lead through lush greenery in a serene garden setting. The scene is shaded and tranquil, with dense foliage surrounding the path.
Historic photo of the Rock Garden.

Historic white mansion with black shutters, surrounded by lush gardens and large trees. Terraced grass steps lead up to the house. Peaceful mood.
Newly restored photo of the Rock Garden. Photo by Chris Alonso.

Rebuilding the French Flower Garden & Rock Garden: Chris Alonso’s Role

Using old photographs, Chris and the team researched the types of flowers and plants Edith Wharton originally had in her garden. They created a detailed list of over 3,000 plants, including perennials and wildflowers. Chris specifically worked on the design and installation of the Rock Garden, a quieter, more naturalistic space that complemented the formality of the other gardens. He helped plan the layout, produced drawings of the garden plans, and contributed to a historical report about the project.


Fountain in a garden surrounded by flowers and hedges. A large building sits on a hill in the background. Black and white image.
Historic photo of the Sunken Garden.

Garden layout plan with colorful plant arrangements in four corners, labeled NW, NE, SW, SE. White paths and central area marked with circles.
Planting plan collage of the Flower Garden by Chris Alonso.

From Restoration to Hope: Experience Gained for Hope Eternal Gardens

Chris is also co-founder of Hope Eternal Gardens, a cemetery dedicated to creating natural, sustainable memorial forests that celebrate life through plants and landscape design. His experience restoring The Mount’s historic garden ties closely to his work at Hope Eternal Gardens, where he blends respect for nature, history, and personal meaning into every project. The restoration deepened his appreciation for gardens as places of memory, beauty, and healing.


Man in a straw hat smiling, holds trays of plants outdoors on a sunny day. Green field and blue sky with clouds in the background.
Photo of Chris Alonso at Hope Eternal Gardens. Photo by Lauren Robie.




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