STRAFFORD — When Barbara Paulson arrived at the gardens at the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead Wednesday afternoon, she was a little nervous.

It had been more than two months since Paulson, the master gardener at the state historic site, tended to the flowers, shrubs and other plant life.

The homestead has been closed since July when a stream that runs through the property flooded and damaged the grounds, including the education center. As a precaution, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation closed the entire site to the public. All events scheduled to take place at the homestead were canceled or moved to another location.

“The stability of the streambank was still a primary concern; we are awaiting evaluation by engineers to understand next steps,” state Historic Preservation Officer Laura V. Trieschmann wrote in an email. The problematic portion of the streambank is fenced in to warn visitors of its potential danger.

For now, the grounds and gardens have reopened but buildings will remain closed until an evaluation can be completed and plans for repairs can be made. The homestead traditionally closes for the season after Indigenous People's Day weekend. 

Tracey McFadden, director of Friends of Morrill Homestead, the nonprofit organization that helps maintain the site and hosts events there, cautioned that the property is not in the best shape, and it would be wise for visitors to consider that before stopping by.

That’s where Paulson comes in: She and McFadden have organized three days for volunteers to come help clean up the gardens.

Sessions will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8; the homestead’s annual “Put the Garden to Bed” event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14.

Paulson emphasized that volunteers of all experience levels are welcome to attend.

Prior to the floods, the gardens were thriving.

“It was a nice mixed bag in that we didn’t have to water anything, but we were always hoping for more sun to warm things up and get things going,” said Paulson, a Randolph resident who has been with the homestead since 2020.

Perennial flowers including irises and hollyhocks were robust. Edible shrubs including gooseberry and currant were also doing well.

“It was a good growing season,” she said.

When Paulson first learned about the homestead’s closure in July, “that’s when the emotional toll took its biggest effect,” she said. She worried that the wet weather would cause powdery mildew to prey on plants and that invasive species — including buckthorn, chervil and goutweed — would run wild.

Upon first glance, the gardens are in relatively decent shape: The grass is around 8 inches tall — shorter than Paulson had anticipated.

“The things that took the hardest hit were the walking paths around the house,” Paulson said. “It’s really important to keep those weeds down because if anyone has trouble walking, we don’t want anyone to scuff their feet.”

When she and McFadden, the director of the friends group, walked around the site Wednesday afternoon, they couldn’t resist stopping to pluck weeds they encountered.

The garden’s annuals are still going strong because a frost has yet to come through, Paulson said. Herbs planted in the experimental vegetable garden also appear to have thrived.

“It was just kind of heartening to be there and see that even though it looked rough around the edges, certain things still do thrive,” Paulson said. “It shows you the resilience of the garden.”

Liz Sauchelli can be  reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.