Arts in the Garden

Alice L.L. Ferguson, Artist and Designer

Alice L.L. Ferguson was a dynamic, creative artist who was trained as a painter at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C. She designed the layout for Hard Bargain Farm, the farmhouse, and the gardens

She developed the house gardens during the Country Place Era (1890-1940). It was a time when women were coming into the landscape design profession from horticulture and fine arts. They were experimental, drawing from English picturesque and cottage garden styles, the Beaus Arts and Arts and Crafts movements, and Asian influences.

At Hard Bargain, she kept a studio in a remodeled log cabin and in the living room of the farmhouse. Many of her paintings depicted life outdoors at the Hard Bargain Farm. A Day at the Farm was exhibited at the prestibious 1932-33 Corcoran Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting in Washington, D.C.

Her circle of friends included artist Lenore Straus who lived neraby. Several of her sculptures remain in the garden today, including the landmark blue rhino in front of the farmhouse. Her WPA works can be found in Greenbelt, MD, and later works in Maine.