The house’s symmetry is framed by the loose, elegant branching of Japanese stewartias that have enchanted villagers, perhaps for a century. Mention “the pair of Stewartias,” and most residents know exactly which house you mean. Their twisting cinnamon-colored trunks, mottled bark, and camellia-like blossoms make them one of the Borough’s most recognizable landmarks. The species name pseudocamellia, meaning “false camellia,” reflects its membership in the tea family (Theaceae). Native to mountain forests in Japan and Korea, the species was introduced to the United States in the late nineteenth century. Coincidentally, the year this house was built—1917—was also the year plant explorer E. H. Wilson collected hardy Stewartia seeds from South Korea for Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. These particular trees so fascinated a former Head Arborist at the Connecticut College Arboretum that he conducted independent DNA sequencing to better understand their lineage. Although the results were inconclusive, he later led a walking tour for the Garden Club to share his findings. The landscape underwent a complete redesign in 2025. Because the beds are in their first full growing season, visitors will encounter a young garden in the process of establishing itself. Garden beds feature a curated mix of native and coastal-hardy trees, shrubs, and perennials designed to soften the hardscape of the historic brick pavilion and the remaining columns of the original colonnade. The coastal view extends across Dodge Paddock toward Sandy Point and Napatree, two protected coastal landscapes that formed a continuous barrier beach until the Hurricane of 1938 reshaped the shoreline. Sources • Personal communications with Connecticut College Arboretum staff and Stonington Garden Club members. • Plant information adapted from Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder resources. • Stewartia history and botanical information adapted from the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Royal Horticultural Society. • Historical information on Dodge Paddock and Beal Preserve adapted from the Stonington Land Trust.